Pics an report by County Camogie PRO Michael Corcoran
Under a cloudy cool January morning, Armagh obliged Antrim in their first match onto the grass, forming part of their preparations for a new All Ireland campaign. Ahoghill’s turf presented well considering the time of year and the recent weather and no doubt helped in sustaining a pacy physical encounter between two teams impatient for a game on grass.
Antrim, wearing their green kit, took the small element of wind on their back in the first half, playing back towards the clubhouse. As a challenge game, effort and focus was placed on translating the winter programme into play though a goal followed with persistence from Antrim within the first five minutes from a high dropping ball and Armagh were shaping up to finish the first half with two goals on the board until a thirty first minute goal from Antrim evened up the scoreline with Antrim adding two points, one from play and a free to welcome the half time whistle Antrim 2-02 Armagh 2-0.
Despite a slight wind advantage in the second half, Armagh were unable to prevent another early goal from Antrim and with two points on top, Armagh replied with two of their own to keep the match within reach, though an Antrim twenty sixth minute overhead sliotar tapped in at close range left Armagh’s keeper no chance of the save. Armagh would though, take the last score of the day with a point from an incredible narrow angle coming in from the right-hand side of the pitch.
You can view photos from today’s game in our album by clicking on the following link…
Above – Ahoghill’s Katie McCloskey receives her Player of the Match trophy after helping St Pat’s Maghera to their third title in a row
Camogie – Corn Uan Uladh final
St Patrick’s Maghera 4-14 St Killian’s Garron Tower 1-8
St Pat’s Maghera won their 20th Corn Uan Uladh title when they beat St Killian’s Garron Tower in the third final in a row at the Dub Arena on Sunday with a high powered display of Camogie. The St Killian’s girls just couldn’t get going in the opening quarter, despite grabbing the first score of the game through Eva McNeill. However from then on St Pat’s held the upper hand and despite a revival from the Garron Tower girls in the second quarter they still led by 2-09 to 0-06 at the interval.
After the change of ends St Killian’s had a lot more possession but they found the scores a lot harder to come by against a top class Maghera defence. They fought to the very end and could have been a bit closer had they taken a couple of good goal chances, one from an Eva McNeill penalty which rattled off the under-side of the crossbar with the St Pat’s keeper well beaten. However the Maghera side were deserved winners and must surely fancy their chances of competing for an All Ireland title when they come around in a few weeks time.
Eva McNeill sent over an early point from a free to give St Killian’s a good start but St Pat’s hit back right away and Grace Kelly fired low to the net after a high ball had been blocked out. That opened the door for a flood of scores from the champions and Emma Quinn, full forward Caoimhe Chambers and Aoibh Mulholland all found the target.
Things went from bad to worse for St Killian’s when the Maghera side grabbed their second goal nearing the end of the opening quarter, full forward Chambers firing home and three pointed frees soon followed from the accurate Emma Quinn, plus one from play by Chambers and the gap was into double figures.
Eva McNeill steadied the ship a little when she sent over three more frees and when Amy McAlister and Cliodhna Thompson grabbed points apiece the gap was down to 2-9 to 0-06 by the time match referee Julie O’Neill sounded the half time whistle
During the third quarter the Garron Tower girls battled hard and had good spells of possession, despite playing ‘up the slope’, but St Pat’s skill level kept them firmly in control. Two goals from player of the match Katie McCloskey put the icing on the cake for St Pat’s the Ahoghill centre forward finishing with aplomb. St Killian’s kept their hard work going and got some reward when midfielder Leona Gillan grabbed a goal and full forward Cliodhna Thompson sent over a point. However the cup was on its way back to the Maghera for the third year in a row and they can look forward to their meeting with Galway champions Gort Community School in three weeks’ time
St Patrick’s: O Johnston, O McCartney, E Griffin, A McWilliams, R Doherty, E Murray capt, B Brolly, C Conway 0-2, MT McCullagh 0-1, G Kelly 1-2, K McCloskey 2-0, L Cassidy, A Mulholland 0-2, C Chambers 1-2, E Quinn 0-5, 4 frees
Subs: B Donaghy for L Cassidy (ht), E Conway for B Brolly (41), L McKaigue for A McWilliams (46), É McElhinney for C Conway (48)
St Killian’s: L McNaughton, L McCollum, M McAllister, E McCann, E McNaughton, L Black, E Ward, E McNeill 0-5, 3 frees, L Gillan 1-0, A McAlister 0-1, K McNeill, C McNaughton, R Black capt., C Thompson 0-2, T Black.
