Antrim Camogie Feis Semi final

Dunloy 0-13 v Loughgiel 2-15

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Pearse Park, Dunloy

A heavily depleted Dunloy squad held their own for much of tonight’s Feis semi final game until Loughgiel worked out how to solve the puzzle of striking into the heart of the Cuchullain’s net. Shamrock’s Annie Lynn and Marie Laverty raised those green flags, both in the second half, tipping the game in favour of the visitors. Up to the first goal that came after three minutes in the second half, Dunloy’s grit, tenacity and perseverance made them look every bit the favourites, but Loughgiel held the course and their own perseverance into the low lying scoring territory paid off in a game that was both physical and energetic.

A damp evening largely kept supporters at home but there was no dampening of enjoyment for those that rocked up to Pearse Park. Given the deluge of rain throughout the afternoon, Dunloy’s turf was immaculate and set up nicely for an evening’s entertainment under the brollies.

Referee Shane McDonnell rolled in on the half hour past seven and it shortly fell to Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty to convert the first foul of twenty eight in the game in just under thirty seconds. Dunloy’s Erin McMullan was happy to reply with her first point of eight, the other seven from frees before Laverty converted a 45 into the slight breeze at the chapel end.

For the next fifteen minutes, it was Dunloy’s game, running up five more points before Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty found Katie McKillop running at the edge of the box. The Shamrock sensed the goal route was risky and opted to float the sliotar over the bar, allowing Loughgiel to work the scoreboard again. Three more Shamrock points followed, allowing them to draw alongside their hosts at six points apiece before Dunloy clawed back another two, one coming from a recycled 45 that went wide for a puck out. Dearbhail Elliott found the sliotar and offloaded to Aileen McManus for a fine point derived from alertness.

Dunloy and Loughgiel would wrap up the first half with another point apiece, with scores at the short whistle Dunloy 0-09 Loughgiel 0-07.

Tonight’s elements showed no favour for the Shamrocks as the breeze dropped noticeably at the start of the second half, however when it did rain, there was just enough wind to make working the ball by the hosts more difficult than they would’ve liked as they squinted into the drizzle. Loughgiel needed an edge to get them deeper into Cuchullain scoring territory and they didn’t have to wait long. No sooner had Adria McAllister pointed for Dunloy when Caela Dobbin made an attack on goal that was well saved by Aimie Shirt. Shirt would be kept busy and got the better of most of the Shamrock attacks, but a Marie Laverty pass to Annie Lynn was one of the exceptions as the net bulged from the force of the number four sliotar, just three minutes gone in the second half. Lynn would quickly be back with another goal chance but Shirt’s stick got to that one in time.

Both sides would go three for three, Dunloy making their three points from consecutive accurate frees from Erin McMullan, then Loughgiel struck deep and low from a Laverty goal passed in from Katie Lynn, having picked up Shanna Deery’s exquisite sideline cut. Dunloy lost momentum after that goal at around fifteen minutes and Loughgiel topped their evening’s work off with another five points to draw the semi final to a closure, Dunloy 0-13 Loughgiel 2-15.

Loughgiel will now play Cushendall in the Feis final on Sunday 5th July in Dunloy, time to be confirmed.

You can see more photos from this evening’s Feis semi final game here…

https://myalbum.com/album/aAe4TRCGEZXrwU/?invite=a4ef7093-f549-4c7e-98d9-8a86d3d4d959

Dunloy starting panel and scorers

Aimie Shirt, Carragh Boyle, Sarah McIlhatton, Sarah Louise Kearns, Eimear McMullan, Eilis Kearns, Caitlin Crawford, Eimear Johnston 0-01, Micha Cunning, Erin McMullan 0-08 (7f), Dearbhail Elliott, Kerry Rose Drain, Adria McAllister 0-03, Aileen McManus 0-01, Erin Traynor

Loughgiel starting panel and scorers

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Finvola McVeigh, Katie Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Anna Connolly, Louise McKillop, Shanna Deery 0-01, Marie Laverty 1-06 (1f 1×45), Katie McKillop 0-06 (3f), Anna McKillop 0-01, Annie Lynn 1-00, Caela Dobbin 0-01

Antrim Camogie League Senior Div 1 Round 5

Ahoghill 0-05 Loughgiel 6-22

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. McGuigan Park, Ahoghill

It appears the summer isn’t knocking on our door anytime soon. This evening’s game between Ahoghill and Loughgiel had to endure an arctic blast running diagonally across the pitch from the scoreboard side towards Antrim, at times clouding over to threaten probably hail if it fell. Regardless, both sides knuckled down and made the best of a predominately dry evening. Loughgiel won the toss and opted to play with the wind, a strategy which benefited the Shamrocks as the elements eased in the second half, especially in the last fifteen minutes of the game.

