Posts by thesaffrongael

Photographer and GAA writer who has been covering hurling, football and camogie for almost forty years

April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by thesaffrongael

Derry prove too strong for Antrim in 16 Camogie final

Ulster Under 16 Camogie final

Antrim 0-03 Derry 6-16

It was a punishing afternoon at Naomh Éanna for Antrim U16s, as a formidable Derry side retained their Ulster title under relentless Glengormley rain. While the scoreboard tells a harsh story, it doesn’t quite capture the grit shown by the Saffron jerseys in conditions that were better suited for swimming than camogie.

The Saffrons entered the fray facing not just a clinical Oak Leaf outfit, but a literal uphill battle against surface water and a biting wind. For much of the first half, Antrim showed they could compete in flashes of defiance. Rose McMullan was a standout in the middle of the park, clinical from the placed ball and accounting for all three of Antrim’s points.

Defensively, the scoreline could have spiraled much earlier if not for the Trojan work of Róisín Nic Bhrádaigh, Erin Neeson, and Amber Anderson. They, alongside Aoife Downey, threw themselves into challenges to keep the Derry wave at bay.

The Turning Point

At halftime, trailing 2-08 to 0-03, the mountain was high but not insurmountable. Indeed, the Antrim defense tightened up significantly after the restart, conceding only two points in the opening ten minutes of the second half.

However, the game’s complexion changed entirely in the 40th minute. Following a heavy exchange after a whistle, a Saffron defender was issued a straight red card for retaliation. Down a player and facing a Derry side with five of last year’s starters, the energy began to sap from the Antrim legs.

An excellent Derry side took full advantage of the extra space. Player of the Match Eva Forbes (2-06) found gaps that weren’t there before, and a flurry of goals from substitutes Deirbhile Mellon and Grace McCloskey in the final quarter put a gloss on the scoreline that felt particularly cruel given Antrim’s early industry.

“Credit to the girls for the work rate at the back. It was a steep hill to climb after the card, and against a team of Derry’s caliber, you simply can’t afford to play a player down.”

Match Statistics

Antrim Scorers	Derry Top Scorers
Rose McMullan 0-3 (3fs)	Eva Forbes 2-6 (1-3fs)
	Gráinne Doherty 1-3
	Deirbhile Mellon 2-0

Antrim Lineup: Clodagh McLarnon, Erin Neeson, Róisín Brady, Annie Convery, Caoilfhionn McShane (Keeley Lawlor 41), Ellie Lynn, Amber Anderson, Aoife Downey, Rose McMullan, Aoibheann McDonnell (Ciara Slevin 54), Chloe McGurk, Jane Feetham, Lucia Traynor, Eilish Fairley, Caoimhe Cunningham.

Derry U16 Camogie Team

1. Karen Birt
2. Ella Rafferty
3. Gracie Diamond
4. Tierna Cartin
5. Charlotte O’Hagan
6. Emma McVey
7. Niamh Duggan (0-1)
8. Orla McKenna
9. Feina Kerr (0-4)
10. Cassie Diamond
11. Eva Forbes (Captain) (2-6, 1-3 frees)
12. Gráinne Doherty (1-3)
13. Rose Quinn
14. Rachel Gribbin (1-0)
15. Clodagh McIlvar (0-2)

Substitutes

Grace McCloskey (for R. Gribben, HT)
Deirbhile Mellon (2-0) (for R. Quinn, 47′)
Iona Tohill (for C. McIlvar, 47′)
Saorla Kelly (for N. Duggan, 47′)
Eva Diamond (for T. Cartin, 47′)
Orla Bradley (for E. Rafferty, 52′)
Shanna McEldowney (for F. Kerr, 52′)

Other Panel Members: Cassie Conway, Ella Kearney, Clíodhna Moore, Saoirse McCullagh, Cara McNally, Eva Scullion.

