Northern Ireland

Forget houses and cars, Derry GAA club is raffling a field

Doire na nAspal is a two-acre field with excellent views of the Derryveagh and Glendowan mountains.
Doire na nAspal is a two-acre field with excellent views of the Derryveagh and Glendowan mountains. Doire na nAspal is a two-acre field with excellent views of the Derryveagh and Glendowan mountains.

A DERRY city hurling club has come up with an innovative approach to fundraising by offering a field in Co Donegal as the first prize in a draw.

While GAA clubs are used to offering houses and cars as prizes, Na Magha hurling club in the Ballyarnett area is currently selling tickets for what it has described as a “a piece of heaven” in the Donegal Gaeltacht.

It is a two-acre field called Doire na nAspal (the Apostles’ Oak Grove) near Doochary.

Na Magha development officer Ger Roarty said the club decided on a draw to raise money for a new hurling/camogie pitch.

"We thought we’d do something different and then we thought what about raffling a field. This gives people more opportunities. They could build a house; they could glamp on it; they could put a caravan on it or whatever,” he said.

He said Na Magha settled on the Doochary field because it had a connection with Derry through the city’s patron saint, St Columba.

“The townland’s name came from the Columban friars who took refuge in the ancient oak wood in 1595 after their monastery on Tory Island, founded by St Colmcille in the sixth century, was plundered by Sir George Bingham and a posse of English troops during the Nine Years’ War.

“Immediately alongside the field is Stranasaggart (Srath na Sagart), the priests’ meadow, where the friars said Mass for the local community during penal times,” Mr Roarty said.

The links with Derry city were strengthened further by the fact that St Colmcille was born in nearby Garten.

Mr Roarty said the field afforded spectacular views of the Derryveagh and Glendowan mountain ranges and was bounded on two sides by the Abhann Bhuí river, a tributary of the Gweebara River, one of the best-known fishing rivers in Europe.

“On a summer’s morning, you could find yourself fishing salmon from your field, watching the red deer in the hills above you or even catching a glimpse of the majestic golden eagle soaring overhead from Glenveagh National Park.”

Mr Roarty said the draw would be held live on Facebook on St Patrick’s Day next year. Tickets for the draw – priced at twenty for £20 and sixty for £50 - can be purchased from Na Magha club members or online via KlubFunder.com.