Ahoghill knew what was ahead of them, having endured the force of a Shamrock blast in previous league encounters. Nonetheless, the red and black girls gave no quarter during the sixty minutes, despite the relentless offence from Loughgiel.

Referee, Shane McDonald, rolled in the sliotar just past the hour of 7pm and within a few minutes, both teams had scoring opportunities at close quarters diffused and forced back out. Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty would open the Shamrocks’ scoring for the evening with a simple point from just outside the box and looped back around to make that two before Ahoghill’s Katie McCloskey performed a dream catch of the sliotar followed by a solo run ending in a fine point.

Loughgiel, however, would respond with three points on the trot, two from play before Marie Laverty with the sliotar sourced deep from Aoibheann Gillan found Shanna Deery and up went the first green flag of the game.

Loughgiel perservered running with the wind pushing the sliotar hard to the right and found four points with no reply before Annie Lynn scored goal number two, fed from Louise McKillop in a mid field role. Loughgiel’s Rose McMullan, playing up to senior this year, was alert to a loose ball on the edge of the box and lifted the sliotar nicely over the bar for her point before Ahoghill’s Noreen Graham successfully floated a free over Loughgiel’s bar as Marie Laverty closed out the first half with a point from a free. At the break, scores stood Ahoghill 0-02 Loughgiel 2-11.

The second half witnessed no let up in pace or determination and four Shamrock points preceded Marie Laverty’s goal as Anna Connolly and Annie Lynn chalked up two more points to bring Loughgiel’s tally to 3-17. Laverty would figure in Loughgiel’s forth goal as the young centre half forward dropped in a 45 that needed blocking down. A sharp Eimear McKinley, playing full forward from the bench, wasted no time in striding in and delivered the sliotar into the back of Ahoghill’s net for the fourth goal in tonight’s game.

There wouldn’t be any let up from the Shamrocks’ at this stage; Laverty floating in a well intended point that dipped viciously under the bar for goal number five. Ahoghill’s Noreen Graham managed to get two sliotar’s over the Loughgiel bar before Ceala Dobbin recycled the sliotar for Loughgiel’s half dozen. Ahoghill would close out their scoring from Graham as she fired in a sliotar from the top dugout along the sideline for a magnificent point. McDonald blew sharply at the sixty minute mark, Ahoghill 0-05 Loughgiel 6-22.

The senior division 1 league now takes a break for four weeks, recommencing on the 9th June. We look forward to warmer evenings for the second half of the league.

To see more photos from tonights game, click on the following link…

https://myalbum.com/album/kN7gWXQNuSt55F/?invite=1694b339-941f-4f6d-bbd4-aef16df5a522

Ahoghill starting panel

Aine Graham, Orla Neeson, Bronagh Graffin, Dearbhaile Graffin, Niamh Graham, Éadaoin McGarry, Maeve O’Donnell, Caoimhe Scullion, Molly Horan, Noreen Graham 0-04 (3f), Katie McCloskey 0-01, Gemma O’Donnell, Alex Burns, Róisín Loughlin, Anne-Marie O’Neill

Loughgiel starting panel

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Finvola McVeigh 0-01, Katie Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Anna Connelly 0-02, Louise McKillop 0-01, Rose McMullan 0-01, Marie Laverty 2-06 (2f, 1×45), Shanna Deery 1-02, Ceala Dobbin 1-02, Annie Lynn 1-03, Anna McKillop 0-03

Eimear McKinley 1-01

Antrim Camogie League Senior Div 1 Round 4 Tuesday 5th May 2026

Loughgiel 2-16 Ballycastle 0-10

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel

Tonight’s league encounter delved out a great show of strength and tenacity, the Shamrocks displaying strength along the defence to frustrate their opponents and Ballycastle bringing tenacity to the rucks and intercepts. On a chilly evening brought about by a persistent northerly breeze, Ballycastle opted to use that element on their backs in the first half after winning the toss. The Town was able to hold their own for the most part but heading into the break one point behind, the odds had already stacked against the black and amber jerseys to contain the Shamrocks despite a good show of determination.

