Wilsons of Rathkenny are proud to celebrate 30 years of sponsorship with Robert Emmets GAC Cushendun. It has been three decades of partnership, community spirit, and shared success.
Our relationship with the North Antrim club has stood the test of time, and we’re delighted to continue our support well into 2026 and beyond.
Pictured: Wilsons of Rathkenny Managing Director Darren Wilson and Sales Manager Dominic McQuillan present a sponsorship cheque to club committee member John O’Hara.
Here’s to another great season ahead in 2026 and to many more years supporting Cushendun Emmets GAC!
PAUL Brady’s hit song ‘Nothing but the same old story’ must have ricocheted all around Corrigan Park every time St John’s reached the semi-final stages of the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship over the last decade.
When the Dunloy hurlers beat O’Donovan Rossa heavily in 2021 to make it a magnificent three-in-a-row, hurling’s gaze turned away from Belfast again.
Seaan Elliott celebrates after scroing against Rossa in 2021
Colly Murphy’s ‘Rossa side had well and truly scorched the senior championship that year and were the first city club to reach the showpiece final since St Gall’s gate-crashed the decider in 2014, but Gregory O’Kane’s Dunloy side were arguably at their peak and just too good.
You’d need to go further back – 20 more years, to be precise – to remember the last time St John’s made it to a senior final, only to lose to an up-and-coming Dunloy in ’94.
“I was only starting out and came on in the county final in the 1994 against Dunloy,” said Johnnies man Brian McFall. “You were thinking: ‘This is great this craic – we’ll play in finals every year.’
“But we didn’t. 1994 was my one and only appearance in a county final. I didn’t get to play in another one.”
A good few of the team who won the 1973 Antrim and Ulster championship were not available when they travelled to Cork to play Blackrock in early 1974. Back rowL–R, Gerry Mallon, Billy Johnston, Ernie McMullan, Dickie Looby, John Gough, Ray McIlroy, Mickey Gallagher, Tony McNulty, Tommy Cunningham, Seamus Gallagher. Front, L-R, Peter Rafferty, Martin McGranaghan, Sean McFerrin, John McCallin, Tommy Best, Hugh McCrory, Seanie Burns, John Jamison, Andy McCallin
Keep tumbling deeper into the archives, to 1973, when the Johnnies last won the Volunteer Cup – a time when Tommy Best, Gerry McCann, Des Armstrong, John Gough, Andy McCallin and Sean Burns ruled the roost and went on to claim Ulster that same season.
Entering the 1980s, former county hurler and Johnnies man Collie Donnelly played in four senior hurling finals and lost all of them – and yet played in five football finals and won all five.
Climbing the small-ball summit proved beyond the west Belfast club and the Volunteer Cup soon became the preserve of north Antrim with Dunloy, Cushendall and Loughgiel Shamrocks sharing the coveted silver among themselves.
Over the last decade the Johnnies assumed the unwanted tag of the ‘nearly men’ of Antrim hurling.
Time and again they came up short. Hoodoo and semi-finals were synonymous with the Whiterock Road club.
Even though they firmly believed that they possessed the talent to win a championship – among them, the Johnstons, the Bradleys, the Bohills – there was always somebody better than them in any given year, and that’s all it took.
They lost five consecutive semi-finals between 2018 and 2022. Nobody did crushing semi-final defeats quite like the Johnnies.
Just when you thought they couldn’t lose in more dramatic fashion, the Johnnies out-done themselves every year.
In 2018, they were five up with five minutes to play against their nemesis Cushendall and somehow conjured defeat.
Cushendall’s Conor Carson whose two second half goals sunk the Johnnies in the 2018 semi-final replay in Ballycastle
The following year, it was the Ruairi Ogs again who denied them a final spot.
St John’s forged ahead twice in stoppage-time but Cushendall came back to draw the game before going on to win a tense replay.
No club championship lifted the COVID gloom in 2020 more than Antrim’s – an unforgettable series of games that was topped by a miraculous one-armed display from Domhnall Nugent who singlehandedly took the game to Loughgiel Shamrocks.
The trees around Dunsilly still whisper about Nugent’s skill and courage that day.
Now keeping goal for St John’s this season and interpreting the role supremely well, Nugent could be on Davy Fitzgerald’s radar as back-up to Ryan Elliott.
