Friday 13th March –Report and photos from Michael Corcoran at the Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan
It was the most anticipated annual event celebrating club campaigns through Ulster from the season of 2025. In a packed ballroom with upwards of five hundred guests, the evening’s MC, Connor Phillips, kept proceedings to a tight schedule either side of an excellent three course meal.
Antrim players were successful in taking to the stage, appearing across the three of the four codes and picking up further accolades for individual awards. Here’s a rundown of the awards picked up by Antrim players and managers on the night.
Ladies managers of the year – Maxi Curran and Charlie O’Kane (Moneyglass)
Camogie manager of the year – Johnny Campbell (Loughgiel)
Dual player – Maeve Mulholland (Brídíní Oga/Con Magees)
Hall of Fame – Gregory O’Kane (Dunloy)
Ladies Footballer of the Year – Maria O’Neill (Moneyglass)
Camogie Player of year – Clare McKillop (Loughgiel)
Ladies Football All Stars – Aine Devlin, Niamh McIntosh, Caitlin Graffin, Sarah O’Neill, Maria O’Neill and Cathy Carey from Moneyglass.
Hurling All Stars – Domhnall Nugent and Oisin McManus from St. John’s
Rank outsiders Antrim produced a performance for the ages against All-Ireland champions Galway in Cushendun, coming within a puc of a ball of claiming a famous National Camogie League Division 1 victory. In a thrilling encounter where a win would have significantly boosted the Saffrons’ chances of retaining their Division 1A status, it was late heartbreak for the home side. Despite a heroic effort that pushed the champions to their absolute limits, two closing scores from the visitors sealed the points and kept Galway’s league final ambitions firmly on track.
The visitors started brightly, showing their championship pedigree early on when Niamh Mallon opened the scoring from 30 yards out, quickly followed by a strike from the right corner by Niamh McInerney. Antrim settled their nerves in the fifth minute when Nicole McAtamney slotted over a free, setting the stage for a moment of magic. Following excellent work in the left corner by Cliona Griffin, Roisin McCormack fired a brilliant goal past the Galway keeper to shock the visitors and put Antrim ahead. Galway responded like champions, rattling off three unanswered points through McInerney (twice) and Mallon to regain control. Then, in the 14th minute, came the game’s turning point: a long-range free from Galway’s Carrie Dolan dropped dangerously into the Antrim square. In a calamitous moment, Antrim goalkeeper Catriona Graham and full-back Niamh Cosgrove both appeared to go for the dropping ball, only to be deceived by its flight as it dipped just under the crossbar and into the net. Despite this unfortunate concession, Antrim refused to fold. They traded points through Cliona Griffin, another McAtamney free, and Eobha McAllister, countering scores from Galway’s Mallon and Dolan to go into the break trailing by just two at 1-05 to 1-07.
The second half was a testament to Antrim’s grit and determination. They flew out of the traps with a point from Lucia McNaughton straight after the restart. Although Galway’s Carrie Dolan responded with a free, Antrim continued to apply relentless pressure, eventually drawing level by the 38th minute thanks to a point from Shannah Heggarty and a dead-eye free from Nicole McAtamney. The final quarter was incredibly tense. Galway edged ahead, but drama ensued when they had a goal disallowed, offering Antrim a massive lifeline. The Saffrons capitalized, drawing level again through a fantastic point from Roisin McCormick following a perfectly timed pass from Lucia McNaughton. The sides exchanged blows in the closing ten minutes, with Galway’s Niamh Mallon improvising brilliantly to kick the ball over the bar, and Antrim fighting back to level the game at 1-11 apiece in the 56th minute.
With the game in the balance and a massive upset on the cards, the All-Ireland champions found the extra gear they needed. In the dying moments, Galway’s Carrie Dolan stepped up to point a crucial free, edging her team back in front. A minute later, substitute Aoibheann Barry found space out on the wing to fire over the insurance point for the Tribeswomen. Antrim battled fiercely right to the final whistle, but the clock ran out on their comeback. While the result leaves Antrim’s Division 1A survival hopes hanging in the balance, they can take massive pride in a performance that proved they can mix it with the very best.
Antrim will welcome the reigning All-Ireland champions, Galway, to Cushendun tomorrow for a highly anticipated Centra National League Division 1A clash. The Saffrons step onto the pitch still carrying the momentum of their historic, morale-boosting away victory against league champions Cork three weeks ago. However, life in the top tier hasn’t been without its growing pains. Their home fixtures have handed Antrim the kind of defeats that both the team and their supporters likely anticipated as they navigate the rigorous demands of Division 1A for the very first time.
There is a stark and undeniable shift in pace from last season’s league and championship campaigns, leaving a razor-thin margin for error. As Tipperary and Waterford clearly demonstrated, top-flight teams ruthlessly punish mistakes—and once they gain the upper hand, they know exactly how to double down to secure a victory. Despite this steep learning curve, the home crowd has had plenty of reasons to get loud. While only a handful of traveling supporters were in Cork to witness that famous win, the Antrim faithful have been in fantastic voice during the team’s strong, competitive spells in front of their home fans.
Nicole McAtamney who is the league’s top scorer
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s test, finding a wider spread of scorers will be crucial. Nicole McAtamney has been the standout star for the Saffrons, single-handedly dominating the scoring charts with an impressive 1-17 across three games, predominantly from frees. The tactical goal now is to diversify their attack and get more names on the scoreboard. That will be a massive challenge against a Galway side fiercely hunting for a win to punch their ticket to the league final, a task that doesn’t get any easier with a tough away trip to Kilkenny looming next weekend.
