Aghyaran St Davog's GAC
Aghyaran St Davog's (Irish: Achadh Uí Aráin Naoimh Dabhóige) is a GAA club. It is based in the hamlet of Aghyaran near Castlederg, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
| Achadh Uí Aráin Naoimh Dabhóige | |||
 Aghyarans Crest | |||
| Founded: | 1956 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| County: | Tyrone | ||
| Nickname: | Better Than The Derg Anyway | ||
| Colours: | Green, Yellow & White | ||
| Grounds: | Michael Dolan Memorial Park | ||
| Coordinates: | 54°40′39.48″N 7°42′14.19″W | ||
| Playing kits | |||
| |||
The club concentrates on playing football, while a ladies' football club of the same name also play at the same grounds.
Aghyaran is the most westerly GAA club in Tyrone, surrounded by County Donegal to the north and west and County Fermanagh to the south. The distance between Aghyaran and Tyrone's most easterly GAA club, Moortown, is approximately 55 miles.
Aghyaran have only one GAA All Star after Ronan McNamee won the award in the 2019 season.
The senior team currently competes in Division 2 of the Tyrone All-County Football League and played in the Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship in 2019. Its manager is Mark Copland.
Aghyaran won their first All-Ireland medal when Sadie McSorley won the Aithriseoirecht/Scealaíocht (Recitation/Storytelling) at the 1986 Scór Sinsear.
History
Aghyaran St Davog's was founded in 1956. There was a previous club in the area between 1947 and 1948. A ladies' football club was established in 1993.
Honours
The club won its first title by winning the West Tyrone Junior Football League in 1962. This was followed up by winning the West Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship in 1965 and 1969, with the Tyrone Intermediate Football Championship won in 1981 and 1987. The highest league honour the club has won was the Division 1B title in 2000. Aghyaran have yet to win the Tyrone Senior Football Championship.
Notable players
Ciaran McGarvey played full back on team that lost to Kerry in the 1986 All-Ireland final, marking star forward Eoin Liston. Shane Sweeney was the first player from Aghyaran to win a Senior County All-Ireland medal in 2005, along with former Aghyaran player Martin Penrose. Aghyaran currently have two players on the Tyrone team, Benny Gallen, Ronan McNamee and Ronan McHugh. Ronan McNamee played fullback on the team that won the 2016 Ulster Senior Football Championship.
Brendan Dolan (R.I.P) was the first Aghyaran man to represent Tyrone at senior level. Brendan made his Tyrone Championship debut in 1970, and was ever present at midfield for Tyrone and Ulster Railway Cup squads, and got to show off his high fielding skills as Tyrone toured America '69. Brendan stood at 6 ft 4 inches tall, he won MacRory and Hogan Cup medals with St Columb's Derry in 1965 and was a member of the Tyrone Junior Team that won an All Ireland in 1968. Sadly his life was cut short after a tragic car accident that took his life, whilst he was driving to school in Strabane where he worked as a PE teacher, in January 1973.