Rathmore Senior Girl Footballers won the Ulster U20 C Shield at the Garvaghey Centre of Excellence, Ballygawley on Friday 28th February.
The girls defeated Virginia Community College Cavan 4-08 to 2-07 in a hard fought game that was nip and tuck throughout.
Captain Clíodhna Logan lifted the trophy on behalf of the team and also was awarded the Player of the Match.
The scorers were:
Goals: Aoife Kavanagh, Hanna Donaghy, Anna Adams (2)
Points: Catherine Thompson (1) Anna Adams (6), Hanna Donaghy (1)
Big congratulations especially to the four Upper 6 girls who played their final game for their school today – Hannah McAteer, Hanna Donaghy, Clíodhna Logan and Lauren Prior.
All the players in the squad have been a credit to themselves, their families, their clubs and the school! Well done to everyone concerned.
Imreorií:
Clíodhna Conlon, Jessica Morgan, Emer Kilmartin, Hannah McAteer, Beth Cartland, Lila McCann, Jessica McCartan, Sophie Bell, Catherine Thompson, Aoife McKavanagh, Clíodhna Logan, Hanna Donaghy, Anna Adams, Róise Matthews, Lauren Prior, Ella McArdle, Maria McLorinan, Lauren Gourley, Mia Molly, Orlagh Scannell, Kieran McLorinan, Róisín Quinn, Ella Rose Watson, Azelia Robinson, Eirinn Wall, Anna Newnham, Aoife McArdle
Lámh Dhearg held their Senior Awards Presentation in the Beechlawn Hotel . Special guests were David Cleland from Breedon , Seamus Mullan County GAA chairman , Ursula Lynch County LGFA Chair and Rachel Neeson County Camogie Development Officer .
In his address interim Chairman Peter Kane extended get well wishes to our Chairman Brian Smyth and congratulated and wished club member Ursula Lynch all the best in her new role as Chair of LGFA. He welcomed the special guests and reflected on the highs and lows of a busy year. He sincerely thanked all members and teams for their work and effort on and off the pitch throughout the year. He paid tribute to Méabh McNeill on her fantastic achievement in winning the all Ireland Scor title. He warmly welcomed David Cleland and his wife Karen from our new senior sponsor Breedon and spoke how excited the club were in working with Breedon over the next few years and was very appreciative of their generous support. Peter concluded by congratulating all award winners and especially their successful Camogie Development Cup winners and All County Junior LGFA Champions.
Special recognition awards were presented to Conor Murray, Ryan Murray and former captains Paddy Cunningham and Declan Lynch on their distinguished commitment to senior county footballers and to Marc Jordan on representing Ulster.
The presentations concluded with compere Paul Buchanan paying a moving and poignant tribute to the late Daryl Fegan who was posthumously inducted into the Club Hall of Fame.
The club would like to thank the Beechlawn Hotel for their cuisine and efficient service and to Bert Trowlen for his time in taking an array of quality pics.
TO SEE MORE OF BERT’S PICS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Loughgiel Awards held at the Tullyglass House Hotel, Friday 28th February 2025
Tullyglass House Hotel, Ballymena was the venue for Loughgiel’s presentation awards for field endeavours gained through 2025.
This was a packed event, with Antrim Camogie’s Chairperson, Úna Kelly and Secretary, Sinead O’Kane in attendance to distribute the awards after the dinner finished.
The individual awards presented by Úna Kelly:
U16 Hurler of the year – Joint Eunan Johnston and Liam McGarry
U16 Camogier of the year – Anna Smyth
Minor Hurler of the year – Liam Glackin
Minor Camogier of the year – Shanna Deery
U20 Hurler of the year – Darragh Patterson
Most Improved Camogier of the year – Rhea Dickson
Most Improved Hurler of the year – Codai McGarry
Junior Camogier of the year – Grace McLean
Junior Hurler of the year – Odhran McMullan
Intermediate Camogier of the year – Joint Ciara Dobbin and Kirsty McKendry
Senior Camogier of the year – Amy Boyle
Senior Hurler of the year – Tiernan Coyle
Antrim Camogie Secretary, Sinead O’Kane and Chairperson, Úna Kelly attending the awards
Team Awards presented by Sinead O’Kane:
Junior hurlers – North Antrim League and All County Reserve Shield – Captain Cormac Watt was presented with the cups
Senior Hurlers – Feis Cup – Tiernan Coyle received the trophies
Senior Camogiers – Mary Coulter sevens, 11th County title in a row and the third Ulster title in a row – Captain Christine McCloskey received the trophies.
The senior camogiers were each presented with an Ulster panel memento, which is a graphical representation much like a team sheet layout, detailing names involved with the Ulster win against Swatragh in Beragh.
Dancing with DJ Alan Dooey closed the night and with the awards over, that pretty much signals the start of the new season.
Photos from the awards can be viewed in the album by following the link here…
Following on from their Intermediate success in 2024 and a successful Division 1 league campaign, All Saints entered the 2025 Ulster Senior League as part of their preparations for the upcoming season.
With the new rule enhancements in place for the forthcoming club season, a large number of teams entered the pre-season competition, split into 8 groups of 4 from across Ulster.
Placed in Group G along with St Malachy’s Castledawson, Sean Mac Cumhail, Ballybofey and Four Masters of Donegal Town, they have enjoyed a fruitful journey to date.
They commenced the campaign with a trip to St Malachy’s Castledawson resulting in a 2 point win in a high scoring game, 5.14 to 4.15.
They followed this up with a visit from Donegal’s, Sean Mac Cumhaill’s of Ballybofey and enjoyed another 2 point win at Quinn Park on a scoreline of 3.9 to 1.13.
Their last group game resulted in a trip to the Four Masters club in Donegal town with both teams vying for the top position and a Quarter final spot.
