November 30, 2025December 1, 2025 by thesaffrongael

Captain Edgar leads Brídíní Óga to another final

All Ireland Junior A Camogie semi-final

Brídíní Óga (Antrim) 3-9 Patrickswell (Limerick) 2-3

Brídíní Óga Glenravel qualified for their second All Ireland final in three years when they beat Munster champions Patrickswell of Limerick in Saturday’s semi-final at Abbotstown to set up a meeting with Roscommon’s St Dominic’s in two weeks’ time.

A feature of the Antrim champions run has been their strong starts in most of the games and Saturday was no exception as they dominated from the start and went at half time 2-08 to 0-01 ahead, with the game as good as won. Like in most of the other games the opposition outscored the Glenravel girls in the second period, but on this occasion the Antrim champions fans had no real periods of anxiety to endure as the lead was always safe.

When Patrickswell opened the scoring in the first minute with a Rachael O’Grady point it looked like the Glenravel girls had a mighty task on their hands but incredibly it was to be their only score of the first half as the Antrim champions hit back and were soon on terms and before the clock had reached the ten minute mark Player of the Match Tori Edgar gave them a lead they would not lose when she blasted home a penalty after Molly Woulahan had been hauled down in Patrickswell square.

Edgar’s free taking was again of the top drawer and she found the target with four in a row, three of them from 45s while Kirsty Laverty grabbed one from play to stretch the lead to five on twenty minutes. Things got even better when an attempted short poc-out by the ‘Well goalkeeper Gillane was fumbled and the ever abrasive Molly Woulahan took advantage of the slip to fire home goal number two to stretch her team’s lead to eleven. It was out to thirteen by the time referee Goff sounded the half time whistle as Edgar slotted over another free and Shauna McDonnell popped one over from play on the right wing to help put her team in a really strong position at the interval.

Playing against the breeze in the second half was always going to be more difficult for Brídíní Oga and so it proved and there was some concerns when they failed to add another score during the third quarter. When left-half forward Leah O’Carroll got in for a Patrickswell goal with ten minutes left for play Glenravel reacted well and Edgar put the icing on a great overall display when she added another point from a free before delivering the Munster girl a killer blow by grabbing her second goal of the game as she finished off a great move between Molly Woulahan and the elusive Aimee Traynor with her second goal of the game.

Patrickswell kept battling to the end but it wasn’t to be their day and Brídíní Oga netminder Orlagh Donnelly denied them with a couple of smart saves. To their credit the Limerick side did manage a late goal as the game went into added time but by this stage the plans for a meeting with the Connacht champions in two weeks’ time as the primary concern of the Glenravel fans.

Scorers

Brídíní Óga: T Edgar 2-6 (1-0 pen, 0-5 fs), M Woulahan 1-0, A Traynor, S McDonnell and K Laverty 0-1 each.

Patrickswell: L O’Carroll and S Fitzgerald 1-0 each, R O’Grady 0-3 each

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

Sub: E McAleenan for M Woulahan (55)

Patrickswell: S Gillane, K O’Donnell, T Kirby, K Dore, M Fitzgerald, Sarah Carey capt., K Fitzgerald, K Feasey, T Dore, R O’Brien, S Fitzgerald, L O’Carroll, R O’Grady, Sophie carey, C Barry

Subs: S O’Grady for Sophie Carey (46), C McCarthy for L O’Carroll and N Ryan for K Dore (both 57)

Referee: C Goff (Dublin)

TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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November 30, 2025November 30, 2025 by thesaffrongael

Slaughtneil end the Johnnies Ulster dream

AIB Ulster Club Senior Hurling Final

St John’s 0-10 Slaughtneil 0-23

Saturday 29 November

By Brendan McTaggart

St John’s Ulster dream ended under the Athletic Grounds floodlights on Saturday evening as Slaughtneil proved to be a step too far. 13 points was the difference, in truth the Derry champions were well worthy of that advantage.