April 4, 2026April 4, 2026 by thesaffrongael

Saffrons bounce back to overpower Westmeath in Tier 2 opener

Above – Charlie McAuley who scored a goal and 2 point from midfield

Fulfil Leinster U20 Hurling Championship – Tier 2

Antrim 3-22 | Westmeath 1-12

Venue: St Lomans, Mullingar (4G Pitch)

The Saffrons put their recent disappointments firmly in the rearview mirror on Saturday, delivering a commanding 3-22 to 1-12 victory over Westmeath on the 4G pitch at St Loman’s, Mullingar.

Following a frustrating outing against Meath in the Tier 1 qualifying section—where the squad knew they had fallen well short of their best—Antrim needed a performance to rescue their season. They found exactly that, racing out of the blocks to set up a vital win that sends them into Wednesday’s clash with Down full of confidence.

Antrim start well

Antrim were clearly eager to make a statement, establishing a three-point lead before Westmeath’s Kian Loughlin opened the hosts’ account with a free in the fourth minute. The Saffrons’ response was instantaneous: straight from the resulting puck-out, the sliotar was worked upfield for Connor Donnelly to rattle the Westmeath net.

Westmeath refused to roll over early on, hitting back with an eighth-minute goal from Neale Pierson and a point from play by Ryan Williams. However, the visitors absorbed the blow effortlessly. Charlie McAuley floated over a beautiful long-distance score, and Liam McEnhill added to his growing tally, leaving Antrim with a 1-10 to 1-5 advantage at the end of an action-packed first quarter.

The second quarter saw Antrim pull away completely. Cadhan Crawford struck for their second goal shortly after the restart, opening the floodgates for a flurry of points from Oisín McCallin, Orrín O’Connor, Rian Fitzgerald, and McAuley. Westmeath could only muster two pointed frees from Loughlin in reply, leaving Antrim with a massive 2-17 to 1-7 lead at the break.

**Callum McIlwaine who scored 0-02 from centre back**

Defence Shuts the Door

With the breeze at their backs for the second half, Westmeath might have hoped for a revival, but Antrim delivered a hammer blow right from the throw-in. Within the first minute, Charlie McAuley found the back of the net for Antrim’s third goal, effectively killing the game as a contest. Oisín McCallin quickly compounded Westmeath’s misery with a pair of frees.

The Antrim defence was absolute in its dominance. It took until the 41st minute for Westmeath to register their first score of the half—Loughlin’s seventh point of the day. McCallin instantly canceled it out with two rapid-fire points (one from play, one free).

Despite a pair of late consolation points from Westmeath substitute Finn Higgins, Antrim cruised to the finish line. Liam McEnhill capped off a highly comfortable afternoon with the final score, securing a crucial victory for the Ulster champions.

***Oisin McCallin who scored 0-06 to the Antrim total***

Looking Ahead

With their season firmly back on track, Antrim now look forward to a repeat of the provincial final. They travel to the Dub on Wednesday evening to face Down in Round 2 of the round-robin series, aiming to replicate the victory they claimed over the Ards men at the same venue earlier this year.

Antrim

S. óg McLaren; Cathair Donnelly, L. Glackin (capt.), R. Cunning; N. Magee, C. McIlwaine (0-2), C. McCann; C. McAuley (1-2), C. Mooney; L. McEnhill (0-4), O. O’Connor (0-3), R. Fitzgerald (0-1); C. Crawford (1-1), Connor Donnelly (1-3), O. McCallin (0-6).

Substitutes Used: Roan McGarry for R. Fitzgerald, Oisín McCamphill for C. McAuley, Canice McIntosh for Cathair Donnelly, Jay McAlonan for O. McCallin, James McDonnell for Connor Donnelly.

Westmeath

N. Brady; C. Daly, J. Murtagh, A. Flanagan; D. Kenny, S. Hayes, D. Smith; C. Ward, C. Leech; N. Pearson (1-0), K. Loughlin (0-8), B. McNamee; R. Williams (0-1), P. Casey, C. McKeogh.

