Club Aontroma chairman Niall Murphy is Conor Donelly’s first guest on this week’s Saffcast.
Month / January 2021
Ulster GAA awarded Disability Sport NI’s Inclusive Sport Award
Ulster GAA has recently received the Inclusive Sport Award by Disability Sport NI in recognition of its commitment to creating an inclusive sports environment for people with disabilities.
The Inclusive Sport Award acknowledges the achievements of governing bodies who have improved sports provision for people with disabilities and will provide the necessary support and guidance to others who wish to work towards developing inclusivity.
The Award was presented virtually by Disability Sports NI during the O’Neill’s Ulster GAA Coaching & Games Development Conference, where the 225 online delegates in attendance learnt about the success of Ulster GAA’s Disability Sports Programme.
Disability Sport NI and Ulster GAA have been working in partnership since 2013 to develop Gaelic games for people with physical and learning disabilities, specifically in Wheelchair Hurling and Learning Disability Gaelic Football.
As a key part of the Award, Ulster GAA has developed a new Inclusive Sport action plan with five key objectives:
- to build a commitment to disability inclusion at all levels in GAA sports
- to increase the availability of awareness training and communication sharing at all levels,
- to provide a clear performance pathway for players,
- to develop a disability coach education framework,
- to improve the experience of spectators with a disability at matches.
Commenting on the award Brian McAvoy, Chief Executive Officer of Ulster GAA said:
“This is a tremendous accolade for Ulster GAA and for our efforts in creating new and exciting opportunities for some of the most vulnerable in our communities. Thanks to the efforts of staff members Eugene Young, Shane McCann and Paul Callaghan, with the support of volunteers like Brian Armitage and Michael Geoghegan, the disability agenda plays an ever-increasing part in the strategic outputs of the GAA in the province. Our counties too are rising to the challenge and we look forward to our continued engagement with Disability Sport NI as we endeavour to increase the profile and range of activities that we provide for those with a disability.”
Presenting the award, Kevin O’Neill, Chief Executive, Disability Sport NI said:
“I am delighted to present Ulster GAA with our Inclusive Sport Award. We have been working with the team there over the last couple of years to develop a detailed action plan that will actively target people with disabilities and improve inclusion in GAA sports. We look forward to continuing this work and implementing this new and exciting plan”
Ulster GAA is one of only ten sports governing bodies to have achieved the Inclusive Sport Award from Disability Sport NI.
Phonsie Kearns RIP
By John Curly McIlwaine
On Sunday last, Phonsie Kearns of Dunloy passed away in the Causeway Hospital, Coleraine. Phonsie was a member of the iconic Dunloy Hurling and Camogie Kearns family. His sister Teresa was a record holder who was the youngest ever winner of a senior All Ireland medal when she was the goalkeeper on the Antrim team that won the 1956 All Ireland final when just 14.
Growing up in such a family Phonsie was destined to play the game and he went on to line out for the Cuchullains. In 1963 when they reached their first county final he was left half forward on the team who lost to Loughgiel in Glenariffe.
When he married Brid McNaughton he moved to Glenariffe and actually ended playing with the Oisins where he was a member of the teams which won back to back Feis Cups in 1975 and ’76 with final wins over Armoy in ’75 and Ballycastle in ’76, both of them played at Feis na nGleann in Waterfoot.
However the love of his native soil remained strong and in 1994 he took over as manager of the Cuchullains senior team, which he guided to championship titles in ’94 and ’95. He also added Ulster titles in those years and steered them to the 1995 All Ireland Club final against Birr and the 96 decider against Sixmilebridge. In 95 they were beaten in a replay while in 96 the Clare champions proved too strong.
Phonsie was also a useful golfer when a member for many years of Cushendall Golf Club. He played on Ulster Cup and in the Jimmy Bruen Shield competitions.
During the once hugely popular Glens of Antrim Mixed Foursomes golf tournament, staged annually on the Cushendall links, he partnered, and won the trophy, with past Lady Captain Betty Allen of Cushendun.
Phonsie was one of life’s characters, kind and generous and always up for a bit of fun. We at the Saffron Gael would like extend our sincere condlonces to his children Frances, Dominic, Brendan, Maureen and Mark and the wider Kearns family circle.
Rossa steel too much for Cappoquin
Six years ago today Rossa beat Waterford and Munster champions Cappoquin in the All Ireland Intermediate Hurling semi-final in Cussack Park Mullingar. This is how Tómas McCarthy reported the game in the Irish Examiner the following day.
By Tomás McCarthy for the Irish Examiner newspaper
AIB All-Ireland Club IHC semi-final: January 25th 2015
O’Donovan Rossa (Antrim) 2-12
Cappoquin (Waterford) 1-8
Antrim representatives O’Donovan Rossa sprung from the traps to defeat 14-man Cappoquin with a skilful and steely performance at a blustery Mullingar yesterday. Since an appearance in the All-Ireland senior final 26 years ago, the 15-times Antrim champions have rebuilt in the intermediate championship and they return to Croke Park on February 15 to face Kilburn Gaels.
