Today we take a look back through the archives at a number of South West Antrim finals in 2004. Unfortunately I don’t have reports from these games but if anyone has please send them to me and I will add it to this pictorial record.
The first final is the O’Cahan Cup final of 2004 where Moneyglass recorded a rare but memorable victory over neighbours, Erin’s Own Cargin with John Neeson the man being hoisted high by his delighted St. Ergnat’s colleagues.
The second final again features St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass, this time against St. James’ Aldergrove. I think it is a Laverty Cup final which the Crumlin side won. This final was refereed by Loughgiel’s Tommy McIntyre, a renowned hurling referee who had taken up the football whistle in the South West that year. Presenting the cup was present South West chairman, Jim McNally who has given great service to the South West over a long period.
Our third final looks like an U12 or U14 final and throws together a rare pairing with McQuillan’s Ballycastle dipping their toes in the juvenile football waters at the time and reaching a South West final where they came up against St. Patrick’s Lisburn. The |Lisburn boys came out tops in a good final at Ahoghill with Ahoghill’s Harry Graham the man in the middle and another long serving member of South West committee, Colm Walsh presenting the trophy.
The fourth final is a hurling final at Slemish Park, possibly a Feis Cup hurling final between Ruairi Ogs, Cushendall and Loughgiel Shamrock’s with the ‘Dall’ prevailing to take the trophy. Former North Antrim chairman, James McLean R.I.P. is the man presenting the trophy.
If anyone has a report of any of these finals send it to me at ptrckmclwn@yahoo.co.uk
During St Gall’s run to All Ireland glory in 2010 they put together some great performances along the way. None of the wins were more impressive that their 2009 Ulster final win over Derry champions An Lúb at Pairc Esler in Newry. The opening twenty minutes was scrappy enough but they ended the first half strongly before really turning it on in the second half to sweep to victory.
2009 ULSTER SENIOR CLUB FOOTBALL FINAL
ST GALL’S 0-16 THE LOOP 0-5
St Gall’s won the Ulster Club Football title for the first time since 2005 with a performance of sheer class as they ran Derry champions The Loup ragged in the final at Pairc Esler in Newry.
The Derry champions led by 0-2 point to 0-1 in early stages and were level at 4 points apiece in the twenty-third minute but once St Gall’s hit their stride they could not live with the Antrim champions and managed to register just one more point to St Gall’s twelve for the remainder of the game.
Kevin Niblock put St Gall’s in front after just twelve seconds, but after being denied a stonewall penalty when Niblock was dragged down by Loup goalkeeper Shane McGuckin their frustration began to affect their play.
Loup took advantage and Paul McVey and Johnny McBride sent over points from frees to edge their team ahead but man of the match Aodhan Gallagher soon had St Gall’s level with a superbly taken point and CJ McGourty put them back in front with a point from a free after a dangerously high tackle on Mark Kelly.
Paul McVey brought Loup back on terms with another pointed free in the twenty-third minute but that was the beginning of the end for the 2003 champions as St Gall’s began to show their class and in the remaining seven minutes of the first half they tagged on four points through CJ McGourty (2), Sean Burke and Rory Gallagher to open up an 0-8 to 0-4 half-time lead.
Karl Stewart in action during St Gall’s win over An Lúb
If the Derry champions were to remain in contention then they needed a good start to the second-half, but it was St Gall’s who sprang from the traps and in a spell of brilliance they sealed the win with a barrage of scores from CJ McGourty (2), Anton Healey, Kieran McGourty, Terry O’Neil and Kevin Niblock to pull ten clear.
Manager Lenny Harbinson had the luxury of giving his subs a run-out during the final quarter as the size of the winning margin was the only thing in question.
The Loup scored their only point of the second-half through a Ciaran Devlin free and in truth their luck was out as they hit the woodwork on four occasions during the game, but there was only going to be one winner as St Gall’s avenged the defeat to the same opposition in the 2003 final and in doing so set up an All Ireland semi-final meeting with Corofin of Galway in February.
Kevin McGourty breaks through a An Lúb tackle
Several players on the team also completed a notable double having last month won the Ulster Intermediate Hurling title, a remarkable achievement for a remarkable club.