Substitutes Used: D. Corrigan (0-1) for P. Casey, L. Meyler for C. Leech, O. McCauley for S. Hayes, C. óg Fagan for N. Brady, F. Higgins (0-2) for C. McKeogh.

April 4, 2026April 6, 2026 by thesaffrongael

St Galls emerge victorious from clash of unbeaten Belfast duo

ACFL Division 1

St Brigids 0-9-0-13 St Galls

Kevin Herron reports from Musgrave Park

ST GALLS maintained their winning start to their Division 1 campaign with a 0-13-0-9 victory over St Brigid’s at Musgrave Park on Saturday afternoon.

It was a clash of two sides with unbeaten records to date and it was an even contest for the majority of proceedings.

The hosts were first off the mark after Patrick Finnegan swung a pass to Paul Bradley- who popped over and they extended their lead when Brian McGurk rose high to claim a mark, the play was switched well and Dara Quinn played a one-two with Michael Cummings before side-footing over at the near post.

St Galls registered their first point following a stray arm bringing Martin Murray to ground and Daniel Quinn converted the resulting free.

Parity was restored through a fine Callum Walsh point after Padraig O’Muirigh collected a pass from Murray in the build-up.

Points were exchanged between Niall Duffy and Daniek Quinn either side of the halfway point in the half.

St Brigid’s stole a march and hit three unanswered points in the space of two minutes. They should have had a goal when Niall Duffy’s shot was parried by Chris Kerr and Conan McNicholl threw himself at the follow up, which Kerr somehow clawed over at the expense of a point rather than the goal that looked to be coming.

Back-to-back points from Paul Bradley moved the hosts 0-6-0-3 ahead, but in reply Padraig O’Muirigh swung over and a close range Quinn free ensured the minimum separated the sides at the interval.

St Galls had the opportunity to hit the front within three minutes of the restart after referee Colly Thompson spotted holding in the area and signalled for a penalty.

The opportunity passed the visitors by though as Daniel Quinn’s low spot kick was pushed away low to the keepers right by Declan Heery.

Quinn atoned for his miss by levelling from his third free of the afternoon and then edged his side in front for the first time from a further placed ball.

A fine Callum Walsh point doubled his tally and his sides lead prior to a slight delay for referee Thompson to dish out a few yellow cards for a coming together.

With little under a quarter of an hour remaining talisman Quinn notched up a further free to move St Galls 0-9-0-6 to the good.

It took St Brigid’s until the 17th minute of the second period to get up and running, substitute Conor O’Connell’s attempt clipped the large post and fell to Paul Bradley, he was unable to find a pocket of space for a goal shot and instead opted for a fisted point.

A converted Bradley free had reduced arrears to a single point by the 53rd minute, but Liam Lynn fisted over a point at the other end in reply.

Bradley again narrowed the margin with a placed ball on the 60th minute, though they were unable to pull level and instead St Galls finished strongly.

Daniel Quinn kicked his sixth and seventh free of the contest and in between times Padraig O’Muirigh took a lay-off from substitute Niall Fallon and swept over his second to ensure that St Galls ran out winners at the conclusion and top the table after three rounds in the league.

ST BRIGIDS: D Heery, A McNicholl, C KIng, J Mellon, J Toner, P Finnegan, R Carleton, M Cummings, C Conway, O Downey, P Bradley (0-6, 0-2f), B McGurk, D Quinn (0-1), C McNicholl (0-1), N Duffy (0-1). SUBS:C O’Connell for J Mellon (17), D Oglesby for C Conway (HT), J McCarney for A McNicholl (60+2).

ST GALLS: C Kerr, C Hale, A McDonagh, E McCurdy, J McCaffrey, L Lynn (0-1), G O’Neill, M McCrossan, A Gallagher, A Mackel, D Quinn (0-8, 0-7f), M Murray, C Walsh (0-2), P O’Muirigh (0-2), E Walsh. SUBS: D Ball for L Lynn (40-48 blood sub), N Fallon for C Walsh (55).

