Friends and family of the late Jim McKeever as well as many admirers and former students attended the launch of a new book on his sporting life, which was held in St Mary’s University College on Saturday 7th December. The book launch was preceded by a series of tributes to Jim including readings from the book by some members of his family, audio visual presentations of former times, panel discussions with some of his past students and the playing of a video featuring a speech by the late Mick Gribben from 1995.
The book is edited by Seamus McRory and in essence it is a memoir of Jim McKeever. Many memorabilia of Jim’s sporting life were on display at the gathering including the painting entitled “The Catch” by the internationally renowned artist JB Valle
Friends and family of the late Jim McKeever as well as many admirers and former students attended the launch of a new book on his sporting life, which was held in St Mary’s University College on Saturday 7th December. The book launch was preceded by a series of tributes to Jim including readings from the book by some members of his family, audio visual presentations of former times, panel discussions with some of his past students and the playing of a video featuring a speech by the late Mick Gribben from 1995.
The book is edited by Seamus McRory and in essence it is a memoir of Jim McKeever. Many memorabilia of Jim’s sporting life were on display at the gathering including the painting entitled “The Catch” by the internationally renowned artist JB Vallely.
Erin’s Own GAC Cargin hosted a memorable night to celebrate the launch of their centenary book Clann na nÉireann: 100 Years of Pride and Passion and commemorate two significant milestones in the club’s rich history: the 50th anniversary of the first county championship-winning team in 1974 and the 25th anniversary of the 1999 championship-winning side.
The evening, held in the packed Cargin Social Club, was expertly compered by Diarmuid Shivers, who brought the event to life with engaging interviews of past players. Shivers delved into the memories of the two historic finals, bringing nostalgia and laughter as players recounted their experiences and reflected on their contributions to the club’s success.
Aidan Johnston presented trophies to the captains of the victorious teams: Packie McGuckin (1974) and Michael Johnston (1999). Both teams were also honoured with a specially commissioned team sheet, showcasing the players and scorers from their respective finals, a cherished memento for all involved.
The event drew past players and supporters from far and wide, filling the venue to capacity with standing room only. This turnout was a testament to the enduring pride and passion that binds the Cargin community and its remarkable history.
Clann na nÉireann: 100 Years of Pride and Passion
The 1974 Championship winning side
A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the club’s centenary book, Clann na nÉireann: 100 Years of Pride and Passion. The meticulously crafted book, with contributions spearheaded by Peadar McCann, chronicles the rich tapestry of Cargin’s history.
The 27 chapters include fascinating insights into the club’s journey, exploring topics such as:
Townlands and Religion: The geographical and cultural roots of the club.
Folklore and Legends: Stories that have shaped the community.
The Gaelic Revival: The broader cultural context of the club’s founding.
Sports Beyond Gaelic Football: Chapters on rounders, camogie, handball, and ladies football.
Mascots and the Future: A look at the club’s enduring spirit and future aspirations.
The book is an essential read for any Cargin enthusiast, capturing a century of dedication and achievement while setting the stage for the next 100 years.
The 1999 Championship winning side
A Community United
The event showcased the strength of the Erin’s Own GAC Cargin community, celebrating both past achievements and future potential. From the players who took the field in 1974 and 1999 to those who worked tirelessly to produce the centenary book, the night highlighted the collective effort that continues to define the club’s legacy.
For anyone passionate about Gaelic games or local history, the event and book stand as a reminder of the deep pride and passion that have driven Cargin for 100 years.
1974 captain, Packie McGuckin is interviewed by Dermot Shivers1999 captain, Michael Johnston and 1974 captain Packie McGuckin at the Erin’s Own Centenary Book Launch and championship celebrations in the Erin’s Own clubrooms on Saturday night1999 championship winning m,anager, John Brennan addresses the large crowd who attended the centenary celebrations
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fonaCAB Ulster Minor Football Tournament, quarter-final (AET)
Fr Rocks, Cookstown 0-19
Mayobridge 1-11
Fr. Rock’s Cookstown, the Tyrone County Champions became the last team to make their bow in the fonaCAB-St. Paul’s Minor Football tournament when they faced Mayobridge of Down in the final quarter-final of the competition at Shaw’s Road on Sunday.