Subs: S Carey for C McNaughton (37)
Referee: J O’Neill (Armagh)
To see more pics from the game click on the link below
FOR the third successive Ulster senior schools’ camogie final, the line-up is St Patrick’s Maghera v St Killian’s Garron Tower with the Antrim side still in search of their first ever Corn Uan Uladh and Maghera aiming to stretch their record haul to 20 titles.
The schools have also met in the junior final for Corn Eimhear for the past two seasons and therefore are becoming very familiar with each other.
Nevertheless it is quite an achievement for St Killian’s to reach this level of competition, given that they have one of the smallest panels of players in senior camogie and rely heavily on the Ruairí óg Club in Cushendall. Eleven from the current Antrim minor champions started the semi-final against St Louis Ballymena with two more coming in as second half substitutes.
Just four of the Tower girls played in last year’s final against Maghera – Laura and Tamara Black and Eva and Kady McNeill while eight started the junior decider in November.
By contrast St Patrick’s have ten from last year’s starting team available including Cáit Conway who broke her collar bone in that final and missed most of the first half of 2024. She then picked up a second long-term injury at the end of the summer and missed Swatragh’s run to the provincial senior club final. However Conway came into the semi-final with Cross & Passion a week before Christmas as a substitute and should be available for the decider.
Younger sister Eimear put in a fine performance in that semi-final as did Swatragh team-mates Aoife McWilliams, Eimear Murray, Mary-Therese McCullagh and Emma Quinn. Indeed the Maghera attack is very strong with last year’s QUB GAA Player of the Match Grace Kelly, Bellaghy ace Caoimhe Chambers and Aoibh Mulholland who was one of the finds of the season for Slaughtneil seniors.
There is a lot of experience in the Maghera team overall and St Killian’s will need to have a lot of ball running for them in the final if they are to break through their glass ceiling.
Nevertheless Laura Black and Méabh McAlister in defence, the McNeills in midfield and Amy McAlister up front are all skilful hurlers and will challenge the Derry side.
Incidentally St Killian’s have beaten Maghera in the group stages over each of the past three seasons, but so far have come up short in the show-piece final. Can they make it third time lucky?
The more likely outcome however is that Maghera will continue their dominance of the competition and move on to challenge for what the Derry school really craves – a breakthrough All-Ireland success.
The Corn Uan Uladh final between holders St Pat’s Maghera and v St Killian’s Garron Tower, which was scheduled for Saturday morning at 11am at the Dub Arena has been put back until Sunday as the bitterly cold weather has taken its toll. The game will now be played on Sunday at 1pm at the same venue
St John’s Camogie Club and Carnlough Swifts FC are thrilled to officially announce the naming of our ground as Maltina Park, a heartfelt tribute to the parents of Brendan Rodgers, Malachy and Christina, and a name that will forever honour their legacy. This moment marks a significant milestone for our community, and we are deeply proud to share it with all of you.
The decision to name the ground Maltina Park reflects Brendan’s remarkable generosity, his unwavering support for our community, and his deep personal connection to the name Maltina. It represents the values of family, dedication, and resilience that his parents instilled in him—qualities that Brendan carries forward in his life and work.
For us, it is an immense honour to celebrate Brendan’s legacy in this way. His vision for Maltina Park is not simply about a name; it’s about creating a place that inspires young athletes, regardless of their sport, to dream big and strive for excellence. Brendan’s commitment to supporting sports stars of all disciplines serves as a powerful reminder that talent, dedication, and passion have no boundaries.
Through this incredible gesture, Brendan has given us a legacy of hope and opportunity. Maltina Park will now stand as a beacon for aspiring sports stars, a place where dreams begin, and a tribute to the enduring values of community and generosity.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Brendan Rodgers for this extraordinary gift and for his unwavering belief in the potential of our clubs and community. Together, we look forward to making Maltina Park a hub of inspiration, hard work, and celebration for generations to come.
St John’s Camogie Club and Carnlough Swifts FC would like to thank our respective Committees and also the Stoneyhill Committee for getting us to this point in the redevelopment. We want to also thank Ryan Dougan from Vision Design Architecture and the incredibly talented Enda McSorley who has worked tirelessly on the drawings. Many more people to thank who have been involved so far but we will do that later as different phases near completion, 2025 is going to be an amazing year, we hope you like the drawings.
Welcome to Maltina Park. A legacy, a landmark, and a home for all.
