On Friday the O’Donovan Rossa club said farewell to one of their former players Brendan ‘Bull’ Trainor who died earlier in the week. Bull started his playing career with Springfield in the District League, which later became part of Rossa. He played for Rossa through to senior level and won all the juvenile honours in the blue and gold through to minor, beating Loughgiel in the minor final.

A talented defender, and larger than life character, Bull was part of the Antrim minor team who beat Kilkenny in the 1980 Leinster Minor Championship in Nowlan Park, the first time boys in black and amber had ever lost a championship match in their home ground. The Saffrons had played the Cats in the Leinster final the previous year, after beating Wexford in the semi-final, but in 1980 Wexford beat them in the final in highly controversial circumstances in Wexford Park.

Antrim minors 1980: Brendan ‘Bull’ Trainor is second from left in the front row, wearing the headband.

Back row, L-R: Collie Donnelly, Seamus ‘Crow’ McNaughton, Dominic McMullan, Vincent Traynor, Damian Murray, Frankie Keenan, Mark Barr, Mickey Carlin. Front row, L-R: Brian Og Cunning, Brendan ‘Bull’ Trainor, Niall Patterson, Aidan McNaughton, Seanie Quinn, Ciaran McGuckian, Shane Caldwell.