Month / January 2025

by thesaffrongael

Old friends re-acquainted as Antrim face the Lake County

Allianz Hurling League – Roinn 1b

Antrim v Westmeath

Sunday 2nd February – Time: 2pm

Venue: Corrigan Park, Belfast

Referee: Brian Keon (Galway)

Brendan McTaggart previews the Saffrons league game against Westmeath.

After last Saturday’s defeat to Dublin, Antrim welcome Westmeath to Corrigan Park for Davy Fitzgerald’s first home match in charge.  The 14 point defeat was a chastening experience for the Saffrons under the Croke Park floodlights and 70 minutes they would be keen to put behind them.

It was a case of expecting the unexpected before the sliotar was thrown in with the Antrim manager telling us on numerous occasions that it will take time to implement the plans he has to make the Saffrons more competitive. 

Against the Dubs, we saw exactly what he has in mind.  Niall O’Connor was employed as a sweeper, the middle third resembled like a cattle market given the crowd while the Dubs half had scarce little Saffron jerseys.

It certainly was eye opening to see both Keelan Molloy and James McNaughton playing much of that second half in their own half.  On the face of it, you’d want two of your best forwards in the county playing closer to the opposition goal but it’s part of the plan.  Precision, agility, incisiveness, intelligence and ultimately, clinical when it matters.

Keelan Molloy will line out at right half forward against Westmeath

Like every process, there’s a beginning and a starting point.  Last Sunday was the Saffrons starting point. 

Fitzy has made three changes from the Dublin starting line up with Gerard Walsh, Seaan Elliott and Conor Johnston all handed a place in the starting 15 with Ryan McGarry, Conor Boyd and Eoin O’Neill missing out.  Walsh and Elliott were both introduced in the second half last Saturday while Johnston, making a return to the inter-county set up, was initially named in the starting 15 but missed out due to a knock picked up during the warm up.

Sunday will be The Lake County’s first competitive match of the year with Storm Éowyn having her wicked way with their Laois fixture.  Limerick native Seoirse Bulfin is now at the helm, taking over from Joe Fortune and Westmeath are a county and team that need no introduction.

Antrim faced Westmeath away in the league last year with the Lake County taking the points on offer.  A Davy Glennon 60th minute goal giving the scoreline further maroon coloured gloss with a 2-18 to 1-15 final score.  A match that saw the Saffrons travel to Mullingar with just 21 players and looking at the 15 that started that day, just six were reached a starting jersey in Croke Park.

Conor Johnston makes a welcome return to Antrim jersey on Sunday when he lines out at corner forward against Westmeath at Corrigan Park. The St John’s man was names to start against Dublin last week but picked up an injury in the warm-up

Bulfin has named his 15 and it includes familiar names with the likes of Gary and Robbie Greville, Johnny Bermingham, Owen McCabe and David Williams all needing little or no introduction.  Williams top scored with eight points that day in a wet and windy Cusack Park while Eoin Keyes who is named at wing half back, scored one of their two goals.

Antrim’s status in Division 1b is likely to come down to matches against the likes of Westmeath and Sunday represents a massive opportunity.  A chance to put away the demons of last Sunday, a chance to put away the demons of that match against the Lake County last March and a chance for an Antrim team to put down a marker under the tutelage of Davy Fitzgerald.

Westmeath will travel with plenty of confidence and buoyed by the prospect of playing in competitive action under a new manager.  In a more interesting twist of fate, Bulfin was part of Davy Fitzgerald’s backroom team when he was in charge of both Clare and Wexford.  They won’t need any introductions either.  Let’s get a big crowd out to Corrigan Park, lets get behind the team, our team. 

Paddy Burke moves in to full back with Declan McCloskey moving in to left corner back

Antrim starting team: Ryan Elliott; Gerard Walsh, Paddy Burke, Declan McCloskey; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Conall Bohill; Nigel Elliott, Niall O’Connor; Paul Boyle, Niall McKenna, Keelan Molloy; Seaan Elliott, James McNaughton, Conor Johnston

Westmeath starting team: Jack Gillen; Conor Gaffney, Tommy Doyle, Gary Greville; Johnny Bermingham, Aaron Craig, Eoin Keyes; Éamon Cuneen, Peter Clarke; Robbie Greville, David Williams, Mark Cunningham; Darragh Clinton, Owen McCabe, Shane Williams

by thesaffrongael

Early second half goals swing it St. Paul’s way

Ulster Ladies Post Primary Schools

· U20 B Shield Final

St. Dominic’s 2-10 St. Paul’s Bessbrook 4-9

Two goals early in the second half swung this U20B Ulster College’s final decisively in the direction of St. Paul’s Bessbrook as they went on to defeat St. Dominic’s Belfast in and excellent final at Colaiste Feirste.

