Month / January 2020
Antrim Gaels do well at the Gaelic Life All Stars Awards
The Antrim Clubs received high praise as they were recognised at the
Gaelic Life All-Stars last Friday, as 13 players collected awards.
The event, which is in its ninth year, seeks to celebrate the best
club players across the four codes.
Three St Paul’s Ladies footballers were named on the Ladies All-Star
team; Maria Hanna, Kirsty McGuinness, Lara Dahunsi. Naomh Eanna’s
Niall O’Connor won the young hurler of the year award while,
Cushendall’s Terence McNaughton missed out on the manager of the year
award. That went to Ballycastle’s Michael McShane, who led Sleacht
Néill to the Ulster title.
Naomh Eanna’s Ruairi Diamond and John McGoldrick received their
Hurling team of the year All-stars along with Dunloy’s Ryan Elliott
and Paul Shiels.
Dunloy’s Keelan Molloy missed out on the overall award.
The All-star Camogie team included Loughgiel’s Megan Coyle, Maeve
Connolly, Caitrin Dobbin, and Ahoghill’s Noreen Graham.
The event was a poignant one though, as it was the first without the
presence of long-time columnist John Morrison who died in February of
last year.
The Gaelic Life team celebrated the Armagh coach with a video piece in
which journalist Niall McCoy interviewed the Morrison family about John.
The paper have decided to rename their Hall of fame award in his memory.
The first recipient of the John Morrison Hall of Fame award was
Trillick’s John Donnelly, who won Five Tyrone Senior Championships as
player manager.
See Thursday’s Gaelic Life for the 24-page supplement which will mark
the awards night. It includes pics and reaction from all the awards.
Paddy McLarnon-Premier Electrics Tournament Launched
The big talking point at the launch of tonight’s Paddy McLarnon-Premier Electrics U21 football tournament in Creggan was the pairing of neighbours St. Brigid’s, Antrim and Carryduff, Down. These clubs are just a stone throw apart in South Belfast and they will meet in the 4th quarter final on the weekend of 7th/8th March. This draw see the sides meet for the second time in the tournament with Carryduff edging out St. Brigid’s in a thrilling semi-final last year.
Team captains from 8 of the Ulster county champions who will be competing in this year’s Paddy McLarnon-Premier Electrics Ulster U21 Football Tournament
The full draw is as follows:
Preliminary Round:
Date: TBC
Latton O’Rahilly GAA (Monaghan) V St Canice’s GAC Dungiven (Derry)
Quarter Final 1:
Date: 7th/8th March
An Charraig Mhór Naomh Colmcille CLG (Tyrone) V St Eunans GAC, Letterkenny (Donegal)
Quarter Final 2:
Date: 7th/8th March
Enniskillen Gaels (Fermanagh) V Ramor United GFC (Cavan)
Tony Shivers from sponsors, Premier Electrics adresses the crowd at tonight’s launch 
A regular attender at the Paddy McLarnon launch, former Down star, Sean O’Neill who’s side Carryduff take part for the second year in succession
Quarter Final 3:
Date: 7th/8th March
Preliminary Winner V Clann Éireann GAC, Lurgan (Armagh)
Quarter Final 4:
Date: 7th/8th March
St Brigids GAC Belfast (Antrim) V Carryduff GAC (Down)
Carryduff and St. Brigid’s members see the funny side of the draw
Saffrons fall short in Kehoe Cup decider
Leinster Hurling – Kehoe Cup Final
Antrim 1-15 Offaly 1-16
Sunday January 12
Brendan McTaggart reports from Páirc Tailteann, Navan
When Dan MCCloskey found the back of the Offaly net in the third minute in injury time, it looked like Antrim were on the verge of committing daylight robbery. McCloskey’s goal brought the sides level for the first time in the match and the Saffrons looked like they could grab an unlikely win in a game where they were second best to the Faithful County. Offaly looked more cohesive throughout with a strong defence led superbly by captain Ben Conneely and a potent attack that gave Antrim their fill and more.
