Bonagee United F.C.

Bonagee United Football Club is a football club from Ireland currently competing in the Donegal Junior League. They previously competed in the Ulster Senior League. The club are based in Letterkenny. Bonagee United play their home games at Dry Arch Park. The club hosts a number of teams at different age ranges.

WWW bonageeunitedfc.webs.com

History

Bonagee United were formed on 2 November 1970 in the Continental Bar, later called Voodoo as of 2006, on Letterkenny's Main Street. In 1971, the club purchased 1 hectare of land behind the Dry Arch for £1,000. When they joined the Donegal League, they were originally known as Arcade Athletic. The 'Arcade' part of the name was derived from a café on Letterkenny's main street managed by Paddy McFadden, one of the club's founders. In 1973, Athletic became Bonagee Celtic and then Bonagee United in 1975.
The club began a redevelopment of their grounds in 1998, adding a new playing pitch and a spectator stand. A general purpose hall, two AstroTurf pitches with floodlights, extra dressing rooms, a store and office were also added. Today the facilities amount to €973,000, for which they received a grant of €360,000. Money was raised by locals and the then Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid.
The club won their first Ulster Senior League Division One title in 2009.
In 2021–22, Bonagee won the USL League Cup, beating Monaghan United in the final. The club also qualified for the 2022 FAI Cup, beating Pike Rovers 6–0 in the first round. They received a home draw against Shelbourne F.C. in the second round but were knocked out of the competition by the League of Ireland side.
At the end of the 2022–23 season, the Ulster Senior League folded and Bonagee returned to the Donegal Junior League. In their first season back, Bonagee finished second in the league behind fellow Letterkenny club, Letterkenny Rovers. Bonagee mirrored their league position in 2024–25, once again placing second. In December 2025, Bonagee United were one of the 15 clubs accepted into the FAI National League, a new step in the [Republic of Republic of Ireland|Ireland football league system|Republic of Ireland football league pyramid], due to begin in Autumn 2026.

Lawsuit

In October 1993, former Bonagee footballer Dessie Larkin suffered severe burns after coming into contact with lime used to mark the pitch during an FAI Junior Cup match at Drumbar FC in Donegal Town. Thirteen years later, he successfully sued the Football Association of Ireland, arguing that the lack of changing and shower facilities contributed to injuries to his testicles and inner thighs caused by the lime's caustic effects. The judge awarded Larkin €9000, noting that the injuries might have been avoided had he been able "to shower and remove the lime solution", and that the FAI had a duty to warn players to take precautions to prevent such an incident.