In 2021, controversy reigned in Dunsilly as Ciaran Johnston was red-carded after 90 seconds and defending champions Dunloy advanced to another final.
In 2022, the Johnnies opened up with a fine win over Loughiel Shamrocks in Corrigan Park but suffered a surprise collapse in their last four joust with Dunloy.
Brendan Crossan interviews Oisin McManus after the Johnnies win over Loughgiel in the round robin section of the 2022 championship at Corrigan Park
Two first-half goals from Conal Cunning and a third from Nigel Elliott ruined St John’s final chances. Dunloy were unstoppable. The Johnnies went back to the drawing board.
“As soon as Dunloy got the first goal, our heads dropped and we never recovered,” McFall said.
Faith in the Johnnies began to sag after that. Club stalwart Mickey Johnston came back for another managerial stint and kept the side competitive before leaving the reins for Gerard Cunningham this season.
The Johnnies team-sheet hasn’t changed a great deal over the last number of years – but nobody, outside of the players themselves, expected 2025 to be the year the west Belfast club reached their first final since ’94.
Ryan McNulty’s injury time points sent his team through to another semi-final meeting with Cushendall
In their quarter-final at St Enda’s on the Hightown Road, O’Donovan Rossa were the better team – until an unfortunate slip, a scuffed goal from Michael Bradley and a raking score from defender Ryan McNulty saw the Johnnies tear up the script.
Cushendall awaited them in the semi-finals.
The entire county began humming Paul Brady’s hit song as the Johnnies struggled to reel their north Antrim rivals in midway through the second half.
But once they managed to quell the influence of Cushendall’s brilliant young corner-forward Fiontan Bradley, the Johnnies were back in the game.
Ciaran Johnston in action against Cushendall in the semi-final
Enda McGurk, Peter McCallin and Ryan McNulty excelled in the Johnnies defence while Ciaran Johnston – the team fixer – won’t play many better games for the rest of his career than the one he produced against Cushendall.
Conor Johnston, Ciaran’s brother, passed the semi-final stress test, as did Conal Bohill and Shea Shannon in the two periods of extra-time to reach the final.
While so many gave up on them some years back, the St John’s players never stopped believing.
You just need to trace the team-sheet back to bleaker days and appreciate what resilience looks like.
As Loughgiel Shamrocks await them in Ballycastle on Sunday, St John’s have wrestled the quill and are intent on writing their own piece of history now.
Saturday is another milestone in Lámh Dhearg’s proud and distinguished history as they come together to celebrate 20 years of LGFA in the club. Orla Megraw an established player and member of the organising subcommittee is very excited about the anniversary celebrations as she fondly reflects.
“It’s brilliant that it’s come so far from what it was like at the start”
“We were training at Hannahstown Hall with the Seniors and U-12s together in 2005 and wearing one of the old mens kits that looked like it was from the 80’s.
“We’ve come so far now to having two senior LGFA teams- one of the few clubs in Antrim to have that, along with the juvenile teams, Gaelic for Mothers and Others.
“It’s a really great testament to all the work my Dad [Kieran Megraw] started and continued along with all the subsequent dedicated and committed coaches for sticking with us, especially over those first few years when it looked like we were never going to win a match”.
“It’s really positive to have juveniles coming through and some of the original senior players now coaching them.”
“At the start we didn’t really have that and now girls can play with their own age group the whole way up- which is great for their development and getting to know their team-mates.
“Then, from starting out at FUNdamentals the whole way up through their age groups with the coaches selflessly giving up their time, it is amazing and much appreciated.
“It gives everybody the opportunity to get some game time at their own age group and hopefully it will be very positive whenever they come out as senior players”.
Orla and members of her family came together with others to suggest the idea of an event to celebrate the occassion and is looking forward to meeting with past team-mates and coaches.
“Over the last couple of years we realised that it would be important to recognise it as most of us can’t believe it has been 20-years”
“A few of the girls that have been there from the start, My Dad, my sister Caoimhe and I had met up over the summer and thought it would be nice to plan something”.
“Obviously there have been so many different girls over the last 20-years, some that have gone onto play for Gaelic for Mothers and Others, some who’ve maybe retired and some who would have played for us before their home team had an LGFA team and they have since gone back to their own club.
“We just thought it would be a great opportunity to meet up with everybody and celebrate how far we have developed and progressed and involve the juvenile, seniors and Gaelic for Mothers and Others teams”.
