Roscommon forward Donie Smith has announced his intercounty retirement.
Smith, who won two Connacht senior football titles, made his Roscommon debut in 2012 and brings the curtain down on his career after 133 appearances in the primrose and blue.
The Boyle man captained Roscommon in 2022 and scored an impressive 8-273 over the course of his intercounty career.
“On behalf of everyone in Roscommon GAA, I want to thank Donie for his dedication and commitment to the Roscommon jersey over the past 13 years,” said Roscommon GAA chairman Brian Carroll.
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“He always wore the primrose and blue with great honesty and pride. We wish Donie, Laura, and Sadie all the very best for the future and a long, happy, and healthy life.”
Smith also won four National League Division Two titles (2015, 2018, 2020, 2022) and one Division Three crown (2014).
However, the highlights of his Roscommon days were the 2017 and 2019 Connacht final victories. He scored 0-2 when introduced off the bench as Roscommon beat Galway in 2017.
Smith’s last appearance for Roscommon was in their round-three group game in the All-Ireland series in June – a defeat to Cork at O’Moore Park, during which he scored a point.
Meanwhile, the annual Hurling for Cancer Research charity match will take place at Cullen Park on Monday, August 18th at 7.30pm.
The event, to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society, will see some of Ireland’s biggest sports stars descend on Carlow, including TJ Reid, Bernard Dunne, Rachael Blackmore and Ursula Jacob.
“I’m involved for 10 years,” said Kilkenny hurler Reid. “It’s become a very special day in the calendar, especially for the kids who get to meet and get autographs from their heroes, but also because so many people come and it creates so much awareness, especially among men.
“I’m always telling males, especially men over 40, to go and get their bloods done and get their prostate checked,” he added.
Former WBA super bantamweight world champion Dunne will also be in attendance.
“I don’t think there’s a family in the country, possibly in the world, that has not been impacted by the dreaded C-word,” he said.
“We’ve had it in my family with my wife. I found out the day I came home from the Olympic Games. It was aggressive but thankfully she is fabulous now and we enjoy and appreciate every day.
“We need to face everything in life with positivity and the right mindset and that is what this event is all about. It’s a real family day, really sociable and great fun. The goodwill, effort and support this gets from everyone across the country, I’ve honestly never seen anything like it,” Dunne added.
The game was the brainchild of horseracing’s Jim Bolger and Davy Russell 13 years ago. Since 2011 it has raised over €1.6 million and organisers hope to pass the €2 million mark this year.
With Centra now supporting the event, tickets are available from selected Centra and SuperValu stores, as well as online at www.hurlingforcancer.ie (€10 for adults, €5 for children).
