Seven Loughgiels players on the Gaelic Life All Stars Team of the Year with Amy Boyle receiving Camogie Player of the Year 2024
Antrim Camogie PRO Michael Corcoran report and photos from Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan
It was a star studded affair in the Hillgrove Hotel for the annual Gaelic Life Club All Stars Awards 2024, in association with McKvr. With over seventy awards to distribute across the evening, a three course meal and tea/coffee to follow and fund raising activities, this was an exciting and fun packed agenda.
The four codes comprising Mens and Ladies football, Hurling and Camogie, Hall of fame inductee and volunteer nominees came together under the one roof to receive their respective club level awards.
Antrim’s Loughgiel camogie team dominated their code with seven players awarded an All Star for their performance on the field throughout 2024 with some focus on the County, Provincial and All Ireland contributions. Mid field player Amy Boyle scooped the coveted Player of the Year, making Loughgiel a three in a row recipient, Roisin McCormick and Emma McFadden preceding Amy.
Four of the Loughgiel recipients are currently playing on the Antrim senior camogie team, Clare McKillop, Amy Boyle, Roisin McCormick and Caitrin Dobbin.
Loughgiel’s success spilled out from the field into management and Conor Higgins and Ronan McCloskey were awarded Camogie Manager of the Year. Loughgiel’s reach across onto the prize table might have ended there, but Eddie McCloskey, Loughgiel’s All Ireland winner now manager of Carey Faughs, picked up a nomination and merit award for Hurling Manager of the Year.
You can see pictures from last night’s awards in the photo album here…
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…
Electric Ireland Minor A Shield Waterford v Antrim Sunday 2nd March 2025
Anyone’s sliotar in Sunday’s Electric Ireland Minor A Shield game between Waterford and Antrim
Waterford 4-10 Antrim 4-16
Match report and photos from Antrim Camogie County PRO, Michael Corcoran in Abbotstown National Sports Campus 3G pitch
A jab-lift defying sliotar that ran ahead of the hurl kept players running and running on the synthetic surface in Saturday’s Minor All Ireland championship round between Waterford and Antrim. Eight goals in total held supporters’ attention from start to finish as both sides looked for the advantage in the windswept game.
Saturday’s game went down to the final five minutes as Waterford bombarded Antrim’s goals time and time again, attempting to close the six-point gap, but Antrim held firm and earlier mistakes that drew Waterford’s first three goals were not on repeat.
Antrim got off to a flying start as Kady McNeill grabbed possession of the throw-in and a solo run finished with Antrim’s first point of the day, as referee Enda Loughnane from Galway got the game underway with Waterford winning the toss and choosing to swap ends and play into the breeze in the first half. Antrim’s fortunes are partially rooted to that decision as the breeze fell considerably in the last quarter of the game and allowed the Saffrons to dominate a significant portion of the second half to maintain their lead for the full 30 minutes of play and easily four minutes of stoppage.
Antrim, penalized for a throw ball, would have to endure an incision of play right through the back line as Waterford’s free from Aisling Bonnar rippled its way from Helen Dungan O’Neill to Kim McGrath and onto the goal scorer, Emma Walsh, but Antrim were quick to reply with two successive points and a hammer blow to Waterford’s lead came as Eobha McAllister found Eimear McCaughan and suddenly Antrim looked alive but resting early on their laurels caught the Saffrons out as Waterford’s Molly Keannelly made it two goals and then to add pressure onto Antrim’s full back line, Antrim’s sideline ball was intercepted and turned over by Molly Keannelly and then onto Aine Mackay for Waterford’s third goal
Waterford’s Emily Foran clears the threat in the first half as Antrim’s Aimee Ferris stretches for a possible hook
With only six and a half minutes gone, Antrim seemed in peril but to their full credit, went about pointing successively until on the nineteenth minute, Antrim’s Cara Delaney nosed her team ahead by a point and Antrim remained ahead for the rest of the game.
Antrim improved their lead by another goal on the twenty fifth minute from Kady McNeill and although Waterford returned time and again to collect their points into the wind, the Saffrons replied sufficiently to hold onto a two-point lead at the break, Waterford 3-06 Antrim 2-11.
The second half started well for Antrim as Eobha McAllister parted company with the sliotar on a goal attempt, although saved well, McAllister looped back within the minute and made no mistake with her second attempt as she looked up to find the top left of the goal.
Antrim were now looking comfortable and working into the breeze helped towards ball control and they started to amass their points that would win the game at the long whistle.