“I’m really looking forward to celebrating all our achievements and then catching up with people that we haven’t seen for years and years”
“It would be great to see all of those girls who aren’t playing anymore or who have gone back to their home clubs, all of our mentors over the years and coaches- we wouldn’t see them every week anymore, it would be nice to catch up with them as well and they will be warmly welcomed.
“We’d love to encourage anybody who has been involved with LGFA in the club at any age to come up and have a good chat about all the memories and enjoy the craic”.
Saturday promises to be an eventful day to mark the 20th anniversary with a busy programme of activities.
Programme
3pm Under 7/8 Blitz
4.45 Group photo
5.30 Buffet
6.00 Bingo for children and adults
6.30 Question & Answer session with some of the key former and current personalities of LGFA in the club
8pm Craic agus Ceol
No doubt many will attend the celebrations. It clearly bodes well for a healthy future of LGFA in the club and a credit to all concerned in its 20 years existence.
Saturday’s Intermediate Hurling Championship final in Loughgiel brings together the top two teams in the competition this year with both competing in Group 2 of the league part of the competition and both finishing on 8 points.
The sides crossed swords back on the 24th of August in round 3 in Ahoghill with the Glenariffe side edging a keenly contested affair where they ran out 2-19 to 1-18 winners.
It was Tir na nOg’s only defeat in a group which included Robert Emmet’s, Shane O’Neills, St. Gall’s and St. Brigid’s Cloughmills.
The ‘Biddies’ finished bottom of the group but inflicted defeat on Oisin’s in their final group game but by that stage the Waterfoot men had already qualified as group winners and fielded an understrength side.
Seanie McIntosh in action against Tir na nOg in their group game in Ahoghill
The top two sides in Group 1 and Group 2 progressed to the semi-finals with Glenariffe facing Cloney Gaels under the lights in Ballymena and Tir na nOg crossing swords with neighbours, Kickham’s Creggan in Ahoghill.
Both sides followed similar patterns as Oisin’s hit an unanswered 2-6 at Quinn Park after falling behind to a Ronan Graham point in the opening minute to lead by 11 with ten minutes gone and even at this stage it was hard to envisage a Cloney comeback.
Their first goal came from Michael O’Boyle after Diarmuid Graham had been blocked down as he attempted to clear and his brother, Alex added the second with 8 minutes gone as Cloney struggled to put meaningful attacks together.
Alex O’Boyle gave an exhibition of free taking for the sea siders while his brother Michael, Seanie McIntosh and Orrin O’Connor led the early onslaught on the Ahoghill goals.
Cloney Gaels did fare better after the break but never really looked like closing the gap on an excellent Oisin side for whom Paul McMullan in goals was excellent and pulled off a couple of superb stops.
It was a similar story at Ahoghill as a dazzling first half display from Tir na nOg, Randalstown saw them overcome the challenge of neighbours Kickham’s Creggan in the other championship semi-final in front of a bumper crowd at an overcast Cloney.
The Whitehill side dominated the opening half with Sean Duffin giving an imperious exhibition of point taking, from the placed ball and from play as the big number 8 controlled the tempo of the game from mid-field.
Tir na nOg’s Sean Duffin comes in for some close attention
It was as good as over at half time when the Whitehill side led 2-10 to 0-3 and while Creggan were much better after the break the goal that might have brought them back into contention never looked like materialising.
Josh Higgins from play and Sean Duffin from two converted frees edged Tir na nOg 0-3 to 0-0 ahead after 7 minutes play.
Morgan Nelson replied for Creggan with a point in the 10th minute but it was the greater intensity and pace of their opponents that continued to see them add scores in quick succession.
Ciaran Logan, Sean Duffin (0-2 f’s) and Eamon Og McAllister with an excellent point increased their lead to seven by the 16th minute before Conor McCann briefly halted the onslaught from a well struck long range free.
By half time it looked as good as over but, to their credit Creggan fought to the end and out-scored their neighbours in a much improved second half performance while never looking like overturning that substantial interval lead.
Oisin’s have been installed as favourites since early in the championship and under the guidance of former Cloney Gaels management team, Hugh Dobbin and Shea O’Hagan they have shown considerable improvement.
Dobbin and O’Hagan guided them to last year’s final in their first season in charge but they lost to a strong Carey Faughs in the decider.
