Overview
The pitch here was dug up and resurfaced through 2025 – a €500,000 job, sanded and seeded and finished that October – so if you read anywhere that Donegal’s home games had moved to the Centre of Excellence in Convoy, that news has dated. The ground was back in championship use for 2026, hosting Donegal against Cork. Seán MacCumhaill Park is the county’s main GAA venue, sat on the line between the Twin Towns of Ballybofey and Stranorlar, and it holds 17,500 behind steep terraces that put you close to the pitch – which is the whole appeal of the place.
The man behind the name
Gaelic games took root in East Donegal early in the last century. Local clubs Ballybofey Éire Óg and Stranorlar Sarsfields merged in 1926 to form Erin’s Hope and played at Drumboe, but the case for a proper county stadium came out of a 1946 Donegal versus Sligo match, after which a Park Committee formed to find and buy a permanent home.
The ground is named for Seán MacCumhaill, a Donegal republican, former IRA Chief of Staff and secretary of the Donegal GAA board, who died in May 1949. The park was officially opened in 1956, and the local club took the Seán MacCumhaills name in his memory.
Capacity has moved around over the years. A 2012 safety audit cut it from around 13,000 to 12,250, and works in 2013 expanded the ground to the present 17,500.
Matchday and facilities
The playing surface runs 145 m by 90 m, laid out for both football and hurling. The layout brings spectators close to the action and the terraces magnify the noise at the key moments. Recent investment has kept the ground current:
- Floodlighting: a new LED system, installed as part of the 2025 upgrade, for winter and evening fixtures.
- Pitch and drainage: the 2025 resurfacing left a sand-seeded surface built for durability, with upgraded drainage to cope with Donegal weather.
- Accessibility: a dedicated disabled viewing area, modernised toilet blocks and better ramp access across the concourses.
- Clubhouse: the ground doubles as the home of the Seán MacCumhaills club, which fields football and hurling teams across grades.
Getting there and practicalities
The stadium sits just off the N15 in Ballybofey town centre; coming from Letterkenny, the N13 and N15 bring you in through Stranorlar. The nearest public transport is the Main Street stop at McElhinney’s, served by regular buses linking Derry, Letterkenny and Ballybofey.
Parking is the pinch point. On match days only vehicles authorised by Donegal GAA get into the main car park, with a few spaces for Blue Badge holders at the stand entrance behind the Villa Rose hotel. Plan to park in one of the towns and walk in. Matches are ticketed – there is no free general admission – with tickets sold through Donegal GAA for championship fixtures, so buy before you travel rather than counting on the gate.
A midweek look at an empty ground isn’t the trip: come for a championship match, ideally under lights, when the terraces are full.
Exploring the Twin Towns
A game slots easily into a wider East Donegal day. Ballybofey and Stranorlar share the Balor Arts Centre, a run of independent cafés and the riverside woods at Drumboe, and the mountain trails and coast of the north of the county are within reach with more time. On a match day, get there early: the terraces fill, and so does what little parking there is.