Ronan Gallagher, Paul Veronica, Andrew McClean, Colin Brady (capt), Mark Kelly, Anto Healey, Sean Kelly, Sean Burke, Aodhan Gallagher, Kieran McGourty, Kevin McGourty, Terry O’Neill, CJ McGourty, Rory Gallagher, Kevin Niblock.
Subs: K Stewart for Kieran McGourty (47 mins); S Kennedy for Veronica (53); S Burns (0-1) for O’Neill, D O’Hare for Kevin McGourty, C Gallagher for Niblock.
Karl Stewart with his dad Liam and son Sean with the Ulster Club Championship trophy.
The GAA today released its updated Master Fixtures Calendar for the 2021 season.
The inter-county season will run from the weekend of May 8th/9th with the start of the Allianz Hurling League, to the weekend of August 28/29 when the All-Ireland Football Final will be played. The Provincial Football and Hurling championships will commence on the weekend of June 26/27.
The County and Provincial Club Championships will be played in the months of September, October, November, and December with the All-Ireland Club Finals scheduled for February 2022.
The entire inter-county fixtures programme will be run off in a 20-week period and guarantees a minimum of five games for each Senior County Football and Hurling team with all bar three counties guaranteed six games in hurling.
2021 Allianz Football League
The Allianz Football League will run from the weekend of May 15/16 to the weekend of June 19/20 with Divisions split into North and South as originally planned in December.
Four teams will be in each group based on geography with three Round Robin games per team. The top two in each divisional group will advance to the league semi-finals followed by a league final.
The bottom two in each divisional group will play relegation semi-finals with the two losers of those matches relegated. The bottom teams in Division 4 will play a Shield semi-final and final.
League finals will only be played on June 19/20 if counties involved are not playing in the championship the following weekend. If they are, then joint winners will be declared for Division 1 and joint winners and promotion for Divisions 2, 3, and 4.
London will not be participating in the 2021 Allianz Football League.
2021 Allianz Hurling League
Antrim hurlers won Division 2 last year and will compete in the top division this year
Divisions 1 and 2 of the Allianz Hurling League will run from the weekend of May 8/9 to the weekend of June 12/13. Division 3 of the Allianz Hurling League will run from the weekend of May 15/16 to the weekend of June 19/20.
There will be no Division 1 Hurling League quarter-finals, semi-finals, or Final played. There will either be joint winners for 2021, or or if the teams that win Div 1A and Div 1B meet in the Championship, this will double as a League Final.
The Division 1 Hurling League Relegation Play-off will be played as curtain raiser to Senior Hurling Semi Final in August.
Divisions 2 and 3 will not have League Finals either. The top team in each Division will be crowned champions. The bottom team in Divisions 2A, 2B, and 3A will be relegated.
British based teams will not be involved in the Allianz Hurling Leagues this year. London and London and Warwickshire will start 2022 in Divisions 2B and 3A respectively; Lancashire in 3B.
Antrim footballers get their league campaign underwayMay 15th or 16th
2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 2021 All-Ireland SFC will be played as a straight knock-out competition from the provincial series forward. There will be no Qualifiers and New York and London will not be involved.
There will be no Tailteann Cup in 2021.
2021 Liam MacCarthy Cup
There will be a provincial knock-out championship with back-door qualifiers like there was in 2020, but now also with the introduction of relegation to the Joe McDonagh Cup.
There will be a preliminary round in the qualifiers between the two defeated quarter-final team in Leinster with the winners progressing to Round 1 of the Qualifiers and the losers relegated to the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2022.
There will be no semi-finals in the Joe McDonagh Cup which is the only change from what was proposed in December.
The Joe McDonagh Cup winners are promoted in 2021 but do not have a back door into the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
The Joe McDonagh Cup will be played played on Saturday, July 17, the same day as the Leinster SHC Final, and will be broadcast live on TV.
The six competing teams will be split into two Round Robin groups with each team playing one home and one away match. The top team in each group will play the runner up in the other group in the semi-finals with the bottom team in each group playing a relegation final.
If Kerry win the 2021 Joe McDonagh Cup they will play in Leinster in 2022 and replace the team relegated from the Leinster Championship this year.
