Danny Duffy wins Ulster title, five months after mother's death in horror crash

Just five months after losing his mother and two other members of his family in a horror crash, Raphoe Boxing Club’s Danny Duffy won an Ulster Senior title on Friday night.

Duffy won the open 54kgs final on an emotional night in Belfast.

On April 27, Danny’s mother, Christine McKane, her brother Dan McKane and their aunt Julia McSorley were killed in a road traffic accident near Aughnacloy, County Tyrone. Four others sustained injuries in a smash that sent shock waves rippling across the north west.

The three, all natives of Strabane, were traveling from from a family funeral in England when the minibus in which they were traveling collided with a lorry.

Sinead McConnell inducted into Donegal Athletics Board Hall of Fame

The Finn Valley AC race walker became the latest Hall of Fame entrant on Friday night. Here's all the winners from the Donegal Athletics Board Awards:

Duffy was a gold medalist at the Donegal Open Championships earlier this year and he returned to training in the aftermath of a tragedy that ripped the heart from the family.

A large crowd was present on Friday night at the Crumlin Star Sports and Social Club in Belfast where Duffy impressed. Five Ulster crowns are back in Donegal with Duffy’s Raphoe BC team-mate Ryan McDaid and Ballyshannon’s Alex McAleer winning finals with Cillin Boyce (Letterkenny BC) and Danny Byrne (Ballyshannon BC) getting walkover wins.

Duffy was superb in his 54kgs final in the open category, scoring a unanimous decision over James Stevenson from Bangor Abbey. Duffy, roared on by his big support, was busy for the duration of the three rounds. Stevenson competed in the Ulster Elites last year, rising out to Clemson Dos Santos.

The always-weaving Duffy, who received a bye into the final, forced Stevenson into frustration and the Raphoe puncher had his hand raised.

“We’re delighted for him,” said Raphoe BC head coach Gary McCullagh. “All of Danny’s family there there and it was great for everyone. Danny has been training so well for the last eight weeks and has followed a strength and conditioning programme perfectly. He’s flying at the minute and he was brilliant in the final.”

Duffy’s colleague from Raphoe BC, Ryan McDaid, edged a cracking novice middleweight final. McDaid earned a 3-2 split decision against Alain Duphy from Carrickmacross. Duphy held sway in the first round before McDaid, who defeated Owen Sloan from Kilkeel in his semi-final, hit back in the second. It was all on the line in the third and McDaid done just enough to get the decision.

McAllen, fresh from a semi-final win over Sean O’Dwyer from St John Bosco in Belfast, won the 63.5kgs novice crown. McAleer was handed a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards against Shea Murphy from Armagh in the decider.

Boyce booked a place in the final of the open 60kgs category, but Cole Taylor withdrew from the bout and the Letterkenny man was declared the winner.

Ballyshannon’s Danny Byrne was also handed a walkover win in the novice 91+kgs category.

There was no joy for Ballyshannon’s Seamus Wardle, who lost his novice 67kgs quarter-final to Sacred Heart Newry man John Kelly while Raphoe’s Cathal McLaughlin was beaten by James Maguinnes from Down in an open middleweight semi.