The winner came two minutes after McCloskey’s major. Oisin Kelly was a real handful for the Saffrons defence and it was he who struck what proved to be the winner and no one in an Antrim shirt could complain at the final score. Offaly recorded 18 wides over the 70 minutes, 11 in the second half and some of those misses were criminal.
Antrim themselves were off target 12 times with a couple also dropping short but in attack they didn’t get going while in defence they were up against a well drilled Offaly side that have Michael Fennelly’s finger prints all over it with their style of play. Neil McManus top scored with nine points in another strong performance while Keelan Molloy scored five points from play in his first game back from injury, but the Saffrons didn’t reach the performance levels they have so far in their previous matches.
Offaly started on top and had a four point lead before McManus scored Antrim’s point, a free in the 13th minute. Oisin Kelly and Peter Geraghty were dominating poc outs from either end of the field with Antrim struggling to claim primary possession. Offaly seemed to have a man in the right place and were reading poc outs with greater ease, giving them the footing to control the game for large periods yet by the midway point of the first half, they trailed by just one point. Molloy’s first of the match in the 18th minute the first from open play for Antrim as the crowd got more into the game in the Páirc Tailteann stand and the game beginning to heat up on the field.
McManus’ fifth point of the half in first half injury time left two between the sides at half time but it was a half that belonged to the faithful county with Kelly, Geraghty and Liam Langton all the focal point for Fennelly’s men. Half time score 0-9 to 0-7 in Offaly’s favour.
Niall McKenna opened Antrim’s account four minutes after the restart to cancel Shane Kinsella’s second point of the match but Offaly’s missed chances were keeping Antrim in the game at the start of the second half. A series of chances failed to find the target and Antrim kept plugging away with McManus’ accuracy from frees helping them to keep in touch.
Two points separated the sides when Offaly scored the opening goal of the game. Brian Duignan, son of Offaly legend Michael, with the finish with his first then second touches of the game. Claiming a high ball, he passed to Shane Kinsella and but for superb tackle from Phelim Duffin, Kinsella was through. The sliotar broke loose and Duignan pulled first time to send the sliotar over Ryan Elliott’s line.
The Antrim response will have been the most pleasing aspect of the encounter for Darren Gleeson and his management team. Five down with just over five minutes of normal time remaining, they clawed their way back. McManus and Molloy firing over before McCloskey’s goal two minutes into injury time. Collecting the sliotar in the heart of the Offaly defence, Domhnall Nugent found McNaughton. The Loughgiel man escaped the challenges and unselfishly passed to his Loughgiel club-mate McCloskey who arrowed a low shot past Offally goalkeeper James Dempsey from a narrow angle to bring his team level.
A tied game and Antrim looked like they could claim what would have been an unlikely victory. They had possession from the poc out but they couldn’t turn that possession into the chance they needed to score the winner. The Offaly defence were immense and when the ball was sent long one more time, Oisin Kelly rose highest to claim possession and break free. The white flag was raised for what turned out to be the winning score. Conor Johnston had one last effort, a difficult chance wide on the left and one you wouldn’t be surprised to see the talented St Johns man taking but his effort tailed wide with the last action of the game.
The pre-season competitions are over and thoughts turn to an away game in Wicklow for the start of the league campaign followed by the visit of Mayo to Fr Healy Park in Loughgiel. These two sides will meet again on February 16 in Tullamore and Antrim will be hoping for better fortunes against the Faithful County as they push for promotion.
