All-Ireland Preliminary Quarter-Final

Antrim 2-19 Cork 3-27

Saturday June 11

Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park, Belfast

There are times in life you have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re in reality.  We’ve all been there and had that feeling.  For those who were lucky enough to have been in attendance at Corrigan Park on Saturday afternoon, it was another of those occasions.  The Whiterock Road venue, packed to the rafters. Antrim going toe to toe with the hurling aristocrats from the Rebel County and the crowd roaring them to reach heights we dream of seeing them playing.

The result wasn’t forthcoming.  11 points the difference on the scoreboard but there wasn’t 11 points between the sides as Darren Gleeson’s men upped their performance levels from the McDonagh Cup Final just seven days previous.

Cork started like a house on fire, two goals on the scoreboard with patrons still finding a vantage point.  But this is Antrim 2.0.  They care not for reputations nor do they lay down.  In a first half that ebbed and flowed, Keelan Molloy and James McNaughton ran the Cork men a merry dance.  Both finding the net and both in scintillating form.  Scoring 2-12 between them, majority in the first half and the Rebel’s had to keep a tighter eye on the pair in the second half.

The atmosphere was electric and the Antrim players responded.  Some handling errors were evident but they let the Rebels know they were in for a game.  Points celebrated like it was a last minute winner, tackles greeted by the crowd like they were in the Colloseum in ancient Rome.  Wishes if not prayers were being answered for 35 minutes.  A one point lead, it could have been more.  It should have been more.  The Saffrons ran off the Corrigan Park pitch with their chests out, heads held high and a spring in their step.  This is what we have wanted for so long, big time hurling in our back yard.

Darren Gleeson is famed within the county for not looking for silver linings.  You’re either first or you’re last with the Tipperary native and while he bemoaned the first half accuracy from his side, he told us: “It’s hard straight away but my first thoughts are on that first half.  We left a lot of chances behind there and we handed 2-6 to them.  My take on it, in that first half without looking back over it, 2-6 of their 2-10 was from our handling errors.  Your handling has to be so right at the top level but I’m so proud of the players there today.  I’m not here for morale victories, I’ve said that before and everyone knows that but I’m extremely proud on how they applied themselves seven days after a national final.  They are a credit to the county.

“Definitely should have been more ahead.  We had ten or 11 wides in the first half and you know, if you get five of them you’re going in six up and the pressures on a team with the wind at their back.  We’ve seen we’ve played some of our best hurling this year into the wind.  We seem to get more ball into our full forward line but just the way Cork set up today, we were devoid of getting ball in there and that’s usually where we make hay.  It just didn’t happen today.”

The concession of two early goals would have seen Antrim teams of days gone past capitulating.  That didn’t happen in a windswept Corrigan.  Gleeson alluded that it’s down to the mindset of this current squad: “They are process driven I suppose.  They stick with it for the 70 or whatever minutes there’s going to be in the game.  They’re detached from the scoreboard and stay going until the final whistle.”

The Rebels had whatever wind advantage there was going in the second half and with Seamus Harnedy, Darragh Fitzgibbon and Conor Lehane in top form, they made the scoreboat tick.  The brand of hurling Kieron Kingston has this Cork side playing when they get it right is an easy watch.  Slick, precise, vision and accuracy.  There was times you just had to applaud some of the passes from the likes of Ciaran Joyce and Mark Coleman while Luke Meade excelled in the second half.

Antrim fought tooth and nail to stay with their illustrious opponents, Neil McManus a major thorn in the side for the Cork defence.  Winning primary and secondary possession was like gold dust for the Saffrons.  Cork were masters at the breakdown and seemed to have every break of the ball.  Antrim needed a little lady luck but at times she wore the red of Cork instead of Saffron.

The visitors finished on top down the home straight, accumulating scores and giving the score line a somewhat unfair reflection.  Topped off by a Harnedy goal in what proved to be the last action of the game.

The final whistle blew and despite defeat there was an overwhelming wave of emotions.  Proud, disappointed, pride in the Saffron shirt and a thought of that line we’ll hear in the Sunday Game on Sunday evening: “Ah sure they did well and it’s great to see the work they’re doing up there.”  You know it’s coming.

In the last 10, Antrim died with their boots on.  Threw everything they had at Cork but the schedule hasn’t been kind to them.  Gleeson wasn’t making any excuses though: “I wouldn’t mind an extra week now.  At the time I thought we had good momentum coming into it and the buzz was there.  When you lift a cup there’s a great buzz around for a week and you’re trying to feed on that.  Hindsight, you’ll always take another week when you’re beaten, wouldn’t you.”

