CLG Chill Chartha is a GAA club based in Kilcar, County Donegal, in Ulster, Ireland. They have won the Donegal Senior Football Championship on six occasions, the last in 2017, they won the Division One title on 14 occasions and are current All Ireland Comórtas Peile champions.
History The first recorded game was played on the beach in 1921, which was an inter-townland match between “Up the Glen” and Muckross.
The first official match played in Towney was between Ard na Ratha and “South of the County”. The first club match was played on November 9, 1924 against Ballyshannon in Towney, with the visitors winning 1-03 to 0-02. Over the following decades the club achieved success at all age levels and took part in the senior championships until 1967-69 when the club had to join forces with neighbouring parishes in order to field senior teams. The revival started when the club dropped to junior football in 1968 and three years later they won that championship and were back in the senior football championship in 1972. They have remained in the senior football championship ever since winning it five times, and with the under 21s winning three in a row in the early 1970s this was an indication of things that were to come, the success of the 1980s where they had three strong senior sides competing in all competitions. They were actually the first club in the county to have a third team.
In ten years after winning the junior championship their second team reached the junior championship final in 1981 and three years later they reached the intermediate final where they were narrowly defeated such was the strength of football in the parish.
In 1993 a team for the ladies was formed and in 2023 they picked up the Junior B championship and the Division Three league title.
They have provided players to the county teams over the course of their history with 20 different players making county Ulster championship appearances. That is not counting players who represented the county at league and underage level, a remarkable achievement when considering the size of the parish.
John McNulty, a former candidate for the Seanad, managed the club to Junior "B", Minor and Under-21 Championships and the 2014 Division 1 league title, though he did not win the Senior Football Championship.
The club celebrated their centenary in 2024.
They will host the Comortas Peile na Gaeltacht in 2026 (delayed two years due to COVID), which will be the second time in the club's history, with the last one held in 2004.
Rivalries The club has an intense rivalry with Na Cealla Beaga. The club also maintains a strong rivalry with their neighbours, Naomh Columba.
Competitive record Championship The club won the Senior Championship for the first time in 1925 and the most recent was in 2017, following a 0–07 to 0–04 win over Naomh Conaill, the club's first win since 1993 (and sixth overall). In 2016, the club made its first final appearance since 1993 but lost to Glenswilly by a point. The club faced Naomh Conaill in the 2020 final, which was put on hold due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.
League CLG Chill Chartha play in Division 1 of the Donegal All County league and are a record 14 times league champions (1933, 1935, 1959, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022). The club was relegated in 2009; despite finishing a point off a league semi place, the club went down after a number of play-offs. The club made its return to the top flight after winning the Division 2 title in 2011.
In 2014, the club won the senior Division One League title for the first time since 1987, following a 5–17 to 0–10 win away to Gaoth Dobhair.
Comórtas Peile The club won the Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta on seven occasions, the most recent being in 2024, and won the county Gaeltacht on ten occasions, the last being in 2024. The club also won the Junior Gaeltacht on two occasions, most famously in 1989, when it won both national titles at Naomh Columba.
Underage At underage level, the club has won the County Under 21 Championship on six occasions (1972, 1973, 1974, 2011, 2013 and 2015). The club won the Minor title on four occasions (1964, 1998, 2010 and 2012), along with a lot of underage honours.CLG Chill Chartha Club honours
Notable players
Michael Carr — 1983 Ulster Senior Football Championship final man of the match; 1980 Donegal Senior Football Championship final man of the match Michael Hegarty — 2011 Ulster SFC winner Patrick McBrearty — 2012 All-Ireland SFC winner and Stephen's brother Stephen McBrearty — Patrick's brother Andrew McClean Ciaran McGinley — Kilcar captain Eoin McHugh — James's son James McHugh — 1992 All-Ireland SFC winner and Martin's brother Mark McHugh — Martin's son and 2012 All-Ireland SFC winner Martin McHugh — 1992 All-Ireland SFC winner and James's brother Ryan McHugh — Martin's son and Mark's younger brother
Managers YearsManager1924–19?? 1999Michael Molloy 1999–20??2007-2009John McNulty2010-2012Seamus Cunningham2013–2014Rory Gallagher2015Michael Molloy2016Martin McHugh 2017–19Barry Doherty 2019–2021John McNulty 2022–2023 Conor Cunningham2024Michael HegartyBonnar, Dáire. "[Ryan] McHugh missing for opening Kilcar games". Breaking Ball: Team-by-team guide to the Donegal Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships (Donegal News). 8 August 2024. page 52.2025–Paul Devlin & Mark Sweeney
Chairmen The following men have been chairman of the club.
YearsChairman1976-77Donnie Doherty1978Packie Haughey1979-80Seamus Doogan1981John Hegarty1982Seamus Doogan1983-87Charlie McDevitt1988-89Sean McGinley1990Michael Gillespie1991Seamus Gallagher1992-94Sean McGinley1995-00Charlie Ó Dónaill2001-02Charlie McDevitt2003Sean McGinley2004Paddy Sweeney2005Kevin Doogan2006Michael Doherty2007Kevin Doogan2008-10John Carr2012-13Kevin Doogan2014-15Michael McShane2016Declan Gallagher2017-21John Carr2022James Hegarty 2023-Michael McShane
Honours Donegal Senior Football Championship: 1925, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2017 Donegal Senior League Winners (14): 1933, 1935, 1959, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 Donegal Senior Football League Shield Championship: 1982, 1983, 1985 Donegal Senior B Football Championship: 1991, 1994, 2011 Donegal Senior Reserve Football League Championship: 1991, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2017 Donegal Junior Football Championship: 1971, 1993 Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Senior All Ireland Championship: 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2008, 2014, 2024 Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Senior Donegal Football Championship: 1970, 1975, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1999, 2000, 2014, 2019, 2024 Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Junior All Ireland Championship: 1975, 1989 Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta Junior Donegal Championship: 1990, 2008 Donegal Under-21 Football Championship: 1972, 1973, 1974, 2011, 2013, 2015 Donegal Minor Football Championship: 1964, 1998, 2010, 2012
References
External links Official website of C.L.G. Chill Chartha