Ulster Poc Fada titles for ​Antrim, Armagh and Cavan.

Ruairi Og Cushendall goalkeeper Conor McAlister won the Ulster Poc Fada at Gawkstown Hill, Feystown on Thursday evening, beating Down champion Finbar Kelly of Ballygalget by just 13 yards after a fantastic contest. Both McAlister and Kelly completed the ‘out’ section of the course in 16 pocs and the in section in 8, but Conor gained top spot with his final distance over the finish line, pipping his rival by just 13 yards in what was surely one of the closest contests ever. Another Antrim man featured in the shake up with Chris McKernan of St Briget’s Cloughmills representing Fermanagh after playing for them this season in the Lory Meagher Cup winning team.

Catie Connolly of Loughgiel was runner up in the Ladies section, just behind Ciarrai Devlin of Granemore, Co. Armagh, while Catie’s Shamrocks clubmate Caela Casey finished third in the Under 16 Girls section. Cadhan Graham of Oisins, Glenariffe finished 5th in the Under 16 Boys.

Once again the competition was brilliantly organised by the host club Shane O’Neill’s with event organiser Terence Mulvenna and his team ticking all the boxes

Unlike last years challenging weather conditions, the weather was good on Thursday evening and 27 competitors and around a hundred spectators made their way onto the mountain for the eagerly-anticipated contest.

The competition featured four categories: Senior and U16 Hurling, and Senior and U16 Camogie.

Cushendall man McAlister emerged as the winner in the Senior Hurling category, completing the course in 24 pocs and 89 yards to defeat Ballygalget’s FInbarr Kelly by 13yards, both progressing to the All Ireland final in Cooley in August.  At the halfway point, the all competitors were separated by just less than 2 pocs, with the top three senior hurlers finishing in eight pocs plus yards.

The Under 16 Hurling competition saw Connor Delaney from Cootehill Celtic, Cavan claim his title as the champion of Ulster.  He completed the course in 27 pocs and 72 yards, finishing ahead of Oran McAnarney from Ballela, Down by 27 yards.

In the Senior Ladies category, Cairrai Devlin from Granemore , Armagh secured the title, completing the course in 36 pocs and 109 yards, beating Antrims Cairie Connolly from Loughgiel Shamrocks, by 29 yards.

Katie Donnelly from St Brenda’s Ballymacnab, Armagh, came home in 34 pocs and 62 yards defeating Liatroims Aoibhean Farrel by 33 yards.

	Senior Mens	Club	County	Out	+ yds	In	+ yds	Pocs	+ yds
1	Conor McAlister	Ruairi Og, Cushendall	Antrim	16	39	8	50	24	89
2	Finbarr Kelly	Ballygalget	Down	16	33	8	33	24	66
3	Sean Kelly	Naomh Colum Cille	Tyrone	17	53	8	20	25	73
4	Gearalt Ó Mianáin	Na Magha	Derry	17	61	9	70	26	131
5	Chris Mckernan	St Brigids Clougmills	Fermanagh	18	22	9	95	27	117
6	Sean Conway	Monaghan Harps HC	Monaghan	19	38	9	76	28	114
7	Paddy Monagle	Carndonagh	Donegal	19	43	9	12	28	55
8	Connor McAnallen	Keady	Armagh	19	16	10	34	29	50
	Senior Ladies	Club	County	Out	+ yds	In	+ yds	Pocs	+ yds
1	Ciarrai Devlin	St Mary’s Granemore	Armagh	25	53	11	56	36	109
2	Caitie Connolly	Loughgiel Shamrocks	Antrim	24	0	12	80	36	80
3	Grace Draine	Bellaghy	Derry	24	22	12	15	36	37
4	Geraldine Daly	Bredagh	Down	26	26	12	3	38	29
5	Marie Greenan	Clontibret	Monaghan	27	48	12	53	39	101
6	Deirdre Doherty	Letterkenny Gaels/ St Eunans	Donegal	31	22	16	46	47	68
	U16 Boys	Club	County	Out	+ yds	In	+ yds	Pocs	+ yds
1	Connor Delaney	Cootehill Celtic	Cavan	18	12	9	60	27	72
2	Oran McAnarney	Ballela	Down	18	16	9	26	27	42
3	Cian Doyle-Kennedy	Ballinascreen	Derry	20	35	9	42	29	77
4	Cormac McErlean	Eoghan Ruadh HC	Tyrone	20	59	9	13	29	72
5	Cadhan Graham	Oisins Glenariffe	Antrim	20	17	9	22	29	39
6	Pierce McConalogue	Carndonagh	Donegal	22	20	11	21	33	41
7	Jack Murphy	Monaghan Harps	Monaghan	27	13	16	61	43	74
	U16 Girls	Club	County	Out	+ yds	In	+ yds	Pocs	+ yds
1	Katie Donnelly	St Brenda’s, Ballymacnab	Armagh	23	23	11	39	34	62
2	Aoibhean Farrel	Liatroim	Down	23	10	11	19	34	29
3	Caela Casey	Loughgiel Shamrocks	Antrim	25	38	11	78	36	116
4	Aoife McAteer	St Patrick’s, Dungiven	Derry	24	10	12	62	36	72
5	Cassie Lambe	St Eunans	Donegal	27	28	13	23	40	51
6	Katie Rose Donnelly	Fr Shields	Tyrone	29	42	14	62	43	104
	#Poc Fada

For more photos from the Ulster Poc Fada click on the link below

https://myalbum.com/album/ayS8qmqsKLqvJd/?invite=b07a1c7c-82a2-4f25-8119-b049f10688f2

Following the event, all participants, spotters and spectators were invited back to the Shane Uí Neill clubrooms for refreshments and the presentation of awards. Each of the four winners received their Trophies, Ulster Medal and a £50 O’Neill’s voucher sponsored by Ulster GAA & Ulster Camogie.

Ulster Vice Chair, and Chairperson of the Hurling Committee, Michael Geoghegan expressed gratitude to Terence Mulvenna and Shane Uí Neill GAC for their hospitality and the fantastic venue.

Thanks were also extended Ulster Camogie, emphasising the significance of both Camogs and Hurlers in making the event a success. St John Ambulance was acknowledged for providing medical coverage, and John McIlwaine received recognition for his photography services.

The Ulster GAA hurling Staff, Ulster Camogie Staff and Hurling Committee Secretary Kieran Farmer were also thanked for organising the event and supporting the completion of the County Poc Fadas.

Lastly, appreciation was expressed to all the participants, parents, spotters, referees, staff, and spectators for attending the event. The event as always was highly enjoyable and successfully concluded. Especially acknowledged were those who travelled long distances, expressing hope that they had a positive experience and would return for future events.

Congratulations were extended to all the winners, and it was announced that four counties from Ulster would progress to the All-Ireland Finals. The provincial winners would have the opportunity to compete against the best in Ireland on Annaverna Mountain, located in the Cooley Range, Co. Louth, on Monday, August 5th.

Ulster GAA wishes the best of luck to all our participants.