It’s not everyday the Liam McCarthy cup is in Belfast I do hope that one day it’s a reality for my own County Antrim. On Friday afternoon with the sun shining St Peter’s primary school hosted this famous trophy with All Ireland Tipperary’s winning manager Liam Cahill, along with players; Darragh McCarthy, Willie Connor’s and Rhys Shelly. In attendance also was the board of governors from the school which included our very own club chairman Tommy Shaw. From Gaelfast Alfie Hannaway was also present in the hall.
The school and my supporting club Davitts prepared the outside and inside certainly fit for champions. All schools in the Lower Falls were in attendance St Paul’s, St Joesphs, St Claire’s, Gaelscoil na bhFal agus Gaelscoil an Lonnain making it a real community event.
They landed in Ross Road ironically across from the house I grew up in my formative years to a wall of noise with everyone keen to get a glimpse of the Tipperary contingent and the trophy. They then proceeded through the St Peter’s guard of honour outside with the Sunday game theme tune bellowing in the background. On entering the school they were routed around the school which was lined with children from P1 up waving flags and screaming with excitement. In the main hall where all the schools were seated the energy and excitement was amazing which Peter Carleton was controlling with his DJ skills.
When they eventually got into the packed hall they were met with a rapturous welcoming.
We had a Q & A which all schools joined in on, a few speeches from Roisin McLaughlin ( St Peter’s principal), Liam Cahill and myself. Liam’s kind words towards the school and our club Davitts was very much appreciated, he Ballingarry man has a built a good relationship with our club. We finished off with the children getting autographs and pictures trying to capture a moment which I hope will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
I hope this can be a springboard for the GAA in the local schools which are crucial part of our family and vision for the future.
I want to thank the schools as we only had a week to prepare. The teachers leading the charge were Mark Kelly (St Paul’s), Dominic Fryers (St Joseph’s), Brendan Birt (St Clare’s ) Sean Fenn (Gaelscoil na bhFal) agus Micheál Connolly (Gaelscoil an Lonnain). Special mention to Roisin McLaughlin (St Peter’s principal) and her teachers, assistants and Gerard. Finally to Micky McCullough and Gavin Shaw thanks for making it happen.

Micheál O’Brien
The school and my supporting club Davitts prepared the outside and inside certainly fit for champions. All schools in the Lower Falls were in attendance St Paul’s, St Joesphs, St Claire’s, Gaelscoil na bhFal agus Gaelscoil an Lonnain making it a real community event.
They landed in Ross Road ironically across from the house I grew up in my formative years to a wall of noise with everyone keen to get a glimpse of the Tipperary contingent and the trophy. They then proceeded through the St Peter’s guard of honour outside with the Sunday game theme tune bellowing in the background. On entering the school they were routed around the school which was lined with children from P1 up waving flags and screaming with excitement. In the main hall where all the schools were seated the energy and excitement was amazing which Peter Carleton was controlling with his DJ skills.

When they eventually got into the packed hall they were met with a rapturous welcoming.
We had a Q & A which all schools joined in on, a few speeches from Roisin McLaughlin ( St Peter’s principal), Liam Cahill and myself. Liam’s kind words towards the school and our club Davitts was very much appreciated, he Ballingarry man has a built a good relationship with our club. We finished off with the children getting autographs and pictures trying to capture a moment which I hope will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

I hope this can be a springboard for the GAA in the local schools which are crucial part of our family and vision for the future.
I want to thank the schools as we only had a week to prepare. The teachers leading the charge were Mark Kelly (St Paul’s), Dominic Fryers (St Joseph’s), Brendan Birt (St Clare’s ) Sean Fenn (Gaelscoil na bhFal) agus Micheál Connolly (Gaelscoil an Lonnain). Special mention to Roisin McLaughlin (St Peter’s principal) and her teachers, assistants and Gerard. Finally to Micky McCullough and Gavin Shaw thanks for making it happen.