2021 Christy Ring, Nickey Rackard, and Lory Meagher Cups
The only change to what was announced in December is that British based teams will not be involved. The British based teams will begin the 2022 season in the same Cup they were due to play in in 2021. The three competitions will be played on the following basis.
Two sides to the draw:
Group A – 3 teams drawn on an open draw basis (each team plays 2 games)
Group B – Two teams play in one fixture
Quarter-Final/Relegation play-off: Bottom team from A v Loser of B (loser relegated – exception: Meagher Cup)
Semi Finals: Top 2 teams from Group A are drawn to play against Winner of Group B and Winner of Quarter Final/Relegation play-off
2020 Minor and U-20 Hurling Championships and Minor Football Championships.
Details will be finalised when there is clarity on a return to training/play date.
2021 Minor and U-20 Football and Hurling Championships
Details will be finalised when there is clarity on a return to training/play date.
2021 Club Window Provisions
It is important to note that the GAA still does not have permission to return to club training or games with only training in pods of 14 allowed in the North.
However, the calendar is set up in such a way that:
Club competitions with county players can take place as County teams exit the Championships (in football, teams start exiting from the end of June; in Hurling July 10th) [RESTRICTIONS PERMITTING]
From August 1st, all Counties bar All Ireland Semi-Finalists in Football and Hurling, and the teams in the Div 1 Hurling Relegation play off, will be free to stage club competitions with county players. [RESTRICTIONS PERMITTING]
Additionally, the commencement of the Provincial Club Championships will be delayed until Mid-November.
Provinces have been requested to ensure Clubs from teams in the senior inter-county All Ireland Semi-finals and Finals will not be involved in the earliest round of the relevant Provincial Championship (where possible).
Senior Provincial Club Championship will most likely start in or around the weekend of Nov 20/21 (dates to be finalized by each Provincial Council).
All Ireland Senior Club Finals are provisionally scheduled for the weekend of February 12th/13th 2022.
Brídíní Óga Glenravel won their first ever Antrim A grade camogie title on their home pitch on Saturday morning with a determined and skilful display of attacking camogie in an entertaining league play-off decider with Dunloy.
The finalists, along with Loughgiel, had finished on top of the league last month. Brídíní Óga were drawn in a semi-final with Loughgiel last week and that extra game – and victory – seemed to have given them the boost they needed for the Dunloy challenge.
They started the final the more determined team and were able to gain control before the break. Dunloy probably edged general play during the second half, but the Glenravel girls had a good cushion on the scoreboard and their defence, led by Maria McKenna, Brónagh Laverty and Rachael Coulter closed off the route to goal.
Glenravel’s midfielders grafted well throughout and up front Niamh McKay and Shauna McDonnell repeatedly troubled Dunloy’s defence.
Caoimhe Molloy was outstanding in that Dunloy defence, as was Katie Laverty in the half-back line. Further out the likes of Eimear McMullan and Tierasha Smyth had their moments but overall the ferocity of Glenravel’s tackling blunted Dunloy’s scoring threat and, on this occasion, they had to settle for second best.
Niamh McKay opened the scoring after 4 minutes with a nicely-taken point, but Katie Laverty responded with a similar score from a free at the other end.
Clodagh Kerr’s strike from 35 metres after 8 minutes opened a gap and her team had the momentum and skill to capitalise. Shauna McDonnell struck off her left side for a super point from distance a few minutes later and Niamh McKay fired over from a narrow angle soon after to open up a 1-3 to 0-1 lead.
The game really went out of the visitors’ reach a couple of minutes before the break when Niamh McKay jinxed her way through to crash a shot off the underside of the bar into the net.
Then a couple of minutes later she and Niamh Donnelly created the opening for Aimee Traynor to also find the net from close range.
Turning around 3-3 to 0-1 down at the break, Dunloy faced a tough challenge, but they were soon off the mark with Clodagh O’Kane shooting an excellent point.
However the Glenravel team was battling hard all over the pitch and their opponents didn’t get time to settle on the sliotar.
That meant that there were no further scores until 7 minutes from the end when Niamh McKay pointed a free she had won herself.
Dunloy had a few chances after that from frees. Caoimhe Molloy pointed one of them but goal attempts from the others were cleared and Brídíní Óga saw out the game to claim their first A grade title.
