ST DOMINIC’S Belfast shook off a determined challenge from Castleknock Community College in the St Brigid’s Castleknock GAA grounds yesterday to set up an Allianz Dónal Burke Cup semi-final with Scoil Mhuire agus Íde Newcastlewest in a fortnight.
The teams were level at the break, but the visitors from Belfast were improved for the second half and two goals from Lámh Dhearg and Antrim minor forward Aoife Fitzsimons gave them a lead they weren’t going to surrender.
Castleknock opened with a point from the excellent Mary Bourke, who went on to claim all but a point of their total. The home side had most of the early pressure and led by 0-3 to 0-1 after ten minutes. They stretched that to 1-4 to 0-2 after 15 minutes with a goal from Bourke.
Maeve Devlin points had been keeping St Dominic’s going during that period of Castleknock pressure. Her goal from a long range free then pulled her side back into contention. Right on the half-time whistle Méabh Rooney goaled to leave the scores level at 1-8 to 2-5.
St Dominic’s went two up in the early stages of the second half with points from Maeve Devlin and Aoife Fitzsimons. Although Bourke hit back with a point, Fitzsimons went through for a superb solo goal. This was followed by a point from Cliona McGinley and then a second goal from Fitzsimmons in the 48th minute.
While Bourke clipped over a couple of points in response, the gap was too wide and St Dominic’s had secured the win.
St Dominic’s: A Fitzsimons 2-1, M Devlin 1-4, M Rooney 1-0, C McGinley 0-2, R MacElhatton 0-1.
In one of the most remarkable finals in the history of the competition, Cross & Passion College (CPC) Ballycastle overturned a seemingly insurmountable half-time deficit to deny St Patrick’s Maghera a fourth consecutive title.
The hero of the hour was undoubtedly CPC captain Éabha McAllister. The Dunloy teenager produced a Roy of the Rovers performance, shaking off a difficult first half to score a stunning hat-trick of goals in the closing stages, securing her school’s first provincial title since 2022 by a single point.
A Tale of Two Halves
Few at the pristine Eoghan Rua, Coleraine grounds would have predicted a Ballycastle victory at the midway point. The reigning champions, St Patrick’s Maghera, were dominant, entering the break with a commanding 2-10 to 2-2 lead.
The first half belonged to Maghera’s Emma Quinn. The centre-forward gave a masterclass, hitting seven points and orchestrating an attack that left CPC reeling. Despite an early goals from Adria McAllister, a sister of Éobha, who found the net in the 8th minute before setting up Louise McBride for another shortly after—Ballycastle lost their way midway through the half. Maghera hit an unanswered 2-6, including two goals from full-forward Aoibh Mulholland, to take an eight-point lead into the dressing rooms.
For Éobha McAllister, the first half was a nightmare. Usually deadly from the dead ball, she was uncharacteristically off-colour, missing several frees and accounting for most of her team’s wides.
The Captain’s Redemption
The turnaround began immediately after the restart. McAllister, putting her first-half struggles behind her, struck 1-3 from frees within five minutes, dragging CPC back to within two points.
However, Maghera showed the resilience of champions. They weathered the storm, with Róisín McAtamney, Quinn, and Branagh Brolly firing over points to re-establish a comfortable lead. When Orla McCartney scored with 11 minutes remaining, Maghera led by seven points (2-14 to 3-5), and the title looked destined to stay in Derry.
The Grandstand Finish
What followed was an individual display of brilliance that will be talked about for years in north Antrim.
49th Minute: McAllister’s long-range free deceived the defence and ended up in the Maghera net.
54th Minute: The CPC captain stepped up to bury a penalty, narrowing the gap further.
Despite Maghera’s Emma Quinn landing her 11th point of the day to keep a two-point cushion, the momentum had shifted. Following a missed free and a penalty appeal waved away, it looked like time might run out for Ballycastle.
Then, deep in added time, McAllister took matters into her own hands. collecting the ball in her own half, she launched a solo run, offloaded to Louise McBride, and immediately demanded the return pass. gathering possession on the 20m line, she fired low into the corner of the net for her fourth goal of the game.
Maghera had no time to respond. The Ballycastle defence threw bodies on the line in the dying seconds to preserve the 6-6 to 2-17 victory.
What’s Next?
Cross & Passion Ballycastle now advance to the All-Ireland senior series. They will face Munster champions Ursuline Thurles (who defeated Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig) in the semi-final, scheduled for February 7th in north Antrim.
Match Stats
Player of the Match: Éabha McAllister (CPC)
Scorers:
CPC: É McAllister 4-5 (2-5fs, 1-0 pen), L McBride 1-0, A McAllister 1-0, T Cassidy 0-1.
St Patrick’s: E Quinn 0-11 (9fs), A Mulholland 2-0, B Brolly 0-2, R McAtamney 0-2, A O’Loughlin 0-1, O McCartney 0-1.
Teams:
CPC: M McToal, S Flavin, S-L Kearns, M Cunning, C Delaney, A Gillan, F Sands, É McAllister (capt), R McMullan, L McBride, T Cassidy, M Laverty, A McAllister, M McArthur, E McCaughan.
St Patrick’s: O Johnston, E Conway, Ellie Griffin (capt), I Martin, L McKaigue, A McWilliams, O McKenna, O McCartney, B Brolly, R Quinn, E Quinn, MT McCullagh, A O’Loughlin, A Mulholland, R McAtamney.