While Antrim is far from resigned to losing their hard-earned Division 1A status, they have kept their broader seasonal goals clearly in focus. Management’s stated priorities are to compete fiercely in every top-flight outing and absorb the harsh lessons of top-tier camogie. Ultimately, they hope to channel that invaluable experience into defending their Ulster title and launching a serious bid for Intermediate Championship glory at Croke Park later this year.
Danske Bak D’Alton Cup quarter final at Colaiste Feirste
St Louis Ballymena 5-12 St Coleman’s Newry 4-12
St Louis Ballymena booked their place in the D’Alton Cup semi-final after a thrilling 5-12 to 4-12 victory over St Colman’s Newry.
An explosive opening from the Ballymena side laid the foundation for victory. Captain Conan McKeever fired to the net inside the opening 60 seconds and combined with Oisín Analychi as St Louis raced into an early four-point lead.
McKeever then added a free before sending Oscar Bradley through for St Louis’ second goal. St Colman’s opened their account through Aidan Quinn after seven minutes, but points from Odhrán Cassidy, McKeever and Analychi quickly stretched the Antrim side’s lead to ten.
Quinn missed a major opportunity when he blasted over with the goal at his mercy, and St Louis punished the miss immediately by firing home their third goal to lead 3-6 to 0-2 after 17 minutes.
St Colman’s responded strongly. Goalkeeper PJ Marron made an important save, but Jake Lennon and Quinn struck goals in quick succession to ignite the Newry side’s comeback.
Points from Bradley and Kiran Jayaprakash steadied St Louis before Keevan Kennedy found the net for St Colman’s, the big full forward bursting through the middle before blasting an unstopable shot to the St Louis net before Lennon added a free to leave the half-time score 3-9 to 3-4.
You felt at half time that a five point lead would not be enough but despite playing against a strong wind in the second half, St Louis struck early when substitute Cayden McGuckian soloed through and finished to the net.
Lennon opened St Colman’s second-half scoring with a free before Daniel McCartan struck their fourth goal to cut the gap to three. Quinn and Jayaprakash traded scores before St Colman’s seized the momentum. McCartan pointed and Lennon added further scores to bring the sides level with ten minutes remaining.
Lennon then edged St Colman’s in front for the first time, but St Louis responded immediately to level matters.
The decisive moment came in the 53rd minute when midfielder Oisín Analychi powered through the defence and finished to the net to restore a three-point lead and the gap was out to four when McGuckian added a point soon afterwards.
St Louis held firm in the closing stages, conceding only a late Lennon free as they secured a memorable win, their fourth victory in a row in this their first year in the D’Alton Cup.
The Ballymena school now face St Malachy’s, Castlewellan in next Friday’s Dalton Cup semi-final. The sides previously met in the group stage, with Castlewellan winning 5-4 to 2-4.
St Louis Starting 15
PJ Marron
Lir Hamill
Lir Hodkinson
Charlie O’Brien
Mark Kirby
Joseph Killough
Nicholas McCrory
Conan McKeever
Oisín Analychi
Cahan O’Kane
Kiran Jayaprakash
Ronan Laverty
Oscar Bradley
Odhran Cassidy
Alfie Gordon
St Colman’s College Starting 15
Sean Daly
Cillian Oreilly
Patrick Fegan
Dominic McGrath
Conor Mallet
Eoin Mackin
Daniel McCartan
James Morgan
Aaron Mohan
Fionn McKeever
Ryan Sands
Jake Lennon
Peter Fegan
Keevan Kennedy
Aidan Quinn
TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
This was an exciting game showcasing plenty of talent, with excellent tackling and clinical scoring on display from both sides. Coláiste Feirste opened the scoring with a well-taken goal by their full-forward to take an early lead. However, this advantage was short-lived as De La Salle responded strongly, netting the next three goals — two from Aaron Devine and one from Mason Owens.
Coláiste Feirste hit back with a point from half-forward Sean Baker, followed by a goal from Cailte Ó Coinn to pile on the pressure. To their credit, De La Salle raised their game further: Shea Gourley added a point, and Aaron Devine completed his hat-trick. The Coláiste Feirste goalkeeper produced a superb save to prevent De La Salle from extending their lead further before the break.
Half-time score: De La Salle 4-1, Coláiste Feirste 2-1
De La Salle started the second half brightest, with Shea Gourley leading the charge by scoring 1-1. Coláiste Feirste replied with a point, but De La Salle hit a purple patch, rattling off 2-3 unanswered — goals and points coming from Louie Copeland and Seagram Hartley among others.
De La Salle dominated much of the second half, though they had to rely on goalkeeper John Gault and full-back Reilly Marron for some crucial interventions to keep goals out. Credit to Coláiste Feirste for refusing to give up: players like Aodhan Ó Donnchú and Dáire Mac Amhlaí drove forward, adding 1-1 late on to give the scoreline some respectability.
De La Salle’s midfield and half-back line provided a solid platform for victory, with outstanding work rate, tackling, support play, and chance creation. Standouts included Shea Tully, Ronan McLaughlin, Logan Gibson, and man of the match Jude Toner, who dominated from start to finish.
Full-time score: De La Salle College 8-4, Coláiste Feirste 3-3
TO SEE MORE OF BERT’S PICS FROM THIS EVEN CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