Mayobridge had already negotiated a preliminary round and Sunday’s game against Fr. Rocks took a time to get up to speed and going into the closing stages it was the Down side who looked to have done enough.
Fr. Rocks finished strongly to force extra time and keep the good crowd who had attended at Shaw’s Road on their toes.
The Tyrone champions showed great battling qualities with Mayobridge looking to have nicked it late, but the Cookstown club forced the additional time and there was no looking back from there as they built a wind-assisted lead to dominate the final 10 minutes.
Mayobridge played against the breeze in the opening half but they got off to the perfect start as a long ball from Patrick Woods saw Gary Clerkin turn his marker and place Daire O’Keefe to finish to the net.
The Cookstown side got off the mark from an Eoin Long free, but their shooting would let them down in the opening half as they recorded 10 wides during a wasteful 30 plus minutes.
Clerkin again used his pace to get clear to add a score for Mayobridge and finally, a barren 10-minute spell for the Tyrone side ended with Conall Sheehy landing back-to-back scores.
Two Clerkin frees was the Mayobridge response with Long firing over and Sheehy steering his third of the half over the bar to leave one in it again.
Mayobridge could have had a second goal when Ben Kelly got free but his pass into Jude McGlade was too high, yet a converted mark from Darragh Poland gave them a 1-4 to 0-5 advantage at the interval.
Despite playing into a strong wind for the second period, it was Cookstown who asserted themselves early on, but a couple of promising attacks came to nothing.
Mayobridge sat deep and attempted to hit on the break and the tactic looked like paying off when a turnover saw Daniel Carr take a snapshot that curled just wide.
However, the Tyrone champions were playing all the football and were denied a goal of their own when Conor Colhoun made a vital block on Darragh McHugh.
Eventually, it would turn the way of Fr Rocks as two long frees tied it before they hit the lead for the first time through substitute Sean Devlin.
They would kick on as Long, Lorcan McMurray and Michael Lennon split the posts to open a four-point gap with 10 to play.
Mayobridge needed to get something going and it was the excellent Patrick Woods who led the way, converting a free and adding three more from play with Carr also on target to give them the lead as the clock ticked down.
Long tied it up with a free seconds into added time but the restart saw the Down men conjure what looked the winner as Colhoun split the posts.
There was time for one more attack however from Fr. Rocks that saw them earn a free and off his left foot into the wind, McMurray sent the game into extra-time with the score 0-13 to 1-10.
This time, with the wind behind them, the Tyrone champions would avail of the advantage with five points on the spin in the first period – two apiece from Karol Wawrynkiewicz and Long (one free) that sandwiched a McMurray score.
A Clerkin point reduced it to 0-18 to 1-11 at the turnaround, but despite the wind advantage for the final 10 minutes, Mayobridge couldn’t turn it around.
Instead, the superb Sheehy’s fourth of the day extended the gap as the Down team attacked but missed opportunities as they began to chase goals.
Cookstown goalkeeper Sean Og Quinn was up to the task with a couple of high catches as the minutes ticked by and when Mayobridge lost Daniel Carr to a late red card, that was that as the Tyrone side earned the right to face defending champions, Four Masters of Donegal in the semi-final on St Stephen’s Day (1pm at St Paul’s).
The first of the semi-finals will take place this Sunday (December 21 at St Paul’s, 1pm) when Armagh’s Clann Éireann take on O’Donovan Rossa from Magherafelt, Derry with the final down for decision on
New Year’s Day.
Fr. Rocks: S Og Quinn; S Corrigan, D McHugh, C McElkearney; C Mulligan, K Wawrynkiewicz (0-2), M Lennon (0-1); L Neeson, Y Baba; J McElhone, L McMurray (0-3 1f), C Sheehy (0-4); D Ward, E Long (0-8, 6f), C Ward.
