We at the Saffron Gael and the wider GAA community are deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass footballer, Jack McCoy.
Jack was a member of the St. Ergnat’s team who won the 2020 Intermediate football Championship when they defeated Dunloy at Dunsilly and I had the pleasure of being one of a number of Saffron Gael members who saw him in action that day.
Jack played a pivotal part in the St. Ergnat’s victory that day and will be fondly remembered by all who knew him in the GAA community and the wider community.
Jack was laid to rest following Requiem Mass in Our Lady Of Lourdes Church Moneyglass in the adjoining cemetery today (Wednesday 27th March)
To his parents Oliver and Ursula, sisters Emily and Molly, girlfriend Claire, the wider family community and his friends and playing colleagues at St. Ergnat’s G.A.C., we at the Safffron Gael extend our deepest sympathies.
Naomh Comhghall got their division 3 campaign under new manager Barry Burns off to an emphatic start and the former St. Paul’s player had his side well set up for what turned out to be a fairly comfortable victory.
St Comgall’s and Patrick Pearses GAC took to the field for their first match of the season on Saturday. From the start both sides approached the game in a positive mode and the while the final score was definitive both sides deserve credit for their efforts.
Naomh Comhghall moved the ball at pace and their finishing was impressivedespite a very soft and wet pitch which hampered efforts at times.
Barry Burns will be happy with his side’s first performance under his guidance but it is early days yet. If the Antrim town team can bring the commitment that they are certain to get from their new manager then they are quite capable of competing for honours this season.
Antrim needed two results to go their way on Sunday to avoid the drop; they needed to beat visitors Roscommon and needed Sligo to get something from their game against Louth. And at half time the great escape was on with Antrim leading at Lámh Dhearg and Sligo and Louth level in the West.
Sunday’s game was a microcosm of Antrim’s season – a good performance but ultimately pipped at the end. The hosts led almost entirely throughout, with two opening points from Lara Dahunsi and Ellie Murphy before Aimee O’Connor hit back with a free. Two frees for Aoife Taggart were punctuated by Aoife Gavin for the Rossies, but Shauna Walsh raided the green flag to put the visitors in front.
Caitlin Taggart and Theresa Mellon put Antrim back in the lead while Aoife added another, but Sinead Farrell kept the Connacht girls in the chase as Sinead Farrell also hit the net. Eliie Murphy restored Antrim’s dominance though grabbing herself a three-pointer just on the verge of half time and the Saffs went in at the break leading 1-9 to 2-2.
Roscommon opened the scoring in the second period as Gavin slotted over from play but Mellon and Blathín Ní Cathail added further points. With things level in Sligo, it looked as though Antrim might be retaining Division 3 status for next year.
Then came the sucker punch, two quick Roscommon goals, accompanied by the same for Louth in Connacht effectively ended the Ulster girl’s hopes. Final score Antrim 1-14 Roscommon 4-6.
The win saw Roscommon undefeated and they will face Clare in the division final, with both sides already promoted. Antrim will move the other direction, but with such a young team, and not to detract from the performances of those young players, Division 4 will present the opportunity to build and grow for the future.
In a game that saw all the seasons descend on Fennell Park Antrim U16s continued their quest for back to back Ulster and All Ireland titles.
Starting with the wind in their faces Antrim opened the scoring with a fine score from Anna Rice and then relied on the free taking of Erin Stewart to keep ahead.
The game played in dreadful conditions was constantly interrupted for frees as the weather was hard to cope with.
Donegal had their own expert free taker with Mia O Donnell keeping the points ticking over for the Tir Connell girls.
The movement and support play from the Saffs was a joy to watch but some errant finishing and determined defence kept the game tight at the half Antrim 0-7 Donegal 0-6.
The second half began with and exchange of points and then a penalty awarded to Donegal. Expertly dispatched to the net by O Donnell again it gave Donegal the lead for the first and only time.
Showing the resilience this group have become known for Antrim immediately hit back when a free flowing move created a goal chance for the excellent Stewart.
The Saffs continued to push and pass their way to keep scoring while Donegal showed great character to chip away at the Antrim lead.
As the game progressed Antrim re energised their team with players coming off the bench to add extra danger in the forward line.