The Belfast girls looked on their way to victory when they led the Armagh side 2-6 to 0-6 at the halfway stage and they were good value for that lead with Erin Stewart excellent on the edge of the square contributing 1-3 and their other goal coming from Aoife Fitzsimmons.

Eva Louise Breslin carried the greatest first half threat for the Bessbrook side, converting three first half frees and another from play but the ball appeared to be in St. Dominic’s court as the teams changed ends on the Falls Road.

Goals from Breslin and Annabelle McKevitt in the opening five minutes of the second half swung the balance of play in favour of the Armagh side though St. Dominic’s remained in touch at the end of the third quarter.

Grace O’Callaghan’s goal moved St. Paul’s three in front but points from Erin Stewart and Niamh McAllister for the city side left just one in it with seven minutes remaining and it still looked anyone’s game.

Annebelle McKevitt pointed and a fourth goal from Olivia Cromie for St. Paul’s with two minutes remaining put it out of reach of the Belfast girls and ensure the U20B Shield was on its way to County Armagh.

A great game of football that was in the balance until late in the game with Annie Stanfield, Grace O’Callaghan, Olivia Cromie and Eva Louise Breslin in great form for the winners and Anna Rice, Aoife Fitzsimmons, Erin Stewart and Niamh McAllister best for St. Dominic’s

St. Dominic’s Belfast: 1 Amy Murray, 2 Cara Lynch, 3 Grace Holbrook, 4 Sophia Brown, 5 Tara Culbert, 6 Maeve Devlin, 7 Lucy Reynolds, 8 Anna Rice, 9 Ciara Murray, 10 Aoife Fitzsimmons, 11 Hannah McAllister, 12 Amelie Annette, 13 Aoife Garland, 14 Erin Stewart, 15 Niamh McAllister.

St. Paul’s Bessbrook: 1 Emma Murtagh, 2 Caitlin Hart, 20 Clodagh Reel, 18 Sadhbh McKeever, 6 Grace O’Callaghan, 7 Ella Owns, 8 Cadhla Faloon, 9 Olivia Cromie, 10 Sinead McSorley, 11 Eden McArdle, 12 Annie Stanfield, 13 Katie Feehan, 14 Eva Louise Breslin, 15 Charlotte Haveron. Subs: 4 Maeve Watters, 23 Annabelle McKevitt    

TO VIEW MORE OF BERT’S PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/7E9UdiXzJDDhUq

by thesaffrongael

St Genevieve’s come up short in Rosina McManus final

Rosina McManus Camogie Cup final:

Gaelcholáiste Dhoire 3-11 St Genevieve’s Belfast 2-6

St Genevieve’s brave effort to win the Rosina McManus Cup came up short at Ahoghill on Wednesday when they lost out to a very good Gaelcholáiste Dhoire side in a very entertaining final. Overall the Dungiven school had just that bit extra at crucial times throughout the game but Belast girls can be very proud of their efforts and added to a very enjoyable contest.

Gaelcholáiste Dhoire moved the sliotar well through the lines and a strong start put them into a lead that the Belfast girls couldn’t reel in. Niamh Nig Uiginn was a strong presence in the middle of the field, while her Slaughtneil club mates in defence, and captain Cáitlín Nig Eocháin and Ellen Ní Mhaoláin up front kept putting the Belfast side onto the back foot.

Niamh Nig Uiginn picked up the QUBGAA player of the match award, but she was pushed close by St Genevieve’s captain Aimee Ferris, while Darcy Ward and the Munce sisters also worked hard for the Belfast team. 

Gaelcholáiste got a great start, Ellen Ní Mhaoláin playing Ella Ní Bhrolcháin through for a first minute goal. But they didn’t build on it as St Genevieve’s pushed up and Orla Munce eventually broke through for an equalising score in the 7th minute. 

However Gaelcholáiste responded with the next five scores, including three from midfielder Niamh Nig Uiginn.

St Genevieve’s badly needed a score to get back into the game and it came from their captain Aimee Ferris, who finished a great solo run with a 21st minute goal.

Gaelcholáiste hit back immediately though with a solo goal from Cáitlín Nig Eocháin and they brought a 2-6 to 2-2 lead into the second half.

