Philadelphia were perfect hosts for Donegal Diaspora Initiative weekend

It was a weekend to remember in Philadelphia when the Donegal Diaspora Initiative took place from March 20th to 22nd and it was special to be a Donegal person in the midst of it all.

For all those who made the trip to Philly - from Donegal, Glasgow, London and Dubai, as well as ‘the Donegal locals’ from Boston and New York, the red carpet was rolled out by the organisers. 

Special mention must go to the organising committee - Ciaran Porter, Mary Boyle, Una McDaid, Cathal McHugh, John McDaid, Raymond Porter, Paul McDaid, Siobhan McHugh, Savannah Conneen, Frank Ferguson, Joe Cunningham and Brian McDaid - each with their own role in the weekend.

The highlight of the weekend came with the musical get-together in the Springfield Country Club on the Saturday night with a full house enjoying the terrific musical entertainment provided by talented musicians, all with Donegal blood running through their veins such as the Byrne brothers; the Boyce brothers, John McGroary and Ben Carr.

And if there was an award for providing entertainment on the dance floor then the Donegal GAA Masters would be going home with the gold medals. Led by the McShanes, Conor and David, they danced the night away with their own leader in the form of John Joe O’Shea.


John Baker Boyle with his three sons - Shane, Ronan and Benny - who were playing for two different teams, Donegal New York and Donegal Masters

There was a special rendition of ‘Back Home to Donegal’ from Donegal Masters Micheal Canning and Dermot ‘Gogie’ O’Donnell, formerly Naomh Muire and now resident in Philadelphia, brother of well-known Donegal referee Robbie O’Donnell. Indeed, ‘Gogie’ was one of the referees at the tournament held in conjunction with the weekend earlier that Saturday.

I had met ‘Gogie’ the night before as he was part of a regular Friday night ‘25’ Card Playing School which included Drimarone natives Denis Brennan, Seamus Meehan and my host for two weeks, Peter Martin. The School also had a Mullahoran man Mickey Comiskey, married to a Donegal woman as well as Damien Buttler from Antrim, whose command of the English language left a lot to be desired at times.

Amidst all of the happenings was the inimitable Brendan ‘Tiny’ Vaughan, who was part of the Tir Chonaill Gaels travelling group and ‘Tiny’ captured everything on the camera that seems to be glued to his chest at all times.

The weekend got off to a wonderful start on the Friday with the Business Forum and Panel Discussions in the impressive Springfield Country Club venue. Some of the highlights of the day included a lovely chat with former Government Minister Joe McHugh, who related his first visit to the US as a student, saying he learned more in three months working in a bar in New York than he did in three years in University.

There was also a very interesting talk between Letterkenny’s World Record holder Caitriona Jennings and former Irish Olympian Gerry O’Reilly. There were gasps from the audience around the stunning levels of discipline Jennings had to undergo to become the 100-mile world record holder and yet it seemed as if it came all so natural to her. Indeed, as her record has been beaten, she is making plans to have another go and break the record once more.


The Kilcar connection in Philadelphia for the weekend

The highlight of the Saturday event at the Springfield Sports Centre was the inaugural Donegal Business Hall of Fame award being presented to Glencolmcille native, Anne Cawley (nee Boyle), who received a standing ovation when being presented with the award by Cllr Ciaran Brogan, one of a number of representatives from Donegal Co. Council at the weekend event.

The citation for the Hall of Fame had a wonderful story of when Ms Cawley emigrated to the US in 1982 and in the US Embassy in Dublin she met and chatted to Sean Cawley, a native of Crossmolina, Co Mayo. Some time after arriving in New York, she went to a dance and across the floor was the same Sean Cawley. As they say the rest is history. 

The pair worked really hard to build their future which culminated in owning Cawley’s Bar and Restaurant in Philadelphia, a place which became a starting point for many Irish emigrants. It was said that anyone who arrived in Cawleys always left with a job and a place to stay.

The organising committee of the weekend under the chairmanship of Raphoe native Ciaran Porter had everything in place for the GAA competition which began early on Saturday morning at the Glen Mills Schools. In the end six mens and two ladies teams participated with Donegal Dubai unable to field due to the Gulf War.

The organisation was slick with all the teams playing each other with two fields in operation. A marquee provided entertainment with another Drimarone man Seamus McGroary belting out Irish songs while Highland Radio did a live show. O’Reilly Sports had their stand in one corner; McCaffertys provided the beer while the local Philly GAA workers were busy cooking burgers and chips.

Christy Murray was there with his full regalia and his pipes; a local TV crew were doing interviews for a news feature.

At the end of the day Tir Chonaill Gaels were winners of the Ladies competition, defeating Donegal Philadelphia in the final while Donegal Boston were winners of the inaugural Charlie McElwee Cup.

Among those who had travelled for the weekend and especially the football was John ‘Baker’ Boyle, who had three sons playing, Benny for the Donegal GAA Masters and Shane and Ronan.

Christy Toye and Marc Langan were among a strong contingent from the Creeslough area who also enjoyed the special weekend in Philly. 

The Donegal Masters had started their trip with a few days sightseeing in New York and while in Philadelphia didn’t miss getting their photo taken alongside the Rocky monument.

On the final day of the weekend most of the visitors were up early to take in the Donegal-Roscommon NFL game at different venues in the city.

And while nearly all of those who travelled were on their way home on the Monday, I enjoyed an extended break of two weeks, which unfortunately meant that I had to watch Donegal’s excellent display in dismantling Kerry in the National League final in Croke Park on TV.

I had a feeling that it was going to be Donegal’s year when the dates collided because when the first ever Division 1 League title was secured back in 2007 I was also away on holiday with a large number of Donegal folk in Ibiza. 

Donegal’s National League in 2026 will live long in the memory. I can’t ever remember a year when so many young players were given a chance, especially at the top level of Division 1, with so much success. The strength of the Donegal panel going into the 2026 championship has to be one of the best we ever had. Fingers crossed that we can get everyone fit and well for the months of April, May, June and hopefully July.

The trip to the US also included four nights in New York to take in an ice hockey game in Madison Square Garden, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the new Ground Zero as well as a play on Broadway. The return trip to Philadelphia was via Belmar where we watched the Ireland v Czechia World Cup play-off in the company of two more wonderful hosts David and Pat Schofield.

We had the pleasure of being able to stream the Donegal U-20s game against Derry on our last full day in Philadelphia and it was great to see our team show the composure to close out a game in the final seconds. We are in a good place in Donegal at the moment and we should enjoy every minute.

Thanks to all in Philadelphia for the hospitality shown to all who turned up for the Diaspora Initiative and hopefully there will be a follow-on in 2027, whether that be in Donegal, London or wherever.


Pictured with our hosts - the Martin clan, originally from Letterbarrow - at the function on Saturday night