At twenty minutes gone in the second half, despite Waterford rallying with three points to close the gap to six in Antrim’s favour, a Waterford goal from Molly Keannelly was matched by Antrim’s goal as Eva McNeill lobbed in a lethal sliotar that had the hallmarks of a point but dropped in over the head of Waterford’s keeper, Aoife Healy and Antrim held their six point lead, despite Waterford’s attempts to score goals in the last two minutes of normal time and four minutes added on.
Antrim’s Eobha McAllister starts her solo run ahead of her 9th minute goal in the second half
But drama wouldn’t be far away that could reduce Antrim’s lead as Waterford’s Helen Dungan O’Neill stepped up to take a penalty in the last minute of the game, but Antrim’s Orlaith Johnston got the better of the shot placed down the middle of the goals and the Saffrons were able to preserve their six point lead, when the long whistle went, scores stood Waterford 4-10 Antrim 4-16.
This is a good opening test for Antrim albeit not on grass, with the synthetic surface adding pace into the game, Antrim will have to adjust back onto grass for the next game in Ballycastle, Sunday 9th March, as they play Derry in the previously postponed fixture.
Waterford starting panel and scorers
Aoife Healy, Ceire Ryan, Amy Lynch, Emily Foran, Rebecca Mason, Lana Murphy, Shayla Condon, Aishling Bonnar 0-08 (6f), Aoife Lattimore, Aine Mackey 1-00, Helen Dungan O’Neill, Kim McGrath 0-01, Emma Walsh 1-00, Molly Kenneally 2-00, Rebecca Farrell 0-01
Antrim starting panel and scorers
Orlaith Johnston, Rhianna Black, Eva Lee, Cara Burns, Maeve Devlin, Casey Crawford, Laura Black, Eobha McAllister 1-03, Kady McNeill 1-01, Cara Delaney 0-01, Eva McNeill 1-06 (3f 2×45), Órlaith Gould, Aimee Ferris 0-03, Mary McArthur 0-02, Eimear McCaughan 1-00
Photos from Saturday’s game can be found in the photo album here…
St Dominic’s Belfast 2-7 Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara 1-9
A few weeks ago St Dominic’s became the first Belfast school to reach an All-Ireland camogie final. On Saturday in Castleblayney they became the first Ulster school to lift Corn Úna since it was introduced 14 years ago.
The key score was a goal from Erin Kelly in the 57th minute, 30 seconds after the quite brilliant Aoibhín Ní Dhubhshláine had pulled the teams level at 1-7 each.
Ní Dhubhshláine, who scored everything for Gaelcholáiste Chill Dara, responded with a point two minutes later and then pointed a free more than a minute into added time. But the Falls Road side held out to take the title. Amy Gault gave them a promising start with a point from a free in the first minute, but Ní Dhubhshláine had her side level from a free and then in the 12th minute they took the lead.
Amelie Annett equalised and then Aoife Fitzsimons and Ríonach McElhatton combined for the latter to hit the net for the opening goal after 17 minutes.
Ní Dhubhshláine responded with two frees and then, when the sliotar wasn’t cleared from a scramble in front of the Belfast side’s goal, the Naas forward swept it to the net.
It was 1-5 to 1-3 then at the break and Ní Dhubhshláine extended the lead with a sixth point inside 30 seconds of the re-start. However Aoife McGivern, Erin Stewart, Aoife Fitzsimons and Amy Gault all pointed over the next ten minutes to edge St Dominic’s ahead.
Both teams then went scoreless for a quarter of an hour before Ní Dhubhshláine levelled to set up the dramatic finish.
Lamh Dhearg midfielder Amelie Annett picked up the Player of the match award, but in reality it was a huge team effort from the Belfast side to thwart the individual brilliance of Aoibhín Ní Dhubhshláine
St Dominic’s: E Stewart 0-1, R McElhatton 1-0, A Gault 0-2 frees, E Kelly 1-1, A McGivern, A Annett and A Fitzsimons 0-1 each
Gaelcholáiste: Leah Ní Bhuachalla, Tara Ní Dhufaigh, Naoise Ní Mheachair, Hanna Ní Uirlithe, Grace Gaillí, Doireann Ní Cheallaigh, Layla Nic Chraith, Aoibhín Nic Colla, Clara Nic an Rí, Niamh Ní Thuathaigh, Alex Nic Solaimh capt., Ruby Ní Bheolláin, Molly Ní Mháille, Aoibhín Ní Dhubhshláine, Dáire Ní Nualláin
TO SEE MORE OF BERT’S PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