It was an awesome performance from Slaughtneil who had nine different scorers over the hour while restricting St John’s to just two points from open play. Cormac O’Doherty took the man of the match accolade, in truth it could have gone to any one of four players from Slaughtneil. O’Doherty’s accuracy from placed ball was exceptional while he was at his playmaking best, dropping deeper and providing an attacking outlet with his vision.

St John’s set up defensively, using Ciaran Johnston and Conal Bohill as sweepers while Donal Carson was a lone target man on the inside forward line. Fionn McEldowney was picking him up and Slaughtneil rotated who would drop deeper for them. St John’s looked to pack the midfield and stop the Slaughtneil threat at source. While it worked and Slaughtneil didn’t really play with much fluency in the opening quarter, any attacks from the Whiterock Road men were few and far between.

Oisin MacManus was a shining light for the Johnnies. He would raise the white flag on nine occasions, eight of those from placed ball but he went through plenty of work further out the field. While defensively, the work of Peter McCallin, Ryan McNulty and Jack Bohill couldn’t be faulted. Sean Wilson and Aaron Bradley worked tirelessly throughout but they got little or no change from Slaughtneil on the night.

St John’s had the opening score of the final with MacManus pointing a free with barely 30 seconds on the clock. That would be their last score for 17 minutes though as Slaughtneil grew into the game. Scores from Shéa Cassidy (two), Sé McGuigan and a Cormac O’Doherty free had Slaughtneil three clear at the end of the first quarter.

MacManus split the uprights with his second and third frees of the game either side of a super score from Eamon Cassidy. Slaughtneil were coming to terms with the St John’s set-up however with Shane McGuigan and Shéa Cassidy opening a four point gap by the 25^th minute.

MacManus (free) and Sé McGuigan split the uprights before MacManus scored St John’s first point from play in the 28^th minute. It was a brilliant score from the St John’s man and it raised the spirits of the large St John’s support at the Athletic Grounds. They wouldn’t register another score in the half however and while Slaughtneil only added another from the roaming Brendan Rogers, the Derry men were wasteful with eight wides to St John’s four in the opening 30 minutes.

With only four points in the game, St John’s were still in with a massive chance of turning the tide. Slaughtneil were in no mood to let up their grip on the game.

Cormac O’Doherty was instrumental in maintaining the Slaughtneil relentless challenge while Cathal Ó Mianáin, Brendan Rogers and Shane McGuigan were dominant. O’Doherty and MacManus swapped frees in the opening exchanges of the second half and while St John’s looked to play with more attacking impetus, the Slaughtneil defence were organised, disciplined and played with huge intensity. The mercurial talents of Conor Johnston, Shea Shannon and Aaron Bradley couldn’t bring the Johnnies challenge to life.

A brilliant, sweeping move from Slaughtneil resulted in a Cathal Ó Mianáin point before Sean Wilson scored St John’s seventh point of the game.

A brace of scores from Rogers and O’Doherty (free) were responded to by another MacManus free to leave five between the sides going into the final quarter. Four unanswered points in a little over five minutes put daylight between the sides as Slaughtneil clicked through the gears. Three frees from Cormac O’Doherty and the first of two from Chrissy McKaigue.

Another brace from MacManus took his tally to nine points for the night but Slaughtneil and O’Doherty were relentless in those closing stages. He would land a further four points (3 frees) while substitute Prionsas Burke added his name to the list of scorers in injury time.

Oisin Donnelly saw red for a wreckless foul on Cathal Ó Mianáin but it made little difference to the outcome of this game.

Slaughtneil move on to the All Ireland semi final and a meeting with Loughrea of Galway while St John’s season comes to an end. It wasn’t the ending the people from the Corrigan Park club had hoped for but it’s been a memorable season for the Johnnies. Beaten on the day but not broken, the Kings of Antrim bow out.