In a hard fought game, All Saints came out 8 point winners on a scoreline of 2.13 to 0.11 to finish top of Group G.
They were then drawn to face O Donovan Rossa, Ardboe in a Quarter Final tie. Ardboe were undefeated in a group comprising Kilrea, Granemore and Ballinderry.
All Saints travelled to the Lough Shore men and won the game by a 3 point margin on a scoreline of 3.16 to 3.13 to qualify for a semi-final meeting with Gweedore.
The Ballymena men are on the road again this Sunday to face a side who won Ulster back in 2019 and will be strongly fancied to advance to the final but
Liam Bradley and his management team will be happy with their pre-season preparations before the real business begins over the next couple of weeks.
Above – Out with the old and in with the new. New President Seamus Graham and outgoing President Denis O’Hara
JAMES ‘SEAMUS’ GRAHAM, a product of a prestigious hurling family pedigree, is the new President in a changing of the guard by Cushendun Emmet’s GAC. The 79-year-old has replaced 86-year-old Denis O’Hara – another former swinger with the Antrim Coast club.
Belfast-based Graham began his three-year tenure in high office on Sunday February 23.
During the Sixties and 1970’s, after the Emmet’s enjoyed a remarkable rebirth in 1963, Graham was a key operator mainly up front for the Emmet’s.
“I remember Malachy McSparran, then one of the folk behind the 1963 revival of the Club, coming to our house at Calishnagh, Cushendun – and inviting me to join in team training and matches. I was just 16 then, but playing in a lot of top teams at Garron Tower.” recalled Seamus.. In subsequent decades his two sturdy sons, Paul and Eamonn blossomed with the Emmet’s before later moving to Belfast where they won senior Championsip medals with O’Donovan Rossa.
Seamus, born to Glenariffe native Charlie Graham and Cushendun’s Caroline McCormick on October 16, 1945, in Cushendun, is proud of his hurling heritage.
His uncles, Bob and Willie Graham, were iconic figures in Antrim senior teams of the early 1940’s – including the 1943 All Ireland final side – and also prominent for hugely successful Glenariffe’s club teams.
Seamus added: “My father, Charlie, also played for the Emmet’s, when he was at home and not working in the United States – or as a deep sea sailor.
His brothers Bob and Willie played for Glenariffe and also for Antrim senior hurling teams.“My older brother John had one match for Cushendun, in a team that included Josie and Paddy Magee. I was then around eight years of age. My brother Charlie once played for Ballycastle’s minor hurling side and also the Emmet’s adult team – but slipped away from hurling because of having to work in Ballymena and Belfast.
“I was also involved in St MacNissi’s College hurling teams, winning three different Ulster Colleges’ competitions. In the team we had the outstanding midfield of P J McCamphill of Dunloy and the late Paddy Hamilton of the Emmet’s. I was in halfback, as was Oliver Keenan of Ahoghill.“I was 16 when I first played for the Emmet’s. I was on holiday from Garron Tower at the time.
Also invited to join was Terry O’Hara. I felt I was too young for senior club hurling. Malachy McSparran didn’t.“That was in 1963, playing alongside Johnny White. I remember playing in Glenariffe at corner forward – once heading for goal when Alex ‘Stoots’ McKay suddenly materialised at my side. kept making a half-whistling noise and took the ball off my stick, his own player. I also remember playing right half back at the old seaside Riggs. “After the 1963 Junior title win 1973 was another big season for the revitalised Club – and leading into senior combat the following season.
In 1973 we won the Intermediate championship at the same venue, Dunloy, where Ballycastle played St John’s in the senior final. St John’s became the champions.“In the next season we played St John’s at Corrigan Park in the senior championship. We looked like causing an upset in that first-round fixture, but made a fatal mistake from a line ball – and with the last puck of the game Andy McCallin won the ball – and it led to the Johnnies finishing with a killer goal.
“That was on July 28, 1974 when the Emmet’s, on their exciting venture into Senior Championship hurling, performed superbly against St John’s – but lost by four points in the closing seconds.
“Star turns were Mick O’Neill, Turlough McKeegan, Dan McKeegan, Martin McKeegan, and Paddy Kinney. Defending senior champions St John’s beat the Emmet’s that day at Corrigan Park in a memorable thriller, by 5-9 to 2-14.”Incoming President Graham, who was outstanding in that match against the Johnnies, also recalled:
“We won Division Two a few times and went back up to senior level around 1976. Later my sons – Paul and Eamonn – were involved in the team when winning the 1992 Intermediate Championship and the Division Two.“The team manager was Danny Kinney – and we stayed up in senior hurling for some ten years after that. At that time I got involved in helping Danny Kinney, and was in charge of the juvenile hurling – winning the U-12’s and all the way up to minor grade. “In that team that won the Antrim minor hurling championship we had some Glenariffe guys such as Shane McDonnell, young Randal McDonnell and Jimmy McMullan. We also had young Dan Kinney and Robert Paul Laverty.
Outgoing president Denis O’Hara with Glenariffe legend Randal McDonnell
“Once I was Emmet’s joint team manager alongside Randal McDonnell – and got the team into Division One by winning the Division Two league title and the Intermediate Championship.”
The fitness dominated game of Handball also holds a special affection for Seamus, who started competitive action for Garron Tower, mostly in Doubles with Belfast Market’s born Sean McEntee – who became President of All-Ireland Handball. Seamus Graham maintained a strict training routine to be able to compete and win a string of Irish Masters handball titles, including a
ll at Masters age (Over 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70). He also won 30 Co Antrim Singles & 30 Doubles; 25 Ulster Singles & 13 Ulster Doubles; 5 All-Ireland Singles, 3 All-Ireland Doubles and 3 All-Ireland Tournament Singles.