Cross and Passion Ballycastle 7-10 St Mary’s CBS Belfast 3-4
THE Mageean Cup attracted four entries in 1977-78; St Mary’s CBS and St Louis Kilkeel were placed in Group A while Cross and Passion Ballycastle and St MacNissi’s Garron Tower in Group B. The Group winners then played the runners-up from the other group in the semi-finals. This resulted in the group winners Cross and Passion and St Mary’s making it through to a final played in early March in Glenravel.
Conditions were perfect on the day with just a slight breeze favouring Ballycastle during the opening half. Early play switched from end to end with Gerard McCambridge’s lobbed ball finding Olcan McFetridge on the edge of the square and the future All-Star neatly little flicked the opening score.
By half-time Cross and Passion were on course for the win, ahead by 3-6 to 2-3, although it was their defenders, and in particular Cushendall’s Brendan McAllister, who were the stars. At midfield Brian Donnelly and Terence Barton worked tirelessly against Terry Fallon who was emerging as St Mary’s star player.
Up front captain Dessie Donnelly attracted most attention from the St Mary’s defence but he cleverly laid ball off to the younger players who took full advantage to stretch the Cross and Passion lead as the second half developed.
“However the player who most entertained the spectators was little Olcan McFetridge. The 15-year-old Armoy lad, who already has six Ulster Colleges’ medals and an Antrim county minor championship medal to his credit, picked off three points from all angles with great ease in the first half and crowned his glory with an astonishing goal in the second.” (Coleraine Chronicle report)
During the second half the Donnelly brothers picked off some fine long range points and Gerard McCambridge and Dessie Donnelly each bagged two goals as Cross and Passion eased to a 7-10 to 3-4 victory. Apart from Terry Fallon, St Mary’s players Gerry Donnelly, Jim Sheridan, Brian O’Kane and Dessie Smart all put in a good shift but St Mary’s excellent run of 13 successive victories in the competition came to a halt.
The winning Cross and Passion team:
Cross & Passion: John McHenry, Patrick Dallat, Ciarán Donnelly, Liam Gallagher, Tommy McIntyre, Hugh McNeill, Brendan McAlister, Brian Donnelly 0-1, Terence Barton 1-0, Brendan Elliott 0-1, Dessie Donnelly capt. 2-4, Vincent Dornan 0-1, Billy Campbell 1-0, Gerard McCambridge 2-0, Olcan McFetridge 1-3.
Subs : Michael McNeill, Paul McClafferty, John Butler.
St Mary’s scorers from that decisive game in Glenravel were: S Darragh 1-1, Terry Fallon 1-0, Eamon Mullan 1-0, Jim Sheridan 0-1, Dessie Smart 0-1, Brian O’Kane 0-1.
The Donnelly brothers had followed older brothers to St MacNissi’s Garron Tower. Both Kevin and Eddie were on the very first Mageean Cup winning team from the Tower. Dessie switched to Cross and Passion to complete his A Level studies shortly before he helped Ballycastle club win back the Volunteer Cup after an absence of 11 seasons. He decided to return to repeat A Levels this year and was handed the captaincy of the Mageean Cup team.
Brian meanwhile had moved from St MacNissi’s to Cross and Passion in September 1977 again to take on A Level studies and was a huge addition to the school hurling team, most of whom were drawn from younger classes.
Several players from the team have confirmed that one of the main reasons the school made the breakthrough that season was the unexpected addition of the Donnelly brothers. However there had been a strong group of players coming through in Star of the Sea secondary school in the town under Seamus Hegarty and its amalgamation with the small group of boys already coming through Cross and Passion was to create a winning tradition at senior level.
A number of players from that team became the backbone of the Ballycastle club team that won six more Antrim and Ulster senior titles up to 1986 and played in the 1980 All-Ireland club final. Three of the team, the Donnelly brothers and Olcan McFetridge, went on to play for Antrim in the 1989 All-Ireland hurling final with Dessie and Clute becoming All-stars. Interesting to read that Clute 11 years earlier was wooing reporters with his skilful scores. Liam Gallagher was centre-half back on the Antrim team who played Cork in the 1990 semi-final while Tommy McIntyre was to make his name as a referee, and took charge of the 2001 All Ireland semi-final between Cork and Galway.
PS – If anyone has a better copy of the team photo please let us know
