ACFL Division 1 League Sunday 15th March 2026
Tír na nÓg 2-3 St. Mary’s Aghagallon 1-12.
St. Mary’s Aghagallon delivered a polished and composed performance in Randalstown on Sunday to claim a well-deserved victory in this ACFL Division 1 League encounter, running out six-point winners on a score-line of 1-12 to 2-3 against Tír na nÓg.
Before the throw-in, referee Fionntan McCotter called both teams together to observe a minute’s silence in memory of Gort na Móna’s Danny O’Neill, whose passing has been deeply felt across the GAA community.
From the throw-in it was St. Mary’s looked the sharper side and they were quickly into their stride. A point from play, scored by Jonny Hannon, inside the opening two minutes set the tone, and the visitors never relinquished their lead from that moment on. A further score from play and a converted free, by Hannon again, had Aghagallon three points to the good before Randalstown had time to settle.
The hosts clawed a point back midway through the first half, but it was no ordinary score. Randalstown goalkeeper Darragh Fagan, who had been taking up advanced positions throughout Tír na nÓg attacks, produced one of the moments of the afternoon when he launched a stunning long-range effort that split the posts for a two-pointer, briefly threatening to swing the momentum back towards the home side.
Aghagallon, however, were not to be rattled, responding with three unanswered points, from Eoin Brankin, Enda McCartan and Jonny Hannon, in the closing stages of the opening period. By the half-time whistle, St. Mary’s held a four-point cushion — a lead that reflected their dominance throughout the opening thirty minutes.
The second half began in explosive fashion for Aghagallon, with three points in the opening seven minutes stretching the lead to seven. Odhran Rooney fired over from the half-forward position, while Jonny Hannon, lively all afternoon at left corner-forward, added two further scores from play to leave Tír na nÓg chasing shadows.
Randalstown to their credit refused to throw in the towel. In a remarkable five-minute spell, they turned the game on its head momentarily. First, left half-back Aodhan Tolan drove forward with purpose and buried the ball to the net and then centre half-forward Oliver McAtamney added a point from play to bring the gap back to four. McAtamney then struck again for his side’s second goal of the afternoon, leaving only two points between the sides and giving the home crowd renewed hope.
However, Aghagallon’s response was the mark of a team with real character. Jonny Hannon, who tormented the Randalstown defence all afternoon, stepped up to convert a penalty to the net, emphatically killing off the Randalstown revival and pushing the lead back out to six. A further Hannon point from play in the closing stages put the gloss on a magnificent individual display, finishing with a personal tally of 1-6.
The visitors’ defensive structure deserves enormous credit. Solid performances from experienced players helped newer faces like Cormac Mulholland in his competitive senior debut. The midfield pairing of Pauric Maginnis and Enda McCartan won crucial ball in the middle third and repeatedly fed their forwards with quality possession.
For Randalstown, McAtamney and Tolan’s goals will give them hope in the next fixture, but ultimately St. Mary’s were full value for their win on a day when they showed the quality and composure expected of Division 1 contenders.
St. Mary’s Aghagallon: Damien O’Hagan; Kieran Hamill, Aidan Mulholland, Cormac Mulholland; Steven Devlin, Jamie Lamont, Ciaran Maginnis; Pauric Maginnis, Enda McCartan; Padraig Gowdy, Marc McAfee, Odhran Rooney; Eoin Brankin, Ruairi McCann, Jonny Hannon.
Randalstown: Darragh Fagan; Manus Smith, Brandon McLamon, Daniel McLornan; Ryan Crilly, Ciaran McGrellis, Aodhan Tolan; Ciaran O’Neill, Joshua Higgins; Sean McKeown, Oliver McAtamney, Pauric Redmond; Emmet Murray, Connor Hastings, Connor McCamphill.
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