Story of ‘Massive Danny, Clonmany…and the World’ retold in thrilling radio doc

A brand new documentary about Massive Danny McGonagle and Clonmany Tug of Conflict membership is ready to air on Newstalk this week. 

Everybody is aware of Massive Danny. Not simply right here in Inishowen, however in far-flung locations like South Africa, China, Taiwan, and most of Europe. Wherever, in reality, the place males, girls, adults, or kids pressure each muscle to drag on a rope to greatest their opponents, Massive Danny McGonagle is thought. Wherever you discover the game of tug of battle, you’ll discover individuals who know Massive Danny. 

As you come into the village of Clonmany, you’ll cross a protracted, slim single-story constructing with a tin roof. This plain constructing is house to World Champions. That is the house of Clonmany Tug of Conflict membership, who practice right here within the autumn and winter nights, pulling collectively for an additional tilt at European and World glory. They construct them massive, and so they dream massive, in Clonmany. 

And plenty of extra folks will learn about him subsequent weekend when Newstalk broadcast a brand new documentary about Massive Danny, the Clonmany membership and his ardour for tug of battle. ‘Pulling Collectively…’ was produced by Jim Doherty of native media firm Crana Communications. Massive Danny has devoted over 40 years to the game each domestically and world-wide, rising and selling it at each alternative. As he says himself, “It’s a mighty sport, and if God was to present me one other 40 years or a billion kilos, I’d take the 40 years each time!” 

Clonmany Tug of Conflict Clubhouse

The documentary is centred round Massive Danny fulfilling a lifetime ambition for Donegal to host the World Indoor Tug of Conflict championships. He efficiently achieved this when the Championships had been held within the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny in February 2020. This was an enormous voluntary crew effort with many individuals placing in loads of time to organise and efficiently run the occasion. All this work and energy was almost ruined although as the specter of Covid grew ever nearer. Certainly, two weeks after the Championships ended the nation went into full lockdown. 

‘Pulling Collectively: Massive Danny, Clonmany…and the World’ provides the listener an perception into the game and the folks concerned in it. For a lot of it’s a part of their household custom, the place grandfathers, fathers and now little kids pull on the rope. One factor that does come throughout clearly within the programme is the sheer ardour and dedication ‘pullers’ have for his or her sport.

As one contributor says, “It’s not about massive males with massive bellies mendacity on a rope, its extra aggressive than that, its not about weight however approach and coaching.” 

Clonmany B 2020 World Champions

The Clonmany membership can also be an integral a part of the area people and performs an necessary function in fundraising for the area people centre, which offers a variety of providers and actions for the realm. This close-knit group has overcome recession, emigration, and floods to stay robust and united. The documentary highlights these points and the way necessary it’s for a group to ‘pull collectively’. 

‘Pulling Collectively…’ will premiere on Newstalk on Sunday July thirtieth at 7am, be repeated the next Saturday August fifth at 9pm, and the podcast will go reside on the Newstalk web site https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/newstalk-documentary Sunday July thirtieth too. 

‘Pulling Collectively’ was produced and edited by Jim Doherty with the help of funding from the BAI’s Sound and Imaginative and prescient programme.

Story of ‘Massive Danny, Clonmany…and the World’ retold in thrilling radio doc was final modified: July twenty second, 2023 by Employees Author