TEAMS
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Matthew Donnelly, Stephen Rooney; Gerard Walsh, Conor Boyd, Eoghan Campbell; Keelan Molloy, Nicky McKeague; Michael Bradley, Neil McManus, James McNaughton; Domhnall Nugent, Alex Delargy, Niall McKenna
Subs: Conor Johnston for N McKeague (43); Ronan Molloy for A Delargy (43); Ryan McCambridge for M Bradley (46); Aodhan O’Brien for C Boyd (46); Dan McCloskey for N McKenna (55); Conor McHugh for S Rooney (67)
Scorers: Neil McManu 0-9 (5 f’s 2 ‘65’s); Keelan Molloy 0-5; Dan McCloskey 1-00; Niall McKenna 0-1
Offaly: James Dempsey; Brian Watkins, Damien Egan, Paddy Rigney; Michael Cleary, Ben Conneely, Dan Doughan; Brendan Murphy, Leon Fox; Shane Kinsella, Peter Geraghty, Oisin Kelly; Liam Langton, Sean Cleary, Thomas Geraghty
Subs: David King for B Watkins (ht); David Nally for B Murphy (49); Paul Kinsella for S Cleary (52); Brian Duignan for P Geraghty (62); Kevin Dunne for L Fox (65); Jason Sampson for S Kinsella (69); Ross Ravinhill for L Langton (inj)
Scorers: Liam Langton 0-4 (3 f’s 1 ’65); Brian Duignan 1-00; Leon Fox 0-2; Shane Kinsella 0-2; Peter Geraghty 0-2; Oisin Kelly 0-2; Sean Cleary 0-2; David Nally 0-2 (1 f)
Referee: James McGrath (Westmeath)
Tower lose out to excellent Dungannon side
Ulster Colleges Camogie – Fr Davies’ Cup final
St Patrick’s Academy 3-10 St Killian’s Garron Tower 0-3
Dungannon Academy clinched the Fr Davies Cup at Ahoghill on Saturday with a comprehensive win over St Killian’s College Garron Tower, the Tyrone college not flattered by their 16 point winning margin. Had someone suggested after the first quarter of this Fr Davies’ Cup final that the Tyrone girls were going to win as easily as they eventually did, they would have been dismissed as mad. However, there were signs even during the opening quarter that the Academy’s defence was not going to be easily breached. Emma Donnelly brought off a number of saves to deny St Killian’s in that early period of the game and the north Antrim side’s wides’ total rose as forwards in possession were put under pressure.
Yet St Killian’s were playing against the breeze and were dominating general play, albeit that they led by just a point from Niamh McKay. Then Reagan Fay delivered long from deep in her defence and Lára Devlin ran through to score a goal. This pair went on to torture the Garron Tower side, Reagan delivering a Player of the Match performance in the middle of the park and Lára hitting five super points from open play during the second half. That 15th minute goal from Devlin changed the dynamic of the game and two minutes later she set Rachel O’Neill up for a point. Fay scored an excellent solo point after 20 minutes and, while St Killian’s spurned chances to get back into the game, Fay’s mishit shot fell for her captain Sian Fitzgerald to race through for a second goal and an interval lead of 2-3 to 0-1.
The Tower were expected to up their game with the wind behind them, but instead the Academy camped in their half and got a fortunate goal after 37 minutes when Elisha Gervin’s kicked effort came off a defender to beat Mary Mooney in the St Killian’s nets. That lifted the Academy and Lára Devlin picked off two points before the three quarter mark. Francine Farley added another as did Elishia Gervin before Devlin finished off with three super scores, and only a point from sub Hannah McCann in reply. There was some resistance from St Killian’s with Sine Woodhouse making runs up the wing, but the Tyrone side’s defence was always in control with Emma Donnelly so composed in goals and from shortly after half time there was little doubt that St Patrick’s Academy had managed to climb two grades in the space of just 12 months with an All-Ireland semi-final ahead of them in February and Senior A camogie next season.
St Patrick’s Academy : E Donnelly, R Cunningham, B Barker, C Nelis, G Daly, A Begley, B Jones, R Fay (0-2, 0-1 free), S McGeary, F Farley (0-1), S Fitzgerald (1-0), L Devlin (1-5), A Forker, E Gervin (1-1), R O’Neill (0-1).
Subs : A Mc Laughlin for A Forker (38), Á Ferran for R O’Neill (45), A McAteer for C Nelis (56), E McLaughlin for E Gerwin (58).
St Killian’s : M Mooney, O Donnelly, J Woulahan, Á Quinn, C O’Hara (0-1 free), C McNaughton, B McAuley, S McDonnell, A McNeill, N McKay (0-1), M McKenna, S Woodhouse, A McPeake, A Delargy, E Quinn.Subs : M O’Boyle for A Delargy (28), H McCann (0-1) for M McKenna (HT), C O’Boyle for J Woulahan (56).
Referee : Malachy McToal (Derry)
