Mark McHugh to return from New York to Kilcar colours next week

Mark McHugh will not miss any of Kilcar’s RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta SFC fixtures after Donegal’s All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh on Saturday.

Twenty-three-year-old McHugh opted off the Donegal senior panel in April and made his way to New York on a 60-day sanction in late June.

Jim McGuinness’s side’s 1-12 to 1-11 victory over Armagh means with the All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Dublin pencilled in for Sunday, August 31, the Donegal SFC will not take place until September at the earliest.

A decision was reached by the clubs of the county last September to postpone the local senior and intermediate championships until Donegal’s run in the All-Ireland series had concluded.

McHugh’s Donegal New York side were eliminated from the Navillus Championship on Sunday.

The 2012 All-Star, who is expected home early next week, could do little to prevent his side going down to a 2-19 to 0-6 loss to Cavan at Gaelic Park. That result that means Donegal New York have still won just once in eight outings - a 3-10 to 2-11 victory over Cork last month - and have decided not to fulfil their remaining two fixtures against Leitrim and Monaghan.

McHugh’s Kilcar open their Donegal SFC with a tricky opening round fixture away to last year’s county champions and beaten Ulster finalists, Glenswilly.

Kilcar are currently top of the All-County Football League Division One and won the Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta, with McHugh as captain, in Galway in June.