Points followed on the restart from Ella Ní Bhrolcháin and Niamh Nig Uiginn, but Gaelcholáiste’s defence came under pressure. They defended well until half time sub Deirbhile Ní Mhealláin raced clear for her team’s third goal ten minutes in.

Aimee Ferris did her best to rescue her team, and they had goal chances over the last quarter. However Róisín Ní Cheallaigh and her defence worked hard as a unit to deny them a goal. 

Three points from Ferris narrowed the gap, but Nig Uiginn landed her sixth point from a free and Ní Mhealláin completed the scoring with a beautiful angled point.

Gaelcholáiste: E Ní Bhrolcháin, C Nig Eocháin and D Ní Mhealláin 0-1 each, N Nig Uiginn 0-6 (5frees), E Ní Mhaoláin and O Nic an Bhaird 0-1 each.

St Genevieve’s: A Ferris 1-5, 0-1 free, O Munce 1-0, N Munce 0-1.

Gaelcholáiste: Róisín Ní Cheallaigh, Bláithín Ní Ghribín, Erin Nic Giolla Domhnaigh, Aisling Nic Cormaic, Ellie Nic Giolla Domhnaigh, Saoirse Ní Cheranaigh, Máiréad Ní Agáin, Saorla Ní Cheallaigh, Niamh Nig Uiginn, Ellen Ní Mhaoláin, Cáitlín Nig Eocháin capt, Ríonach Ní Chearnaigh, Clódagh Ní Mhaoláin, Ella Ní Bhrolcháin, Odharnait Nic an Bhaird.

Subs: Deirbhile Ní Mhealláin for C Nic Maoláin, Caoimhe Croskery for O Nic an Bhaird.

St Genevieve’s: D Ward, M Slane, E OReilly, N Curry, B Largey, E Rea, R Hamill, N Munce, C Molloy, O Munce, A Ferris capt., J Massingham, A Curry, E Gilgunn, G Mullan.

Subs used: S Kennedy, MJ Cahill, E Kennedy, K McAllister 

Referee: P Lagan

To see more pics from the game just click o the link below

https://myalbum.com/album/VeNtRC4qUCVnBo

by thesaffrongael

McShane lauds panel as Saffron U20s begin season with Derry test

Ulster Hurling Under 20 Cup

Antrim v Derry

Saturday 1 February – Throw in: 12pm

Referee: Barry Winters

Venue: Páirc Mac Uílín, Ballycastle

By Brendan McTaggart

The Antrim u20 hurling set up this year has been blessed with a management team that reads like a who’s who of hurling within the Saffron County and beyond.  Cormac ‘Hippy’ Donnelly, Shane Elliott, Brian McFall, Johnny McIntosh and Kevin Martin all make up the backroom team of Mickey McShane as the Ballycastle native begins his tenure.

It’s fair to say there seems to be quite a bit of emphasis on the underage teams and when you have a management team like this, it makes you sit up and take notice.  McShane takes his side to Ballycastle on Saturday afternoon to face Derry in the first of their Ulster Cup matches and when we caught up with him, we spoke about the make-up of his backroom: “I wanted the best possible people around me” began McShane, “Coaching is definitely not a one-man job, it hasn’t been for some time now and I didn’t want a team of ‘yes’ men around me.  They’re certainly not that.  Each of those lads bring a vast amount of experience, quality coaches in their own right.

“Our remit is to get the best 17 to 20 year olds and try to develop them physically, mentally and tactically so they’re prepared to step into the inter-county senior set up when the time comes.”

Getting it right at this grade is notoriously difficult.  There are a number of permutations to consider with schools, colleges and the senior squad to consider.  It can become a juggling match but you get the feeling that McShane is relishing this opportunity.  He continued: “We’ve been together for a couple of months now if you take in the trials.  We’ve done a lot of work on the conditioning side of things but the weather that’s been, it brings its own difficulties.  It has been good though.

“The one absolute that I can take away from this so far is the buy-in from the players.  “Everyone of them to a man have been exceptional in how they’ve went about their business with us.”

Between Storm Éowyn and the odd flurry of icy conditions and snow, it’s all added to the difficulties facing county management teams.  McShane and the u20s are no different: “We’ve had to forsake a couple of challenge games because of the weather.  We were down in Newbridge last Saturday and played Kildare.  That was an excellent challenge.  Kildare have a fairly good side at this level and we’ve played the seniors in a couple of in-house games.  That’s all part of the learning and developing process for the lads, for them to get a taste of the physicality at senior level was an excellent opportunity.”

