Developments

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The Front Pitch

A half a century has passed since the then Dean Dr. Cunnea suggested that rather than have students continue going up Glencar, the rock outcrop directly across from the school be cleared and the area turned into pitches. Work on the project got underway in late 1947 and through 1948 with Barney McGlynn from Glencar blasting the rock, while Jonny Butley had the job of carting away the rock and filling in a stream.

The rocks were drawn by slipe, an ex student on his way to his 46th All Ireland Football final recalled how, on occasion, between dinner (3 or 3:30 p.m.) and evening study (5 or 5:30 p.m.) boarders like him would be asked to give a hand loading stones onto sleighs.

So the college pitch came into being engendering memories for so many. As the years passed problems with the rock undersurface and heavy clay topsoil emerged. A medium term drainage solution was worked on in the 1970's but in times of heavy rain the pitch was prone to waterloging.

Discussions on pitches, their availability and playability were starting to come up with the name "Prunty", this led to the Newtownbutler firm being asked for a quote when an investment programme which included an all weather pitch and new playing pitch was put in place.

The college pitch has today become Pairc Adhamhnain, this transformation involved among other things the removal and redistribution as a leveller of 8,000 cubic metres of rock and the spreading of 3,000 tons of sand from the river Foyle from below Lifford. This was the first "Mulqueen/Prunty" pitch in Donegal and to date many others have been constructed.

Today we can walk a grass carpet 100m by 125m which allows one Gaelic and 2 Soccer pitches. This arena has in no small way contributed to the success of the college tems in recent years.

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