No sooner had Shane McDonnell rolled in at the top of the hour, when Loughgiel were on the offensive deep into Town territory. Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty had her close quartered shot to goal well saved by Erin O’Hara but Laverty got a second chance as the sliotar came out for a skilful flick up into the top of the net for an opening green flag.

Ballycastle replied with a good point coming in from the terrace side from Nuala Devlin and Ballycastle spirits were soon heightened again with a threat to goal from Devlin but diffused by Megan McGarry with an outstretched arm over the line for the forty five. Ballycastle’s Louise McBride drifted that cleanly over the bar to pull up behind the Shamrocks 1-00 to 0-02.

Loughgiel’s point from Ceala Dobbin brought the Shamrocks back into the game before a foul on Louise McBride offered her a point to close the gap to only one point again. Loughgiel’s Carla Sullivan playing in a left full forward position took a pass routed to her from Anna McKillop and wasted no time in splitting the posts for a 1-02 to 0-03 scoreline after approximately fifteen minutes.

Ballycastle’s McBride was in superlative shooting form and pointed another free over Loughgiels bar followed by two more points from Loughgiel’s Shanna Deery from Marie Laverty and Sullivan again. Ballycastle’s McBride replied again from a free before the Shamrocks inched further ahead with two fine points from Marie Laverty and Annie Lynn, after being on the receiving end of a Sullivan to Deery delivery. Eighteen minutes had elapsed on the scoreboard clock to accompany the scoreline Loughgiel 1-06 Ballycastle 0-05.

Ballycastle dug deep and responded from sideline instructions, crafting three more points from McBride and Shannon McQuillan from frees and a point from play as McQuillan picked up a loose sliotar and opted for a short solo run to build space for taking her point.

McQuillan was enjoying a spell of fortune as a Cara Delaney free dropped to McQuillan and if it hadn’t been for a super block from Loughgiel’s Charlene Campbell, The Town could have had a real goal chance from close quarters.

McBride would keep up her scoring accuracy and clipped the sliotar over Loughgiel’s bar for the Town’s ninth point and with only a couple of minutes left in the first half, Loughgiel’s Annie Lynn pushed hard through Ballycastle’s defence to point and walk in at the break, Loughgiel 1-07 Ballycastle 0-09.

The second half proved to be a test for the Town as the Shamrocks took the chilling breeze on their backs and within a few minutes, Carlina Sullivan found a running Annie Lynn in space, who punished the back of the net for a fine goal.

The Shamrocks now took control of the game and clocked up five more points before Ballycastle replied with another McBride free after nearly twenty minutes of play in the second half. At eight points the difference, Loughgiel made that twelve with four points in succession. One of those points came from an edge of the box awarded free that teased for a penalty. Anna McKillop stepped in for the point but at one stage players had assumed a penalty and the box was empty except for the Ballycastle goalkeeper, Erin O’Hara. A scramble of amber and black jerseys rectified the situation, leaving some Loughgiel spectators to reflect on a missed opportunity.

The long whistle came shortly afterwards, leaving the large scoreboard to announce the final result, Loughgiel 2-16 Ballycastle 0-10 in round four of the senior division 1 league.

Loughgiel starting panel and scorers

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Finvola McVeigh, Katie Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Anna Connolly, Louise McKillop, Annie Lynn 1-04, Marie Laverty 1-03 (1×45, 1f), Shanna Deery 0-01, Ceala Dobbin 0-01, Anna McKillop 0-02, Carlina Sullivan 0-04, Eimear McKinley 0-01

Ballycastle starting panel and scorers

Erin O’Hara, Christina Hamilton, Enya McShane, Catherine McShane, Cara Delaney, Fay McIntosh, Fiadh Sands, Aoife Toner, Niamh Ann Donnelly, Eimear McCaughan, Louise McBride 0-07 (1×45, 6f), Fionnuala Toner, Faye Roddy, Nuala Devlin 0-01, Shannon McQuillan 0-02 (1f)

You can see more photos from tonight’s game by following the link…

https://myalbum.com/album/VgqfEGafiRSExd/?invite=710dc02c-2466-42e5-b9ea-11adc3d0603b