TEAMS
ST JOHNS: Domhnall Nugent; Ryan McNulty, Ciaran Johnston, Jack Bohill; Conal Morgan, Peter McCallin, Enda McGurk; Sean Wilson, Aaron Bradley; Oisin Donnelly, Conor Johnston, Conall Bohill; Donal Carson, Shea Shannon, Oisin MacManus

Subs: Michael Bradley for A Bradley (45); Caoimhin Hanna for P McCallin (57); Michail Dudley for D Carson (60)

Scorers: O MacManus 0-9 (8fs), S Wilson 0-1

SLAUGHTNEIL: Oisin O’Doherty; Fionn McEldowney, Paul McNeill, Conor McAllister; Ruairi Ó Mianáin, Meehaul McGrath, Shane McGuigan; Cathal Ó Mianáin, Chrissy McKaigue; Mark McGuigan, Sé McGuigan, Eamon Cassidy; Brendan Rogers, Cormac O’Doherty, Shéa Cassidy

Subs: Jerome McGuigan for S Cassidy (40); Peter McCullagh for E Cassidy (52); Conor Coyle for M McGrath (57); Gerard Bradley for Sé McGuigan (59); Pronsias Burke for C McKaigue (60)

Scorers: C O’Doherty 0-10 (9fs); S Cassidy 0-3 (2fs); C McKaigue 0-2; E Cassidy 0-2; B Rogers 0-2; Sé McGuigan 0-1; C Ó Mianáin 0-1; Shane McGuigan 0-1; P Burke 0-1

Referee: Peter Owens (Down)

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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November 29, 2025December 10, 2025 by thesaffrongael

St. Mary’s GAC Ahoghill Annual Dinner & Presentation

St. Mary’s GAC Ahoghill held their Annual Dinner & Presentation evening in the Wild Duck in Portglenone, attended by a large crowd and the following were the award winners on the night.

Bobby Magee presents the U10 Hurler of the year award to Padraig McErlain & Cillian McGlone.
Ronan Graham presents the U10 Footballer of the year award to Dermot Scullion.
Aoibheann McGregor receives the U10 Camog of the Year award from Maura Downey.
James Bobby Magee presents the U12 Hurler of the Year award to Pearse McFall.
Joseph Scullion receives the U12 Footballer of the Year award from Neil O’Connell.
Maura Downey presents the U12 Camog of the Year award to Eva Neeson.
James O’Connell presents the U14 Hurler of the Year to Joss Gordon.
Joint U14 Footballer of the Year, Connor Duffin & Sean O’Reilly receive their award from Ronan Graham.
James O’Connell presents the Alistair Breslin Skills award to Conell McMaster.
Maura Downey presents the U14 Camog of the Year award to Eimear Blaney.
Bobby Magee presents the Joint U16 Hurler of the Year award to Calum Gordon and Brian Agnew.
Anne Martin presents the Mary Martin Perpetual Shield to joint winners, Grace McGarry & Lucia Devlin.
Lughan Hardy, Kieran O’Reilly and Brian Agnew who were part of the St. Ergnat’s U16 B Football championship winning side are presented with their medals by |Ronnan Graham at the St. Mary’s Ahoghill Dinner.
Ronan Graham presents the U16 Footballer of the Year to Lughan Hardy.
Maura Downey presents the Tommy Downey Memorial award for Minor Camog of the Year to Molly Horan.
The St. Mary’s Minor Camogie side who won division 2 of The ACL receive their awards at the St. Mary’s Presentation evening.
St. Mary’s hurlers who were part of the Slemish Gaels combination side, Christy McDonnell, Brian Agnew and Calum Gordon with James O’Connell and James ‘Bobby’ Magee at the St. Mary’s presentation evening,
Chris McGlone presents the Senior Footballer of the Year award to Dan O’Neill.
Fionbarr O’Neill presents the Danny O’Neill Memorial trophy for Senior Footballer of the Year to Dan O’Neill.
St. Mary’s Camogs who were successful at the Kilmacud 7’s receive their medals.
Francis Neeson presents the Lilly Scullion Cup for Junior Camog of the Year to Niamh Graham.
Chris McGlone presents the Frances Agnew Mwmorial trophy for Senior Camog of the Year to Aine Graham.
Maura Graham makes a presentation to Senior Camog management members, Francis Neeson and Nuala Graham. (Missing from the photograph is Nicola Doherty)
Bernie Graham presents the Moya Forde Shield for Most Dedicated Camog to Cara Swann.
Tracey and Dessie McGuigan present the Claire McGuigan Memorial Cup for Junior Spirit of the year to Michelle McErlain, who received it on behalf of Conleth, Cormac and Conan Magee while Catherine Murray presents the Carmel Murray Cup for Senior Spirit of the Year to Bobby Magee who received it on behalf of Paul Magee.