Subs: S Devlin (0-1) for C Ward (HT) C Hawker for D Ward (HT), M McCrellis for J McElhone (46), D Ward for C Hawker (51).
ET subs: C Ward for D McHugh (started), J McElhone for C McElkearney (20), D McHugh for E Long (20)
Mayobridge: M Gallagher, R Magone, B Kelly, J McGlade; O De Rose, D McMahon, C Colhoun (0-1); D O’Keefe (1-0), C Keenan; D Carr (0-1), C Clerkin (0-4, 3f), P Woods (0-4, 2f); R Coulter, D Poland (0-1m), C McPolin.
Subs: G Barry for R Magone (48).
ET subs: J McConville for R Coulter (15), J Keenan for B Kelly (19).
Referee: Colm McDonald (Antrim)
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There was to be no fairy tale ending for Carey Faughs in what has been a superb season when they lost to hot favourites, Watergrasshill of Cork in this All Ireland Intermediate Hurling club championship semi-final at Pairc Tailteann on Sunday
The Ballyvoy side have set the pace in Antrim and into Ulster this season and have collected a league and championship double in their own county before going on to claim the Ulster title with a good win over a strong Swatragh side.
The loss of James ‘Rocket’ Black to what looked like a serious shoulder injury before half-time certainly didn’t help the North Antrim men’s cause and the headed to the dressing room trailing 1-11 to 0-5 despite having the benefit of the breeze in the opening half.
They would add only three further points in the second half as their short game broke down too often with the superb Cork champions turning the screw in the second half.
In the end victory was as comprehensive as the scoreline suggests as Watergrasshill produced a top class display and had all but booked their final spot when leading 1-11 to 0-5 after playing into a stiff breeze in the opening half.
The Antrim champions started with two pointed frees from Conall McGlynn, but should have had a few more in that opening ten minutes. They were made to pay Cork champions hit back right away after the second point with a goal from full forward Sean Desmond which gave them a lead for the first time. Eddie Enright’s charges settled into the game and played some superb hurling to which the Faughs really had no answer.
Their superior physically was evident throughout the pitch and their ability to create and take scores left Carey Faughs on the back foot after a close opening quarter.
Watergrasshill hit three wides before full forward Sean Desmond set them on their way after grabbing possession, turning his marker and blasted to the net on 11 minutes to give the Leesiders a lead they never subsequently relinquished.
With power and pace in attack Watergrasshill stretched the Carey Faughs defence throughout the half with Desmond adding two points, Brendan Lehane accounting for three and Adam Murphy hitting four, including three from frees.
Eight successive points in a 10 minute spell in the second quarter helped open up a 1-10 to 0-4 lead.
Caolan McCaughan and Connor McBride both pointed from play while McGlynn added another point to his tally from a free for the Glensmen in that first half. However they never seriously troubled a Watergrasshill rearguard where Daire O’Leary, Dylan McCarthy and Kevin O’Neill were outstanding.
The Leesiders resumed where they left off in the opening half with a brace of points from Desmond and one each from Ian O’Callaghan and Adam Murphy before McGlynn converted another free for Carey Faughs on 40 minutes.
In total control of proceedings Watergrasshill could afford to empty their bench in the final quarter as they set up a final meeting with Galway champions Tynagh Abbey Duniry.
The outstanding Desmond took his tally to 1-5 before the finish while Murphy accounted for eight points. Carey Faughs only score from play for the second half came from Connor McBride close to the finish.
Defeat will be hard to take but when the dust settles the Faughs will look back favorably on what has been a great season. They won the Division 2 league title, the Antrim and Ulster titles with a series of top performances and the fans who made the journey to Navan on Sunday showed their appreciation as they rose to clap them off the field on Sunday. A year of great highs and great lows, but one which will never be forgotten. Lets hope the Rocket’s shoulder injury is not as serious as it looked at the time and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Scorers for Watergrasshill: S Desmond (1-5), A Murphy (0-8, 7fs), B Lehane (0-3), P O’Leary, S O’Regan, A Cronin, D O’Leary, I O’Callaghan (0-1 each).