This year they have looked the team to beat and romped away with the division 2 league title and are favourites to complete a famous double.
Oisin’s free taker, Alex O’Boyle could be involved in a shootout with Sean Duffin on Saturday in Loughgiel
It’s 23 years though since they last lifted the title while Tir na nOg were crowned champions as recently as 2022 and quite a few of that championship winning panel are still around.
Kevin Sherrin in goals, Ciaran O’Neill, Brandon McLarnon, Manus Smith, Conor McCamphill, Emmet Murray, Darragh Fagan, Ryan O’Neill, Eamon Og McAllister and Caoimhin Duffin will lead the Tir na nOg challenge with an in form Sean Duffin vital to their challenge.
Paul McMullan, Niall Murray, Callum McIlwaine, David Kearney Niall Magee, Odhran Gillan, Oliver Kearney, Alex and Michael O’Boyle are the men who can swing it Glenariffe’s way but they will face a firm challenge from the Whitehill men.
Featured Image: The Casements U16A Championship winning side of 2024 who will be back in action in the Minor A final at Dunsilly on Friday night against St. Paul’s
Antrim Minor A Football Championship Final
Casement’s Portglenone v St. Paul’s
Dunsilly – Friday 7-30
Friday night’s Minor Football Championship final at Dunsilly has all the makings of a thriller.
This final may have come a year early for a youthful Portglenone, all but two of whom will be underage again next year.
Last year the Casement’s defeated St. Brigid’s in the U16A decider at tomorrow night’s venue and the Bannsiders were again victorious over the Musgrave Park side in this year’s Minor semi-final.
Owen Doherty’s side began their journey to tomorrow night’s decider with a hard earned away victory to Erin’s Own Cargin, the Ports running out 1-18 to 2-13 winners in a very competitive contest.
It didn’t get any easier for Casements when they travelled to St. Brigid’s in the quarter-final but again the South West side dug deep to emerge victorious on a 1-16 to 0-14 scoreline.
The St Paul’s Under 16 team who beat Portglenone in the deiciding game of the league at Shaw’s Road in August. Like the Casements team above there will be a good few of these young players lining out in Friday evening’s Minor final at Dunsilly.
It was back on the road again in last week’s semi-final against St. Enda’s at Hightown where the Casement’s journey looked like it was coming to an end when they trailed by 8 points.
Once again however the Portglenone youngsters showed great resilience and fighting spirit as they finished strongly to emerge victorious by the minimum to set up a meeting with St. Paul’s in tomorrow night’s final.
Their opponents in Friday night’s final, St. Paul’s will start this one as slight favourites. Despite only finishing 5th in the Minor league division 1, a point behind Portglenone, they have sprung to life in this year’s championship.
They travelled to Moneyglass in the quarter-final and recorded a six point win over St. Ergnat’s to set up a semi-final meeting with a Creggan side who had been excellent in their opening two championship games.
The Kickham’s had posted an impressive 2-21 against St. Mary’s Aghagallon in a preliminary round encounter and scored 4-11 away to St. Gall’s in the quarter-final and would have started favourites against St. Paul’s in the semi-final.
The Shaw’s Road side turned the form book on its head however when they travelled to the Staffordstown Road and beat Creggan by 4-15 to 1-14 as they produced their best performance of the season.
St. Pauls are a big, strong, physical side with Shea Kearns in goals and Brendan McMorrow, Ciaran McCann and and U16 star, Jay Gault imposing in defence.
Cormac Trainor and Conal Burke form a strong mid-field partnership while Ciaran Rogers Duffy, Niall Carmichael and Sean McClaren are potent attacker.
There’s a feeling that this final may have come a year too early for the Portglenone lads but their management will be having none of that and will feel the fighting spirit they have shown throughout the championship will stand them in good stead.
John McAtamney is a competent keeper and Tom Duffin, Christy McDonnell, Ryan McKeever and Oisin McAtamney are strong defenders with the ability to attack when the occasion arises.
Odhran Doherty at mid-field could be their ace in the pack where he forms a formidable partnership with Tom Convery while James McVeigh returns to their attack after missing the semi-final where Conor Burns and Eoghan McErlean pose a scoring threat.
As I said at the start, St. Paul’s will start Friday night’s final as slight favourites but despite the fact that most of their opponents side are under age next season, Poertglenone have forged a winning habit over the last couple of years and should not be ruled out.