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE REST OF THE AWARDS PRESENTED ON THE NIGHT

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November 29, 2025November 29, 2025 by thesaffrongael

O’Loughlin hat-trick helps Maghera to Leonard decider

Danske Bank Leonard Cup, Semi-Final

St. Mary’s CBGS 2-14-4-13 St. Pat’s Maghera (AET)

Kevin Herron reports from the Dub

Pics from Bert Trowlen

St. Pat’s Maghera finished strongly in the second period of extra time to claim a spot in the Danske Bank Leonard Cup Final after defeating St. Mary’s CBGS 4-13-2-14 at the Dub on Friday afternoon.

Matthew O’Neill’s late goal looked to have seen St. Mary’s complete a superb second half comeback in normal time, but Aodhan McCloskey kept his cool at the other end and drew the teams level at 2-11-3-08 to force extra time.

Three scores in succession from Joseph Conway and Ronan O’Loughlin (2) had Maghera in the ascendancy during the second period of extra time but it wasn’t until O’Loughlin added his third goal of the afternoon that the game was put to bed as St. Mary’s were unable to lift themselves for the second time in a thrilling and energy zapping semi-final encounter.

St. Pat’s were quickest off the mark in the early stages and had established a two-point lead before St. Mary responded through free-taker Padraig Kelly.

Kelly tied things up with a fantastic point from play and then moved his side in front for the first time shortly after.

The games opening goal fell to Maghera when Ronan O’Loughlin took possession and fired low past Dylan Hand to give his side a 1-2-0-3 lead.

O’Loughlin added a point from play in the aftermath with Kelly replying from the placed ball. Playing against the wind St. Mary’s would have been hopeful of taking a four-point deficit at the interval, but Maghera tagged on further scores before the break.

O’Loughlin shot over a fantastic curling shot from play, Sionan McCormack added another and on the stroke of half time O’Loughlin flashed home his second goal of the half to ensure his side held a healthy 2-5-0-4 advantage at the midway point.

Maghera extended their advantage after the break with O’Loughlin clipping over a free, but St. Mary’s began to make inroads with Padraig Kelly sending over two points from play between a converted free.

Both sides free-takers traded further placed balls in the aftermath and another two Kelly frees in quick succession had St. Mary’s within three=points with 12 minutes remaining (2-7-0-10).

With little over seven minutes remaining St. Mary’s tied things up when Matthew O’Neill was placed to divert a shot low to the Maghera net and restore parity.

Talisman O’Loughlin edged Maghea back in front from a converted free- it was cancelled out less than two minutes later though when substitute Daire Gault flicked a shot over as things remained a knife-edge.

St. Mary’s looked to have stolen things a minute into added time when the ball was passed across goal and Matthew O’Neil steadied himself and rifled to the net to put his side 2-11-2-08 ahead.

There was to be one last twist however as Aodhan McCloskey ran clear of the St. Mary’s defence deep into added time and showed no signs of pressure as he powered a shot past Dylan Hand to make it 2-11-3-8 and ensure extra time would be required.

Extra time:

The first period of extra time was a cautious affair and yielded a score a piece from either side with Matthew O’Neill’s third minute score cancelled out by a Harry McCloskey shot that dropped over to ensure things were delicately poised with the second period to play.