Joe Maskey signs autographs for some young fans after the game

As hundreds flocked onto the Corrigan Park pitch at the full time whistle, young fans going to their heroes in a Saffron shirt, Cork showed themselves to be the class act they are also.  Their kit man giving away free shirts, stars stopping for ‘selfies’ and autographs.  Big time hurling was back in Belfast and the those who were there will remember this day.

Watching the players leave the pitch, there wasn’t many from Gleeson’s squad with smiles on their faces. They showed they can mix it with the best in the game but they want more.  A sign of progress: “I love the progress but we’re all here to try and win” said Gleeson, “There’s an air of disappointment.  That might sound mad to some people outside of this group.

“They should expect from themselves, they’re as good as anyone on their day.  There’s a huge body of work that’s gone in over the last few years and obviously there’s more required to happen.”

More required, but you feel like there’s still more to come from this side.  Another season in Division One league and a run at the Leinster Championship group stage lays ahead in 2023.  Antrim hurling is in a good place right now, 2022 has been a hell of a ride.  Up’s and down’s full of memories.  This is the GAA.  This is hurling.  This is Antrim.

ANTRIM: Ryan Elliott; David Kearney, Gerard Walsh, Niall O’Connor; Joe Maskey, Eoghan Campbell, Paddy Burke; Michael Bradley, Keelan Molloy; James McNaughton, Ciaran Clarke, Neil McManus; Conal Cunning, Domhnall Nugent, Seaan Elliott.

Subs: Conor McCann for D Nugent (49), Conal Bohill for M Bradley (55), Conor Johnston for S Elliott (55), Niall McKenna for C Cunning (63), Daniel McKernan for J Maskey (68).

Scorers for Antrim: James McNaughton 1-9 (0-6f), Keelan Molloy 1-3, Conal Cunning 0-2 (both frees), Seaan Elliott 0-1, David Kearney 0-1, Paddy Burke 0-1, Neil McManus 0-1 (sideline), Conor Johnston 0-1.

CORK: Patrick Collins; Damien Cahalane, Robert Downey, Sean O’Donoghue; Niall O’Leary, Ciarán Joyce, Mark Coleman; Darragh Fitzgibbon, Luke Meade; Robbie O’Flynn, Séamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston; Tim O’Mahony, Alan Connolly, Conor Lehane.

Subs: Conor Cahalane for S Kingston (29), Ger Millerick for R Downey (51), Tommy O’Connell for L Meade (58), Patrick Horgan for T O’Mahony (61), Jack O’Connor for A Connolly (68).

Scorers for Cork: Conor Lehane 1-9 (1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees, 0-1 65), Darragh Fitzgibbon 1-4, Seamus Harnedy 1-3, Robbie O’Flynn 0-6, Alan Connolly 0-2, Patrick Horgan 0-2, Mark Coleman (0-1 free), Conor Cahalane 0-1.

REFEREE: Liam Gordon (Galway).

Darragh Cup- North Antrim U17 Hurling

Cushendall Ruairi Og 4-14 (26) Glenariffe Oisins 5-15 (30)

Darragh Cup holder Glenariffe visited neighbours Cushendall in the opening round of this year’s competition and what a game both team’s produced, with fourteen different players, between both teams, getting their names on the scoresheet. Both halves started with a real bang with goals at each end within a minute. Cushendall led by five points after having first use of the strong breeze, but Glenariffe pegged them back in the second half to win by four in the end.

Cushendall full forward Joseph McNaughton got the ball rolling when he goaled inside a minute but there was little time for the home crowd to celebrate as Phelim Wards had the ball in the net at the other end just fifty seconds later. Cushendall were on top though and they added five of the next points through Fintan McKillop, Joseph McLaughlin, Oisin Woodhouse and Callagh Mooney, in reply to just one from Oisins’ Orrin O’Connor, to move four clear. However the boys from the other side of the Red Arch were soon back on terms as Brogan O’Connor grabbed a goal on 11 minutes and centre forward Ronan Leech added a point.

A peach of a point directly from a sideline cut, and one from a free by stylish midfielder Joseph McLaughlin put the Ruairis back ahead, and after Phelim Ward came back with one for the Oisins, McLauglin hit two more, and Joe McNaughton one, to put a bit of daylight between the sides.

Brogan O’Connor came back with one for the Oisins but three more in a row from Oran McCambridge, Austin Birt and Joe McLaughlin brought them six clear on the cusp of half-time, but Phelim Wards pointed yet another free just before the break to cut the Oisins deficit back to five.

Just as in the first half there was an explosive start with goals at each end. Austin Birt got in for a goal for the Ruairis to push his team eaight clear, but just 43 seconds later Calum McIlwaine relied at the other end to cut the gap back to five again. That goal signalled the start of a period of dominance for the wind assisted Oisins as they hit the next eight scores without reply, six of them coming from the stick of right half forward Phelim Ward, while Peadar McDonnell got a point and Orrin O’Connor a crucial goal to put them six ahead.

However, just when it appeared that Glenariffe had gained the upper hand, back came the home side with goals from Thomas McLaughlin and Oisin Woodhouse, sandwiched on either side of a Phelim Ward point. With just seven minutes to go it looked it could go either way, but the Oisins finished stronger and points from Peadar McDonnell, Phelim Ward and McDonnell again, deep in injury time, got them over the line.

In the other quarter final Dunloy beat Ballycastle and will now meet Loughgiel in the semi-final, while the Oisins take on All Saints Ballymena in their semi-final.

CUSHENDALL

Liam McGhee, Charlie McAuley, Killian McNaughton, John Mitchell, Alex McCambridge, Sean McKay, Stephen McAuley, Joseph McLaughlin, Callagh Mooney, Oisin Woodhouse, Oran McCambridge, Austin Birt, Thomas McLaughlin, Joseph McNaughton, Fintan McKillop

OISINS

Paddy Joe Harvey, Oisin Mort, Cailin Devlin, John Scullion, Matthew Black, Cathan Graham, Eamon Ward, Patrick McIlwaine, Michael Magee, Phelim Ward, Ronan Leech, Brogan O’Connor, Calum McIlwaine, Orrin O’Connor, Peadar McDonnell.

REFEREE – Paul McSparran (Cushendun)

Glen Dimplex Senior All Ireland Camogie Championship

Antrim v Kilkenny at Pearse Park, Dunloy – Throw-in 2pm

By Gerry Johnston

The Antrim Seniors return to Glen Dimplex Senior All Ireland Championship action today when they host Kilkenny in Dunloy at 2pm.

The team have made a good start to their All Ireland campaign with a win and a draw on their travels and they will now hold home advantage in their remaining three fixtures.

Saturday’s opponents, Kilkenny went all the way to win the All Ireland as recently as 2020 so this will be a major test for Elaine Dowds and the team. The results so far have been positive for the Saffrons with senior status almost secured already but Kilkenny are in the small group at the very top of the sport who people expect to be there or thereabouts when the competition reaches the business end.

Winning the All Ireland last September was an important step for Antrim and they have taken to the elite level well but Saturday’s game is the sort of thing the players will have been thinking about when the dust settled after their success at Croke Park. In sport, you want to take on and compete with the best and the Saffs have earned the right to do that and with home advantage, they will be well supported as they go about this next challenge.

Kilkenny are coming up to Dunloy in good form having recorded two comfortable wins so far. They started with a trip to Down and ran out 1-23 to 1-10 winners before hosting Limerick and winning 1-21 to 0-6. Their main threat so far has been Denise Gaule who has recorded 21 points while Mary O’Connell and Aoife Doyle have scored their goals.

While our defenders will be doing their utmost to limit the threat of the Kilkenny forwards, their defenders will be aiming to reduce the impact that our forwards can have on the game. So far Roisin McCormick is the top scorer with 1-13 but she has been well supported by Aine Magill (2-3), Caoimhe Wright (1-5) and Caitrin Dobbin (1-4).

There’s little doubt this will be a tough game for the Saffrons but Antrim have more than earned the right to be here. Being in the Senior Championship is a great achievement but when you have momentum you want to keep pushing forward and confidence will be high among the Antrim team so why not try to take a big scalp along the way?

Being at home brings many advantages, with the team not having to worry about travelling and playing at a pitch they train on regularly but the biggest advantage of all is the noise of the home crowd. This team have been exceptional over the last few years and they continue to take Antrim Camogie to a level that it hasn’t been at in a long time. That is worthy of a big support and we have no doubt that come 2pm on Saturday, Dunloy will be a sea of Saffron as our excellent support gets behind the team once again.

Allianz Cumann na mBunscol ‘A’ Hurling Championship Final. The Primate Cup. Corn an Phríomháidh.

Bunscoil Phobal Feirste defeat St John the Baptist Primary School.

Bunscoil Phobal Feirste completed a remarkable Top Tier Championship ‘Double’ when they defeated St John the Baptist in the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol Corn an Phríomháidh/Primate Cup Hurling Final. Just 2 weeks previous, the Shaw’s Road Gaelscoil, in its 50th year, lifted the famous Raffo Cup ‘A’ Football Championship, defeating St Anne’s. This time it was the turn of the Bunscoil Senior Hurlers who had come through their semi-final with victory over their Raffo Cup final opponents St Anne’s. St John the Baptist came through a competitive semi-final against former Champions, Holy Child and both they and Bunscoil Phobal Feirste faced off for the ‘A’ Championship on a glorious June afternoon at Rossa Park.

It was a festival of hurling on Shaw’s Road and Lenadoon as the three clubs of Ó Donabháin Rossa, Naomh Pól and Sarsfields all graciously provided their facilities for the business end of the tournaments, hosting the A, B and C Semi-Finals as well as the Finals on a glorious day for Hurling in the West of the City. The day was brilliantly coordinated by Antrim Cumann na mBunscol and supported once more by the ever-present Gaelfast team who were on hand to help officiate and ensure the day went smoothly.

What was all the more remarkable was that it was a Gaelscoil ‘treble’ of championships as Bunscoil Phobal Feirste lifted the ‘A’ Championship defeating St John the Baptist at Rossa Park, Gaelscoil Éanna lifted the ‘B’ defeating St Teresa’s at Páirc Naomh Pól (completing their own ‘B’ championship double, having lifted the Carragher Cup Football title a few weeks previously) and Scoil na Fuiseoige lifted the ‘C’ championship defeating St Mary’s on the Hill at Patrick Sarsfields.

In the Corn an Phríomháidh ‘A’ final, Bunscoil Phobal Feirste who came through their semi-final against a great St Anne’s team, started the final where they had left off at the semi-final- at a blistering pace, opening up an early lead with goals from Naomh Pól’s Sean Mac Mullan (who finished with a personal tally of 3-1 from full forward), Ó Donabháin Rosa’s Codhrán Ó Ruairc and Naomh Gall’s Pádraig Kelly, who also was deadly accurate from the dead-ball, scoring 0-7 from frees. The tenacious defending of Naomh Eoin’s Odhrán Marley, Naomh Pól’s Cónán Digney, Naomh Gall’s Eoin Shannon and Naomh Éanna’s Caoimhín Mac Cafraigh as well as top quality net-minding from Creggan Kickham’s Harry McKay, ensured that Bunscoil Phobal Feirste would finish the final victorious. Midfield running from Rossa’s Ó Ruairc and Naomh Gall’s Emmet Hartigan alongside his clubmate Pádraig Kelly helped ensure that the relentless pace never let up and the accuracy of McKay’s puck-outs provided a brilliant platform for Bunscoil attacks with a succession of clean catches being made from McKay’s precision restarts. St John the Baptist responded with frees to keep them in touch but goals before half-time from midfielders Hartigan and Ó Ruairc ensured a big half-time lead which the Shaw’s Road Gaels never relinquished.

In a very competitive final, it was to be the goals which proved the difference as Bunscoil Phobal Feirste and their colourful Support in the stands celebrated at the final whistle. A great day’s hurling with the weather more than playing it’s part and another great advertisement for local primary school’s GAA in the city and county.

2022 started off with an unsure start for our Gaelic Games in County Antrim but thankfully the Coistí of Cumann na mBunscol were able to work at short notice to get a full program of events pushed into the end of the year. Gaelscoil Éanna in Glengormley like many schools made a cautious return to after schools training after St. Patrick’s Day and were off to a flying start. The boys and girls’ of the hurling and football teams showed their great work ethic and skill when they took part in the Cumann na mBunscol championships and pulled off the double, winning both Carragher Cup in the football and the Hurling B Championship. Gelscoil Éanna has close links with Naomh Éanna, of course, and places a main emphasis on enjoyment at trainings and matches at this age group but all at Pobal Éanna will be happy with the bonus of some silverware for the year. Comhghairdeas a chairde Gael!

Scoil na Fuiseoige victorious

Scoil na Fuiseoige were victorious over St Mary’s on the Hill in the C Championship Hurling Final, thanks to a brilliant team display on Wednesday afternoon. The first half was pretty even with both schools battling well, creating a number of chances at either end. However, Scoil na Fuiseoige started the much brighter of the two in the second half and took full advantage of their relentless pressure with many scores. A special mention to Ciaran Óg, Cliodhna Kearney and Chloe McGurk who took control of the game and helped Scoil na Fuiseoige secure the win, along with other standout performers throughout the team. Congratulations to all involved, such a great achievement! A massive thank you to St Mary’s on the Hill for the game.