Micheál O’Brien

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All-Ireland LGFA SFC final:

Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 2-8 St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass (Antrim) 1-5

It was heartbreak in the end for St. Ergnat’s but the Moneyglass girls can hold their heads high after putting in a big effort at headquarters against reigning champions, Kikerrin-Clonberne but in the end they came up just short.

The Antrim champions looked well in the contest when they trailed by two points at the break in an opening half where they gave as good as they got, the two points separating them coming from a couple of questionable frees.

Chloe Miskell and Lynsey Noone grabbed goals in either half for the winners who stepped up their game in the third quarter to put considerable distance between the sides.

Leading by just two points at the midway stage in the contest, Willie Ward’s outfit turned on the style with an unanswered tally of 1-4 during the third quarter to ultimately see off their spirited Antrim counterparts.

Returning with 14 of the starting line-up from last year’s final win over Kilmacud Crokes, Kilkerrin-Clonberne initially found it difficult to break down a stern Moneyglass defence.

Olivia Divilly and Eva Noone eventually kicked a point apiece from frees in the ninth and 10th minutes, before ex-Antrim stalwart Cathy Carey split the posts in fine style at the opposite end of the pitch.

Team captain Louise Ward fired over an excellent point from play for the title holders, but it wasn’t until the closing 10 minutes of the opening period that the game truly sparked into life.

While Moneyglass reduced the gap to a single point through the boot of Leah Stewart, Kilkerrin-Clonberne immediately responded with a clinically-taken goal from Miskell following excellent approach work from Hannah Noone and Nicola Ward.

This looked like being a significant blow for St Ergnat’s, but they came roaring back into contention when Stewart – named in defence, but taking on a more advanced role in general – palmed to the net in the 24th minute after a Carey shot for a point came back of an upright.

The Antrim champions were matching their more illustrious opponents blow for blow with their defence giving little away while their approach play didn’t quite receive the rewards that it deserved.

Things were very much in the balance as half time approached but a second free from Olivia Divilly ensured Kilkerrin-Clonberne led 1-4 to 1-2 at the break.

Following a couple of early opportunities for the underdogs which broke down, the reigning champions refused to panic and they increased their advantage on the restart with back-to-back scores from midfielder Aisling Madden and Eva Noone.

Miskell also added to her earlier goal with a point from close-range as Kilkerrin-Clonberne produced a scintillating period of fast and highly efficient attacking football that had Moneyglass chasing shadows for a period.

St Ergnat’s came into this game on the back of an outstanding semi-final victory against Kilmacud Crokes, but they found themselves eight points in arrears when Niamh Divilly fed Lynsey Noone inside for a 44th-minute goal.

Another score courtesy of Eva Noone had Kilkerrin-Clonberne nine in front moving into the final quarter, but St. Ergnat’s battled to the end and a great point from Maria O’Neill gave them just a glimmer of hope.

The superb Leah Stewart and substitute Bronagh Devlin added two more to close the gap to six but that was as close as they would get as Kikerrin-Clonberne ran down the clock to deservedly collect their fifth title on the bounce.

Disappointment in the end for the Antrim champions but it has been an excellent season for the girls in blue where they finally conquered Ulster and overcame a fancied Kilmacud Crokes in the All Ireland semi-final.

A young side containing many outstanding performers they are sure to go again next season and they have shown this year that another trip to Croke is certainly not beyond them.

KILKERRIN-CLONBERNE: L Murphy; L Finnegan, S Gormally, K Mee; H Noone, N Ward, N Divilly; S Divilly, A Madden (0-1); O Divilly (0-2, 2f), L Ward (0-1), L Noone (1-0); E Noone (0-3, 1f), C Miskell (1-1), C Costello.

Subs: E Hynes for Finnegan (52 mins); A Shaughnessy for Miskell (57);C Boyle for L Noone (60).

ST ERGNAT’S, MONEYGLASS: A Devlin; C Graffin, N McIntosh, L Stewart (1-2); A Leahy, S O’Neill, R Bradley; A Kelly, EL McAreavey; C Griffin, M O’Neill (0-1), L McCann; N Neeson, C Carey (0-1), E Mallon.