Having spoken with the Kildare management team after that challenge match who expressed their disbelief at Antrim’s first competitive match was so soon, given the Leinster championship doesn’t begin until the end of March, it means there is no room for slip ups or bedding in periods during preparations.  McShane added: “It would have been good to have another couple of weeks before competitive games.  I know that he Ulster championship has to be run off before the Leinster Tier 2 as the Ulster winners go into it, I understand that but the frustration comes from not being allowed to work with the players until the 1st January and when your first match is the 1st February, it doesn’t give you much time to get much work done on conditioning, it doesn’t lend to proper preparations but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt.” 

Given Derry’s recent resurgence with hurls and the strength of their schools in recent years, Saturday’s contest will be far from a forgone conclusion.  They come into the game as Ulster champions but McShane said they are focussing on themselves: “We don’t know a huge amount other than maybe my own knowledge of the Derry club scene with managing Slaughtneil.  There are maybe one or two dual players that are perhaps involved with football now but to be honest, we’re not focussing too much on Derry.  We need to make sure we’re in a good place come Saturday.

“At the end of the day, we’re not Ulster champions, Derry are.  Derry beat Antrim in last year’s Ulster final and that hurt a fair bit to those that were involved.

We know they won’t be coming to Ballycastle just to make up the numbers.”

Antrim lost out to Derry in last year’s final at Corrigan Park

The extended Antrim Under 20 hurling panel is made up of the following players

Adam Mullan, Austin Birt, Ben McGarry, Ben O’Kane, Brogan O’Connor, Callagh Mooney, Callum McIlwaine, Charlie McAuley, Cian Baudant, Cian O’Connor, Ciaran McAllister, Darragh Kelly, Darragh Patterson, Eoghan Richmond, Finn Jemfrey, Fiontann Bradley, Frank Kane, Jack Martin, Jack McCloskey, Joe McNaughton, Liam Glackin, Luke McFerran, Mal McGibbon, Niall Magee, Niall McClean, Oisin McCallin, Orin McCambridge, Oran Donnelly, Orin O’Connor, Paudie Martin, Pearce Patterson, Reece Cunning, Ronan McGarry, Ronan Donnelly, Ronan Fitzgerald, Sean Og Blaney, Sean Og McLarnon, Thomas McLaughlin, Tiago McGarry .

The following players are already members of the senior panel

Aodhan McGarry, Cormac McKeown, Joseph McLauglin, Sean McKay

by thesaffrongael

Good win for CPC at Allen Park

Danske Bank Schools Hurling – Foresters Cup

CPC 2-13  St Pats 2-4

Cross & Passion had a good win over St Pat’s Maghera in the Forester Cup at Allen Park, Antrim on Thursday afternoon, running out winners by 2-13 to 2-04.

JJ McGarry with the excellent breakthrough goal in the early stages put CPC in a strong position at half time they led by 1-06 to 0-02. When Matthew Donnelly showed great persistence in the box to score the Convent’s second goal they appeared to be home and hosed, but St Pat’s showed great fighting quality and two goals from right half back Owen O’Neill got them right back into the game. However CPC steadied the ship and some excellent point taking from midfielder Logan McConville and centre forward Charlie McAuley helped pull them clear again as they preserved their 100% record.

St Pat’s centre back Dan McEldowney in action against CPC’s Damian McMahon during their Foresters Cup round 2 game at Allen Park. Pic by John McIlwaine

To see more pics from this game click on the link below

https://myalbum.com/album/jLoUBQAdQyRNam

CPC

1 Patrick Campbell

2 Conor McCann

3 Liam Smyth

4 JJ McGarry 1-0

5 Oran Baudant

6 Eunan Johnston

7 Oisin Donnelly

8 Darragh Kinney

9 Logan McConville 0-4

10 Damian McMahon 0-2

11 Charlie McAuley 0-4

12 Caolan Christie

13 Daire Elliott

14 Matthew Donnelly 1-0

15 Cathair McCaughan 0-3

Subs:

Eoin Bailey

Odhran Boyle

Shea McGowan

Oran Devlin

Joe Deery

ST PAT’S

1 Fionn Wallace

2 Jack McCloskey

3 Dara McKaigue

4 Cathal Duggan

5 Cathal McCloskey

6 Dan McEldowney

7 Owen O’Neill

8 Ronan McIlhatton

9 PJ Glover

10 Dara McKenna

11 Fiontan Hardy

12 Charlie Bradley

13 Sean O’Kane

14 Sean O’Hara

15 Shea Kearney