Served well throughout by the excellent Sally Scullion, Seana Bradley and Siobhan McGurk at the back and the energy of Aoife Fitzsimons, Leah Stewart, Aoibhean Monaghan and Jojo Darragh pushing forward this was a team performance. It also cannot go unnoticed that Erin Stewart scored a flawless 1-7 to bring Antrim home.
The victory sets Antrim on course to an Ulster semifinal and it has been built on an interchangeable panel of players all committed to supporting each other on and off the pitch.
The return fixture in two weeks time should be another close encounter.
An injury time free from Peter Lundy earned St Brigids a one-point win over Aghagallon at a wet and windy Musgrave Park on Saturday afternoon.
After fighting back from a half-time deficit of eight-points, it was looking like the points were about to head back down the motorway with the St Mary’s, but Lundy’s late strike, which was also St Brigids only score of the second-half, ensured that the Belfast men kept up their winning start to the new season.
Aghagallon made a real fight of it in the second half, and goals from Ciaran Maginnis and Gareth Magee brought Pete McGrath’s side back into the contest. But an over reliance from placed balls for scores, (1-3 of their 2-4 total came from frees), St Brigids were able to fend off the second half onslaught and snatch a deserving one-point win at the death.
St Brigids came flying out of the traps and their fast start somewhat caught the visitors out.
Only 8 minutes had elapsed when a Jack Toner point made the score 0-4 to 0-0 to the hosts.
A Luke Mulholland free in the 10th minute finally broke the sequence, but with James Smith and Conor Downey in the mood, St Brigids raced into a 0-9 to 0-1 lead by the 19th minute.
On top the gale force wind, the game was peppered with heavy rain showers and as conditions deteriorated, the scoring chances soon dried up.
In the closing stages, Declan Heery and Jonathan Hannon, both from frees, added to their side’s respective totals and at half-time St Brigid’s lead 0-10 to 0-2.
Aghagallon wasted no time in launching their comeback on the resumption of proceedings.
Less than a minute had elapsed when Enda McCarten put Ciaran Maginnis in the clear, and the Aghagallon man blasted past Heery for the game’s first goal.
Ruairi McShane pointed from the tightest of angles minutes later as Aghagallon served notice that the comeback was officially on.
Hugh Hannon thought he had scored Aghagallon’s second goal, but unfortunately it was ruled out for a foul on Herry in the St Brigid’s goal.
But the visitors didn’t have long to wait for their second major.
In need of scores, Pete McGrath turned to the ever-reliable Gareth Magee. Sprung from the bench in the 42nd minute, Magee’s effort with seven minutes remaining had a touch of luck about it as his 30-metre free dropped into the net at Herry’s unmanned back post.
Mulholland’s free levelled the game for the first time two-minutes later, and it was looking increasingly more likely that we were looking at an away win.
But St Brigids reclaimed their lost composure, and when Patrick Branagan was penalised for a high challenge on Niall Duffy, Lundy knocked over the resulting free to make it two wins from two for the South Belfast men.
Team and scorers:
St Brigids: Declan Heery (0-1f), Finn McKernan, John Toner, Joe McCarney (0-1), Reuben Carleton, Peter King, Shay Campbell, Mikey Cummings, Fergal Sherry, Brian McGurk, Conor Downey (0-3 2f), James Smith (0-3), Niall Duffy, Conan McNicholl, Jack Toner (0-2).
Replacements: Ben Doherty for Downey (37), Conor McAleer for Jack Toner (49), P Lundy (0-1f) for McGurk (49).
Aghagallon: Luke Mulholland (0-2f), Kieran Hamill, Aidan Mulholland, Aaron Doherty, Stephen Devlin, Jamie Lamont, Patrick Branagan, Paúric Maginnis, Enda McCartan, Padraig Gowdy, Jonathan Hannon (0-1f), Ciaran Maginnis (1-0), Hugh Hannon, Enda Mallon, Ruairi McShane (0-1).
Replacements: Gareth Magee (1-0f) for E Hannon (42), David McAlernon for Mallon (42), Conor Magill for Doherty (51), Eoin Maginnis for McCartan (55).