Subs: A Griffin for Bradley (44 mins); B Devlin (0-1) for Kelly (45);A Boyd for Leahy, J Darragh for Mallon (both 57); R McErlain for McCann (60).

Referee: Ray McBride (Dublin).

AIB All Ireland Junior A Camogie final

Brídíní Óga  Glenravel 1-08 St Dominic’s Roscommon 1-05

Brídíní Óga Glenravel held off a determined fightback by Roscommon champions St Dominic’s to claim their second All Ireland Junior A title in three years at Ashbourne on Saturday afternoon. Playing with a strong wind at their backs in the first half the Antrim champions opened up a seven point gap by half time, but considering how strong the wind was that was by no means a safe lead. When the Connacht champions grabbed a goal six minutes into the second half to cut the gap to four there were a lot of anxious Glenravel fans wondering  if they could hold on, but their team did them proud as they hassled and harried their opponents to the very end to seal a memorable win.

To be honest it wasn’t pretty to watch for the neutral, but in these conditions it was never going to be. St Dominic’s looked a real threat in the early stages when they went 0-02 to 0-01 ahead, despite playing against the strong wind. However Brídíní Óga team captain Tori Edgar settled the nerves as she began to picks off points from frees. At 0-04 to 0-02 with just five minutes from half time it didn’t look like it would be enough but an attempt at another point from Edgar came back off the inside of the upright and bounced down on the edge of the ‘square’ where  Molly Woulahan reacted quickest to kick the sliothar to the net.

That score gave the Antrim girls a big boost and things got even better when Edgar added two more pointed frees to stretch her side’s lead to seven at the interval.

When St Dominic’s free taker Niamh Fitzgerald’s mishit shot free ended up in the back of the Glenravel net on 36 minutes it looked to be a pivotal moment in the game and with the gap down to four the smart money would have been on the Connacht champions, but two minutes later Edgar slotted over another free after Molly Woulahan was fouled and that eased the pressure a little.

The scores were hard to come by for the reaming 20 minutes of play but the intensity of the game never wavered as time after time the Glenravel girls got a hurl in to deny their opponents. Fitzgerald got the gap back to four midway through the second half and there was a heart stopping moment soon afterwards when Glenravel goalkeeper Orla Donnelly fumbled a high ball, but she recovered the situation brilliantly to clear the danger.

With time almost up Player of the match Edgar got her sixth pointed free of the game after a foul on Aimee Traynor and there was a degree of comfort for the Ulster champions as the game ticked into three minutes of injury time. Fitzgerald did close the gap to three again near the end of that extra time period but the whistle sounded on the poc-out to spark scenes of great celebration among the travelling Glenravel fans and players.

SCORERS FOR BRÍDÍNÍ ÓGA: T Edgar 0-6(6fs), M Woulahan 1-1, S Fyfe 0-1

SCORERS FOR ST DOMINIC’S: N Fitzgerald 1-3(fs); L Murray (f), K Egan 0-1 each

BRÍDÍNÍ ÓGA: O Donnelly, M Mulholland, J Woulahan, D Scally, E Coulter, B Laverty, E McCann, L Gillan, O Gould, S McDonnell, K Laverty, S Fyfe, A Traynor, T Edgar, M Woulahan

ST DOMINIC’S: E Cafferkey, SJ O’Connor, E McNally, M Rogers, H Murray, L Murray, A O’Connor, K Egan, C Dowling, N Watson, N Fitzgerald, L Mahon; A Campbell, Á O’Meara, C Kilcommons. Sub: M Lohan for O’Connor (39)

REFEREE: Simon Redmond (Dublin).

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For the day that’s in it

As two Antrim teams head south today in search of All Ireland titles all of us at the Saffron Gael wish them both the very best. Good luck to Brídíní Óga Glenravel, who take on St Dominic’s of Roscommon in the Junior A Camogie final at Ashbourne at 2pm, and to St Ergnats Moneyglass take on Kilkerrin-Clonberne of Galway in the LGFA Senior Club Football final at Croke Park at 4pm

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL