St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass v Errigal Ciaran

Ulster LGFA SFC Final – Brewster Park – Sunday 3.00pm

Moneyglass captain, Niamh McIntosh speaks to the Saffron Gael

This Sunday St. Ergnat’s Moneyglass travel to Brewster Park Enniskillen where they face Errigal Ciaran in the Ulster LGFA Senior Club final

In the build up to Sundays Ulster LGFA Club final in Enniskillen, Moneyglass captain, Niamh McIntosh speaks to the Saffron Gael.

In the build up to Sunday’s final Paddy McIlwaine of the Saffron Gael spoke to St. Ergnat’s dynamic captain, Niamh McIntosh.

 Niamh as a player and now captain of Moneyglass you have experienced the highs and lows of Ulster Club Championship. Tell me about the teams you have faced over recent years and at what stage you were knocked out of the championship?

Niamh answered. In 2021 we won the Antrim Senior Championship and got to the Ulster semi-final after beating Armagh Harps in the quarter-final. That win over Armagh Harps should have proved a breakthrough for St. Ergnat’s but the Armagh champions would come back to gain revenge in 2023 and 2024.

This time it was Clann Eireann who carried the Armagh banner with the Orchard girls enjoying home advantage on both occasions.

The Moneyglass girls continued to knock at the door but found it slammed in their face as they beat McCartan’s Monaghan in 2022 after beating Bredagh in the quarter-finals but Donaghmoyne proved a bridge too far in the final.

Undeterred, St. Ergnats were back in Ulster action the following year after collecting another Antrim title and they gained revenge for the previous year’s defeat to Donaghmoyne with a quarter-final victory over the 2022 champions.

It would be the Armagh champions, Clann Eireann who would prove their downfall in 2023 and 2024 with St. Ergnat’s beating Bredagh and Donaghmoyne in respective quarter-finals but coming unstuck against the Orchard girls at the semi-final stages.

Once again the draw seemed unkind to Moneyglass in 2025 when they were drawn away to the ‘Clann’ again in the semi-final after recording another quarter-final win over Bredagh at Cherryvale but their unfaltering  belief in their own ability saw them finally overcame the Armagh challenge.

I asked Niamh about their journey to this year’s Ulster decider.

She replied. We beat St. Gall’s in the Antrim semi-final before going on to defeat St. Paul’s in the final.

We went on to play Bredagh in the Ulster quarter final, then beat Clann Eireann away in the Ulster semi-final this year to get into this year’s decider. 

We had some really great battles throughout the Antrim championship this year, we were really tested and had to lift the standards with every game. In Ulster football you do feel the standards lifting again, coming up against really strong well organised opposition.

Hopefully we’ve learned a lot and gained experience from past campaigns as to how to manage games better and stay composed when it matters most. The younger girls coming through have also made a big impact. They’ve brought great energy and competition, which has pushed everyone on. 

I then asked the Moneyglass captain about what she knew about Sunday’s finalists, Errigal Ciaran of Tyrone and who she thought would be their stand out players.

Niamh answered, Errigal Ciaran are a really strong, well-organised side with a lot of pace and quality all over the pitch. They have some top-class players who’ve won an All-Ireland with Tyrone this year, the likes of Claire Canavan, Aoife Horisk, and Meabh Corrigan to name but a few, so we know it’ll be a big challenge. 

What about her own side and how their preparations have gone?

Preparations have been going well, training has been sharp and there’s a great buzz around the group. Everyone’s really been putting in the work but we’re just trying to keep things simple, enjoy the build-up, and be ready to give it everything on Sunday.

I posed the question. Who have been the Moneyglass players who have stood out for you during the present campaign?

Niamh replied. I could name 25 girls who have played their part at some stage during this year’s campaign because it really has been a team effort but the likes of Maria O’Neill and Bronagh Devlin have been excellent all year with the county and have continued that good form with their club and Cathy Carey can always be relied upon for a good performance. 

Sarah O’Neill and Emma Louise McAreavey have been strong in defence all year but this really has been an all-round team effort. 

I then asked Niamh about the Moneyglass management team of Charlie O’Kane and Maxi Curran and what they brought to the table.

She replied. We’re very lucky to have Charlie and Maxi, they’ve brought great experience and knowledge to the group. Training’s is always well organised and challenging, but there’s good balance too, they know how to get the best out of us. They’ve a lot of belief in the players, and that gives everyone confidence going into big games like this. 

St. Ergnat’s take on Errigal Ciaran in Brewster Park on Sunday at 3.00pm. Confidence within the Moneyglass camp appears to be high and so it should be.

The Tyrone champions are certain to provide a stern test for the Antrim champions who have been knocking consistently at the Ulster door over the last five years but Niamh McIntosh and her colleagues should have the experience and knowhow to finally gain access to their first Ulster Senior title!