Big Danny McGonagle and Clonmany Tug of War club to take to the airwaves

A documentary on the successes of the Clonmany Tug of War club and the man who has helped drive the club for 40 years is to air on national radio. 

Pulling Together: Big Danny, Clonmany…and the World, which will be broadcast on Newstalk at the weekend,  focuses on Danny McGonagle, his passion for tug of war and the Clonmany club. It was produced by Jim Doherty of local media company Crana Communications. 

Big Danny, as he is known, has devoted over 40 years to the sport both locally and worldwide, growing and promoting it at every opportunity. As he says himself: “It’s a mighty sport, and if God was to give me another 40 years or  a billion pounds, I’d take the 40 years every time!” 

The documentary is centred around Big Danny fulfilling a lifetime ambition for Donegal to host the World Indoor Tug of War championships. He successfully achieved this when the Championships  were held in the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny in February 2020. 

This was a massive voluntary  team effort with many people putting in a lot of time to organise and successfully run the event. All this work and effort was nearly ruined though as the threat of Covid grew ever closer. Indeed, two weeks after the championships ended the country went into full lockdown. 

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Pulling Together: Big Danny, Clonmany…and the World, gives the listener an insight into the sport and the people involved in it. For many it’s part of their family tradition, where grandfathers, fathers and now sons and daughters pull on the rope. One thing that does come across clearly in the programme is the sheer passion and dedication ‘pullers’ have for their sport. As one contributor says: “It’s not about big men with big bellies lying on a rope, it’s more competitive than that, it’s not about weight but technique and training.” 

The Clonmany club is also an integral part of the local community and plays an important role in  fundraising for the local community centre, which provides a range of services and activities for the area. This close-knit community has overcome recession, emigration, and floods to remain strong  and united. The documentary highlights these issues and how important it is for a community to  pull together. 

The documentary will premiere on Newstalk on Sunday, July 30 at 7am, and be repeated on Saturday. August 5 at 9pm, and the podcast will go live on the Newstalk website  also  on Sunday, July 30.  It was produced and edited by Jim Doherty with the aid of funding from the BAI’s  Sound and Vision programme.