Scorers for Carey Faughs: C McGlynn (0-4, 4fs), C McBride (0-2), C Kane (f), C McCaughan (0-1 each).
WATERGRASSHILL: A Foley; S Field, D McCarthy, I O’Callaghan; D Roche, D O’Leary, K O’Neill; A Cronin, A Spriggs; S O’Regan, A Murphy, C O’Leary; B Lehane, S Desmond, P O’Leary. Subs: J Foley for A Foley (38), L Foley for C O’Leary (42), J Gowen for Spriggs (47), P Cronin for O’Callaghan (48), J McCarthy for Murphy (54).
CAREY FAUGHS: McGinn; Z McCaughan, S McBride, P Gillan; J McBride, J McCouaig, S Hunter; P Butler, M McVeigh; C McGlynn, C McCaughan, C McBride; J Black, C McKinley, C Cane. Subs – F McVeigh for Black (29), E Hill for Gillan (42), E McKinley for C McBride, C McKiernan for Hunter, S Mathers for C McKinley (all 59).
Referee: C Daly (Kildare)
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St Patrick’s Maghera 4-11 Cross & Passion College 1-9
St Pat’s Maghera stay on course for their third Corn Uan Uladh title in a row after beating Cross & Passion Ballycastle in Saturday’s semi-final at Ahoghill. The Derry school led by four points after a hard fought opening half in which CPC gave as good as they got for long periods, but St Pat’s strength in depth told in the end and they pulled away to win by eleven in the end.
The first half was a real war of attrition with both teams giving their all. With Éabha McAllister leading the line for CPC, well supported by the excellent Maria Laverty, it aappeared there might be a shock on the cards, but St Pat’s were able to lift the pace when it was really needed and their ball winning ability around the middle of the park gave them the edge.
A scoring burst a third of the way through the first half, which included a well taken goal from full forward Caoimhe Chambers, saw the Maghera girls open a seven point lead though CPC cut the gap back to four by the time referee Paddy Tumelty blew the half time whistle when Adria McMcAllister scrambled the ball home at the other end.
Just as they had done in the first half CPC made a promising start after the change of ends and two by their star performer Éabha McAllister and one by Shauna Deery kept them in touch. However St Pat’s were always able to respond when they chips were down and and they rattled off four in a row with one from Aoibh Quinn and three from Emma Quinn to put daylight between the sides. CPC came again with three points in a row as Maria Laverty and Éabha McAllister continued to cause the St Pat’s defence problems, but St Pat’s response was devastating as the hit back with three goals inside four minutes through Katie McCloskey, Brianna Donaghy and Aoibh Mulholland.
CPC claimed to have scored a goal when the St Pat’s goalkeeper fumbled a high ball, but the claims were waved away. A goal at this stage would have been a boost for the Ballycastle school, but in truth the champions were home and hosed by this stage and will go into the January final against St Killian;s as red hot favourites.
St Patrick’s: A Mulholland 2-1, K McCloskey and C Chambers 1-1 each, E Quinn 0-7, 5fs, G Kelly 0-1.
Cross & Passion: A McAllister 1-0, M Laverty 0-4, 2fs, É McAllister 0-3 fs, S Deery 0-2.
St Patrick’s: O Johnston, O McCartney, E Griffin, E Conway, R Doherty, E Murray, B Brolly, E Quinn, A McWilliams, L Cassidy, K McCloskey, G Kelly, MT McCullagh, C Chambers, A Mulholland.
Subs: B Donaghy for L Cassidy (ht), L McKaigue for O McCartney (46), C Conway for R Doherty (56).
CPC: E O’Hara, A McCaughan, S Kearns, S Flavin, C Delaney, M Cunning, F Sands, É McAllister, S Deery, A McAllister, L McBride, E McGarry, M Laverty, M McArthur, E McCaughan.
Subs: T Cassidy for A McAllister (34).
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