“Our main objective was to install belief in the team and to try to get the younger players on board and believe in themselves,” explained manager Seamus Shannon. “It is a really young team and to get Rossa back up where it belongs, it takes those younger players to have the commitment and dedication the older generations had.”
Rossa dominated the skies from start to finish. “Anybody who wins the ball in the air generally wins the match,” Shannon observed. Conor McClelland ruled his patch at number six and wing-back Stephen Shannon scored four points, including two rousing efforts into the teeth of the breeze during the third quarter. In the absence of marquee forwards Stephen Beatty and Seaghan Shannon, Thomas Morgan stepped up with 2-3, including 2-1 from play.
Wind-assisted Rossa stunned the Munster champions after just 11 seconds when Thomas Morgan whipped first-time past Donal O’Rourke. The Antrim winners out-muscled their opponents throughout that opening period and displayed their aerial superiority. In the seventh minute, Deaglan Murphy supplied Morgan for his second as he sprinted past his marker and stung the far corner of the net (2-1 to 0-1). Rossa were totally on top against their shell-shocked opponents and were awarded a penalty on 15 minutes when Colm McVeigh was brought to ground. Faced by three defenders on the line, O’Rourke turned Gerard Walsh’s shot away for a ‘65’. The Ulster side also rued seven wides including five placed balls. Cappoquin’s task was made harder when county minor Andy Molumby was dismissed on a second yellow before the break. They reached the dressing room 2-5 to 0-2 in arrears.
Conditions worsened for the second-half as the rain swept in but the Waterford side upped their work-rate. Conor and Paul Murray led the recovery and they chipped away despite the numerical disadvantage. Aaron O’Sullivan batted the ball to the roof of the net on 45 minutes after a lengthy free from O’Rourke to leave five points between the teams (2-7 to 1-5). They didn’t move any nearer, however, as the talented Stephen Shannon replied with two superb strikes against the elements. Cappoquin selector Fintan O’Connor was tremendously proud of their fighting attitude. “They battled to the end and that’s all you can ask. There’s no shame in the way they bowed out.”
Scorers for O’Donovan Rossa: T Morgan 2-3 (2fs); S Shannon 0-4 (2 65s); J McGuinness 0-2; M Armstrong, D Murphy, C McVeigh 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cappoquin: A O’Sullivan 1-0; S O’Rourke 0-3 (3fs); A Molumby, P Murray, F Murray, K O’Sullivan, K Landers (f) 0-1 each.
O’DONOVAN ROSSA: C McDonnell; C Orchin, E O’Neill, K McDonnell; G Walsh, C McClelland, S Shannon; C McElhatton, D Murphy; C McVeigh, M Armstrong, C McGuiness; M Turley, T Morgan, A Orchin.
Subs: C Rocks for McElhatton (38); J McGuinness for McVeigh (42); M Kettle for Turley (48); G Bell for K
McDonnell (59); J Quinn for A Orchin (61).
CAPPOQUIN: D O’Rourke; K Looby, C Looby, T Looby; P Morrissey, C Murray, D Cahillane; S Murray, P Murray; S O’Rourke, K Landers, A Molumby; S Coughlan, F Murray, K O’Sullivan.
Subs: A O’Sullivan for Coughlan (30); PJ Curran for K Looby (38).
Referee: P O’Dwyer (Carlow)
THE FANS
All Saints Gala Dinner 2005
In 2005 All Saints GAC, Ballymena held a very successful Gala Dinner in Tullyglass House hotel. The man who organised the event was the then club secretary Alister McWilliams R.I.P. and like everything the All Saints legend was involved in, no stone was left unturned.
Amongst the guests who attended the packed house event was Tyrone’s Peter Canavan who brought the Sam Maguire Cup with him. Down’s James McCartan, Terence McNaughton, Antrim, Gerry Hamill (All Saints Boxing club) Ballymena RFC President Ian McIrath and Ulster and Ireland Rugby’s Willie Anderson.
Gerry Donnelly was M.C. on the night for an event that ran like clockwork and many of the photographs in this article are seeing daylight for the first time owing to the limited press space available to me at the time.
As I looked through these photographs I became aware that the man who had been instrumental in organising the Gala Dinner was missing from nearly all of the photographs but it doesn’t surprise me that this modest individual remained in the background as others jostled to have their photograph taken with Peter Canavan, Sam Maguire and the other dignitaries at the dinner.
Alister McWilliams leads Peter Canavan and Sam Maguire off the stage at the All Saints Gala Dinner in 2005 
Wiilie Anderson with club chairman in 2005, Joe Casey 