REFEREE: Colly Thompson (ST JOHNS)

More photos of the game are posted below

https://myalbum.com/album/yFsWBwR4NEXBTM

April 4, 2026April 4, 2026 by thesaffrongael

Antrim Cruise Past Meath in Goal Fest

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship – Tier 2

Venue: Trim, County Meath

Final Score: Antrim 10-20 | Meath 1-10

Despite an evenly contested opening quarter where the home side showed real promise, the signs grew ominous for Meath as Antrim pulled away to a 2-09 to 0-07 lead at halftime against a strong wind. What followed in the second half was a complete demolition job, with the Saffrons dominating from start to finish, adding an incredible eight more goals to register a facile 10-20 to 1-10 victory.

Antrim laid down an immediate marker, finding the back of the net in the very first minute through their formidable full forward, Connlaodh McNaughton. Jay Gault quickly followed up with a point just three minutes later. Meath, to their credit, did not fold. By the seventh minute, full forward Kian McKeigue had slotted two points over the bar, and corner forward Ben Healy added a third from a free. Midfielder Darragh Wright chimed in with a score in the tenth minute, and Healy leveled the proceedings with another well-struck free on twelve minutes.

However, Antrim shifted gears to regain control. Gault put them back in front on the fourteen-minute mark. Though McKeigue replied with his third point of the day for Meath, Antrim’s superior link-up play began to show. A beautifully worked move initiated by midfielder Logan McConville allowed Matthew Murray to score, and despite another point from Meath’s McKeigue, Antrim closed the half with authority. Oisín McLaren added a free, and while Healy managed one final point for Meath on twenty-three minutes, the closing stages of the half belonged entirely to the visitors. McLaren scored again from open play, Gault added a point and narrowly missed a goal, and both Gault and McLaren tagged on frees. McNaughton capped off the half with a point from play, leaving the halftime score at Antrim 2-09, Meath 0-07. Antrim had built a commanding lead, notably while playing into a stiff breeze.

With the wind at their backs for the second period, Antrim was relentless. Within the first minute of the restart, Lewis Rafferty raised a green flag, followed swiftly by a point from Murray. Meath’s Kian McKeigue offered brief resistance with a point in the third minute, but it did little to stem the tide. McNaughton knocked over a point before the floodgates truly opened: McNaughton and Éanna McGuckian rattled the net with two rapid-fire goals. Even a red card for Antrim wing-back Ollie McClements in the thirty-eighth minute, following a second yellow, couldn’t derail their momentum. Undeterred, McNaughton shortly fired home yet another goal.

The scoreboard kept ticking with points from James McGarry and a superb score from play by Murray. Oisín McLaren added a massive 65-meter free, and substitute Conor McCann made an immediate impact by grabbing a goal in the forty-eighth minute. After McLaren converted another long-range free, Meath substitute Rob Kelly managed a point in reply. Antrim’s bench continued to torture the Meath defense. Substitute Conall Dempsey announced his arrival with two goals in the space of two minutes—one pouncing on a goalkeeper fumble and the other a thunderous finish from open play.

In the closing stages, Conor McCann put on a clinic, scoring a point at the fifty-four-minute mark following a brilliant solo run, and then repeating the feat a minute later with a run that started inside his own half. Nathan McKenna and Logan McConville added to the tally, capping excellent individual performances. At the sixty-minute mark, substitute Cathair McCaughan registered Antrim’s tenth goal of the afternoon, with Dempsey adding a final point. In the fourth minute of injury time, Meath’s Ben Healy managed a late consolation goal, bringing a punishing afternoon for the home side to a close at 10-20 to 1-10.