Maghera stole an early march in the second period with Joseph Conway finding time and space and shoot his side ahead for the first time since the 55th minute.

Then Ronan O’Loughlin clipped over back-to-back scores in the space of 60-seconds to make a weary St. Mary’s task a little bit tougher.

Padraig Kelly reduced arrears with a converted free but the next score would prove the games winning in the 80th minute when Ronan O’Loughlin bore down on goal and his shot squeezed away from Dylan Hand- despite the keepers best effort and trickled over the line.

A point from Ryan Murphy in the aftermath put six between the sides with St. Mary’s late penalty was in vein in any instance- Padraig Kelly’s attempt rose over and the final whistle immediately sounded from referee Lorenzo McMullan as Maghera jubilantly celebrated after an outstanding afternoon of hurling.

They now met St Louis’ Ballymena in the decider with Maghera hoping to clinch their second Ulster Colleges honour at this year group – having tasted success in the Thompson Final back in Year 8.

November 29, 2025November 29, 2025 by thesaffrongael

St. Mary’s edge out St Malachy’s secure top-spot

Danske Bank McLarnon Cup, Group C

St. Mary’s CBGS 0-10-0-09 St Malachy’s

From Kevin Herron

Pics by Bert Trowlen

St. Mary’s CBGS topped Group C of the Danske Bank McLarnon Cup with a hard fought 0-10-0-09 win over St Malachy’s in the final group game at the Dub on Friday afternoon,

Going into the last round of fixtures, all teams were deadlocked on two-points after St. Mary’s defeated Leacle Trinity and St. Malachy;s accounted for Our Lady and St Patrick’s College Knock on MatchDay 2.

Leacle and Knock met on Thursday evening with the Downpatrick side running out 1-15-1-07 winners to take top spot and pole position for a passage straight into the quarter-final unless St. Mary’s could defeat their Belfast neighbours and top the group on head-to-head.

The Glen Road side played with a strong breeze in the opening half and were ahead within five minutes as Sean Og McLaren shot over a two-pointed score to get his side up and running.

Odhran McAuley then kicked a free in the aftermath before Aaron Rafferty carried the ball forward and superbly guided an angled shot inside the near post to reduce arrears after 10-minutes (0-3-0-1).

Further scores were traded as Sean Og McLaren laid the ball off for Fintan McKinney to pop over and in response Cathair McKenna offloaded to Cormac Trainor to kick a fine point midway through the half.

Back-to-back converted frees extended St. Mary’s lead, the first a straight forward effort from in front of the posts from Matthew Murray, but two minutes later he himself was fouled on the edge of the arc and he notched his sides second two-pointed score of the half.

Their scoring for the half was complete by the 27th minute with another two scores arriving before the interval.

Odhran McAuley swivelled and kicked a magnificent angled point and then Cormac McCann added another a few minutes later as their side had hit four unanswered.

Just prior to the break Aaron Rafferty swung over a free to narrowly reduce the deficit at the break, as St. Mary’s held a 0-9-0-3 advantage at halfway.

St. Malachy;s made the perfect start to the second period with a two-pointed score. Thomas Mooney popped the ball out to Cormac Trainor to swing over a fine point from outside of the arc and reduce arrears by a third.

Aaron Rafferty was then in a great position to capitalise and take possession after a slip from a St. Mary’s player coming out of defence and Rafferty shot over to half the interval deficit.

St. Mary’s only second half score came after Fintan McKinney was fouled as he went to shoot and Matthew Murray clipped over the resulting free in the 37th minute.

Midway through the second period St. Malachy;s fightback gathered further pace when Michael Jennings dropped an angled shot over to make it 0-10-0-7.

In the final ten minutes Cathair McKenna kicked two close range frees that reduced the deficit to the bare minimum but St. Mary’s closed the game out, playing the possession game effectively to secure the win that saw them top the group and head straight for the Quarter-finals in the New Year.

St. Malachy’s will meanwhile occupy third spot in the Group and face a play-off tie with the team that finishes third in Group A for a place in the last eight.