Donegal County Board secretary, Aodh Mairtin O'Fearraigh says the board has been inundated with requests from players requesting transfers and sanctions to allow them play with clubs outside of Donegal. He said players are looking to move to places like Dublin, Galway and Belfast but a large number are also transferring to clubs in Britain as well as the US and Australia.

Mr. O'Fearraigh also revealed that some clubs are already feeling the impact of emigration with at least one senior club indicating the very real possibility that they won't be in a position to field a reserve side this year.

"You always had the situation where players with a club who lose in the championship would then maybe look for a transfer. Six or seven players could maybe go to the US for the summer after the championship. But the worrying trend now is that not only are they not waiting for the championship, they aren't even waiting for the league to start."
Mr. O'Fearraigh took over as Co. Board secretary this year and said the high number of transfer requests prompted him to check back on the records of transfers from recent seasons. He said the number of
requests this year show a notable increase.

"You had maybe two or three such requests at this time of year but for our last meeting we had as many as seven and there are already ten transfer requests in for our next meeting. These are all dealing with players seeking transfers out of the county."

Publicity
One such transfer that has generated much publicity is that of Donegal player, Eamonn McGee from Gweedore to Tir Chonaill Gaels in London. His brother Neil, who also plays with Donegal, said Eamonn won't be the last to leave. "It is all about work. Eamonn had no work here and he got a job in London and it is as simple as that," Neil said.

"He went where the work was and to be honest more players may be going if things do not pick up here. It was never an option for him to return home at weekends to play games. The demands and training required meant that was never on, and that is why he has declared for London."
Fine Gael Deputy Joe McHugh says the issue is proving a "savage challenge" for everyone involved in the association.

"It's a throw-back to the '80s and I can even remember my own club in Downings struggling to cope with players leaving. There was a mass exodus at that time and we're now following a similar pattern," he said.

"The GAA is the lifeblood of many rural communities but we've got to the situation where many clubs in some of the larger towns are also going to be feeling the impact of this. It's proof of the very real predicament we now find ourselves in."