Antrim’s victory was built on dominance across the pitch, with several players putting in top-class shifts. Connlaodh McNaughton was the focal point of the attack, proving unplayable at full forward as he netted multiple goals and terrorized the Meath full-back line. Jay Gault was superb at right half-forward, acting as a constant creative and scoring threat. Further back, Nathan McKenna, Eunan Curry, and Logan McConville excelled in defense and midfield, establishing the platform for Antrim’s relentless attacks. Finally, the Antrim substitutes made a massive impact, highlighting their squad depth. Conor McCann was phenomenal upon his introduction, scoring a goal and two points, while Conall Dempsey was lethal in front of goal, bagging two quick-fire majors.

April 3, 2026April 3, 2026 by thesaffrongael

Aggies have no answer for rampant Naomh Comhghall

ACFL Division 2

Naomh Comhghall 6-15 Naomh Una 0-4

A St. Agnes team, missing 8 of the side who won last year’s Junior Championship and division 3 double had no answer to a slick Naomh Comhghall in round 2 of the ACFL Division 2 at a sunny Dunsilly on Good Friday.

An excellent game of attacking football that was spoiled by an unsavoury incident after 24 minutes when players became embroiled in a flare up and after the dust had settled, referee Paul McNally dismissed a Naomh Comhghall official and a player from Naomh Una.

After that it was back to the real business with the Antrim town side, already 1-4 to 0-1 ahead pushing on to take almost total control.

Their first goal came from Caolan O’Loan in the 12^th minute to move them six ahead and it was 18 minutes before Shay Madden pointed to open St. Agnes account. Three minutes earlier Conall Turley pulled his penalty effort wide of the post.

Torin Hodkinson, Ryan Clarke and Ruairi Griffin were making score taking look easy at the other end and they continued to add to their ever increasing total with Stuart Wilson also on target.

A second goal from Ruairi Griffin saw the home side 2-8 to 0-2 ahead at the short whistle against 14 man Naomh Una and it wouldn’t get any better after the break.

Quick-fire points from Hodkinson and two from Tiernan Floyd moved Naomh Comhghall 15 ahead by the 10^th minute and while the ‘Aggies’ were still battling hard it had already become an exercise in damage limitation.

James Halleron raised the visitor’s third white flag but further goals from Leo McAleer and substitute Dylan Murdock had it all wrapped up by the 22^nd minute and another substitute, Aaron McHugh kicked three point, one an excellent 2 pointer to stake a claim for a starting birth next day out.

Miles Devine converted a penalty with three minutes remaining to put the icing on a polished performance from the Antrim town side who will be well satisfied with their start to the season after an opening day draw at Gort na Mona last week.

Conall Turley converted a late free for St. Agnes to bring their total to 0-4 and Caoimhin Floyd, Mark Caldwell, David McGrahahan, Paudie Meehan and Patrick Carroll were best for a Naomh Una side still trying to find their feet in division 2

Referee, Paul McNally had an excellent game and kept play flowing and was quick to take appropriate action when required and the young Creggan Kickham’s official should have a bright future.

Naomh Comhghall: 1 Peter McAuley, 2 Danaan O’Hara, 3 Cathal Donnelly, 4 Shane Og Gribbon, 5 Eoin Lynott, 6 James McCabe, 7 Ruairi Griffin, 9 Michael McCabe, 10 Aaron McGaw, 11 Miles Devine, 12 Leo McAleer, 13 Ryan Clarke, 14 Tiernan Floyd, 15 Torin Hodkinson, 22 Bailleigh Close, 17 Aaron McHugh, 25 Stuart Wilson,

St. Agnes: 1 Colum Carroll, 2 Keevan Og Grieve, 3 Patrick Carroll, 4 Killian McCormick, 5 James Halleron, 6 Paudie Meehan, 7 Caoimhin Floyd, 8 Matthew Corr, 9 Mark Boyle, 10 David McGaharan, 11 Conall Turley, 12 Mark Caldwell, 13 Colin Mallon, 14 Shay Madden, 15 Cormac McBride

Referee: Paul McNally (Creggan)

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/2WLRk7kqsmA8oz

The Saffron Gael

A look at all things GAA in the Saffron county

Author / thesaffrongael