Referee: J O’Neill (Armagh)
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St Dominic’s, Belfast 1-8 Gaelcholáiste, Dhoire 0-8
Wednesday 14 January
Brendan McTaggart reports from Erin’s Own, Lavey
Strong finishes to both halves was enough for St Dominic’s to claim the Medallion Shield on a rainy, windswept final against Gaelcholáiste at Lavey on Wednesday evening. Three points was the difference at the end of an hour where both sides played with incredible intensity and discipline in extremely difficult conditions.
Maeve Devlin would finish top of the scoring charts for the Belfast school, landing 1-4 over the hour with all of her scores coming from open play. Devlin was imperious throughout and proved to be a thorn in the side of Gaelcholáiste for the entirety of the contest.
She was ably supported by her midfield partner Amelie Annett, Amy Gault and Abaigh McNally while Clíona McGinley and Aoife Fitzsimons always looked dangerous in attack.
Gaelcholáiste were best served by Niamh Nig Uiginn. She may have had number six on her back but she covered every blade of grass while Deirbhile Ní Mhealláin came in for some close attention by the St Dominic’s defence. Ní Mhealláin led the fight for the Dungiven school in the second half but St Dominic’s with her speed and direct running but a late injury seemed to knock the wind out of Gaelcholáiste’s sails.
It was Gaelcholáiste who made the brighter start and held a two point lead having dominated the majority of the first half. St Dominic’s finished the half on top however with 1-3 coming in the last five minutes of the half. Points from Clíona McGinley and a brace of white flags from Maeve Devlin came either side of the only goal of the game.
While there might have been a hint of good fortune with Devlin’s goal, it showcased her ability to break clear from ruck and find a half yard to get a shot away. Wide on the left and under pressure, Devlin’s effort dipped viciously to go into the back of the net.
Leading by four points, they had to hold off wave after wave of Gaelcholáiste pressure in the second half. Points from Katie Nic Cionnaith, a brace of frees from Niamh Nig Uiginn and Deirbhile Ní Mhealláin came in response to am Aoife Fitzsimons point to leave just one between the sides going in to the final 10 minutes.
That would be as good as it got for Gaelcholáiste however as St Dominic’s finished strong with points from Fitzsimons and Devlin.
TEAMS
St Dominic’s: A Rice; T Culbert, A McNally, A Austin; M Monaghan, C Lynch, A Gault; M Devlin (1-4), A Annett; E Stewart, H McAllister, A Fitzsimons (0-2); C McGinley (0-1), R MacElhatton, E Kelly (0-1)
Subs: R McCourt for T Culbert (51); M Rooney for E Kelly (51)
Gaelcholáiste: R Ní Cheallaigh; B Ní Ghribín, M Ní Agáub, C Ní Bhrollaigh; E Nic Giolla Domhnaigh, N Nig Uiginn (0-6, 6fs), M Ní Mhuiríl S Ní Cheallaigh, R Ní Chearnaigh; K Nic Cionnaith (0-1), D Ní Mhealláin (0-1), O Nic an Bhaird; E Ní Mhaoláin (0-1), Ella Ní Bhrolcháin, M Seoighe
Subs: C Croskery for M Seoighe (34)
Referee: Paul O’Neill
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St Killian’s Garron Tower 9-10 | St Joseph’s Lucan 2-6
Venue: Pairc Mhuire, Cushendall
St Killian’s captain Clíodhna Thompson produced a scoring masterclass in Cushendall yesterday, tallying an incredible 6-8 to power the Ulster champions past St Joseph’s of Lucan and into the All-Ireland semi-finals.
Thompson, fresh from a Player of the Match performance in the Ulster final, was virtually unplayable in the second half. After posting 1-5 in the opening period, she exploded after the break, bagging five goals and three points in the second half alone to secure the Tower girls a Valentine’s weekend trip to Munster.
Early Resistance
Thompson opened the scoring with a goal and a point within the first minute, but St Joseph’s responded tactically by crowding the midfield and half-back lines. This contained the home side for a quarter of an hour, holding the score at 1-2 to 0-1.
The deadlock broke when Gabrielle McNeill and Georgie Twigg struck for two goals within 40 seconds of each other. However, St Joseph’s rallied before the interval and a goal from a Holly Whelan free, alongside two points, gave the visitors a lifeline as they closed the gap to 3-6 to 1-4 at the break.
The Second Half Blitz
Any hope of a Dublin comeback was extinguished in the third quarter. Following a point from Katie Burns, Thompson seized total control. The team captain, playing on her her home club pitch, fired over two points before finding the net four times in a seven-minute spell (38th, 39th, 44th, and 45th minutes).
St Joseph’s managed a consolation goal through Izzy Lyons-Kennedy, but St Killian’s finished strongest. Thompson added her sixth goal before substitute Lucia Trainor capped the performance with a stunning finish from a tight angle.
The Tower girls now await the result of next Tuesday’s Munster final to determine their semi-final opponents.
Teams and Scorers
St Killian’s Garron Tower
Scorers: C Thompson 6-8 (0-1f), G McNeill 1-0, G Twigg 1-0, L Trainor 1-0, K Burns 0-2.
Scorers: H Whelan 1-2 (1-1fs), I Lyons-Kennedy 1-1, M Sliney 0-2 (fs), C Buckley 0-1.
Team: A Costello, A Mullan, A McKenna (C), S Quinn, E O’Beirne, M Daffy, P Lyons-Kennedy, C Buckley, M Lindsay, I Lyons-Kennedy, H Whelan, M Sliney, S Haugh, V Harold, L O’Shea.
Referee – Owen Elliott (All Saints)
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