Photo – Tir na nOg Health & Wellbing Officer Collette Fitzgerald with CRY Screening manager Tony Hill (right), Event Assistant Stewart Duffell (left) and a young playing member of Tir na nOg GAC at last weekend’s Cardiac Risk in the Young Clinic at their Whitehill clubrooms.
This weekend Tir naNog Randalstown successfully hosted another cardiac clinic for CRY ( Cardiac risk in the young)
This is the 10th year that the club has been involved in raising funds for CRY and we have screened around 2000 children/young people in our on-site clinic to date.
While information remains confidential we have been advised that a number of significant cardiac issues were discovered this weekend and these young people will be referred on for further assessment and treatment.
This shows that there is still a need for the service.
It is estimated that 100 young people die on the island of Ireland each year from undiagnosed cardiac conditions.
The clinic is managed by staff who fly in from London with a Cardiology doctor who is a specialist in both clinical & research data around cardiac conditions.
The screening costs between £70-£100 per person. It is free of charge at the point of screening to encourage as many people as possible get screened .
However we rely on donations to keep the service going, as it costs £13,000 to host a weekend clinic.
The screening is open to everyone aged 14 -35 years.
We would encourage all clubs/parents/young people who are interested in finding out more information, make donations or get young people booked in for screening to contact Collette Fitzgerald at TNN on 07724221640
LGFA Division 4 League semi-final at Kinscourt, Cavan
Antrim 5-08 Leitrim 3-10
Antrim secured promotion to Division 3 of the LGFA League on Sunday with a 4 point victory over reigning all Ireland Intermediate champions Leitrim in Kingscourt
This was an absolutely absorbing game of football with both teams giving everything, and while the Saffron were not at their best at times they worked their socks off from start to finish and were worthy winners in the end.
Antrim flew into a seven point lead in the first 4 minutes with Lara Dahunsi scoring a point and Ana Mulholland and captain Bronagh Devlin both raising a green flag, but back came Leitrim and with 14 minutes gone they had gone into a two point lead.
The intensity in the game at this stage was unreal and back came the Saffrons with points from Maria O Neill and two pointed frees from Bronagh Devlin to put Antrim back in front.
The game was end to end and Leitrim hit a score of their own before Teresa Mellon and Duane Coleman raised white flags to send the Antrim girls in at the interval with a 4 point lead.
The second half certainly didn’t disappoint the large crowd either as both sides went all out in an effort to claim victory.
Leitrim opened the half with two points but after a great move involving Aoife Kelly and Maria O Neill full forward Nicole Jones finished to the Leitrim net, but 60 seconds later Leitrim hit back with a goal of their own to bring themselves back into the game…
Aine Lynch then sent the ball over the Leitrim bar and Bronagh Devlin put two over one from frees to ease the pressure, but Leitrim then brought it back to a two point game but again this never say die Antrim team produced a brilliant goal.
Theresa Mellon got the ball deep in her own half and went on an amazing run up the pitch which left 4 Leitrim players trailing in her wake. She then put Maria O Neill through on goal and O’Neill duly obliged by hammering the ball to the Leitrim net to seal promotion for the Saffrons and send them into the national league final in two weeks’ time against reigning all Ireland junior champions Fermanagh…
The Antrim senior ladies management team of Micky Devlin and Chris Scullion spoke after the game …
“This is a tremendous achievement for this group of players.
Every player has played their part in taking us up to division 3…
These girls just love playing for their county and pulling on the saffron jersey.
Enjoyment and togetherness are so evident within this panel, we’ve gained promotion after just 4 months with these girls which is a credit to each and every one of them as they work so hard and push each other to the limit at training..
Our backroom team has also played a major part in getting us to the next level and we now look forward to the national league final in two weeks’ time.”
I put up a post on Saturday about a great day for the Saffrons, when our senior Camogs won Division 1b of the National Camogie League with a 3-10 to 1-11 win over Clare at Abbotstown. Our Under 20 Hurlers beat Westmeath in their opening game in the Leinster U20 Hurling Championship Tier 2 in Mullingar and our under 20 Footballers, who lost heavily to Donegal in their opening game of the Ulster Championship on Wednesday, bounced back to get a draw with Fermanagh at Dunsilly. They probably should have won after holding a six point lead going down the home straight, but after falling behind going into injury time Tarlach Enright held his nerve to land a point from a 45 and get his team a share of the spoils.
Things got even better as the weekend progressed and on Sunday morning Antrim Minor Camogs beat Derry by 2-15 to 2-9 in a fantastic Ulster final at Ahoghill. Later in the day the Saffrons LGFA team turned in a great display to be beat Leitrim by 5-8 to 3-10 in the National Football League semi-final at Kingscourt in Cavan. Overall a fantastic weekend to be a Saffron fan.
Visitors Carryduff claimed the points on day one of the ACHL Division 2 when they overcame a strong challenge from Sarsfields at the Bear Pit on Sunday.
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The visitors played their way into the contest after a slow start and led by two at the break following a quick exchange of goals, but powered home in the second period with a late Sarsfield’s goal a mere consolation.
Sarsfield’s Fionn Jemfrey landed the first score of the season for Sarsfield’s despite Carryduff protests the shot was wide and Jemfrey doubled the advantage with Caolan McKernan and Oisin Coleman also on target.
At this stage the home side were looking good with Carryduff were off finding the target elusive but Donal Rooney opened his account from a free in the 8th minute.
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However, the Paddies were calling the shots with strong pressure forcing a turnover that Daniel Smyth pointed and then Donal McKernan converted a sideline.
Eventually the South Belfast side settled into their rhythm and began to get into their stride as after an exchange of points, Donal and Eoin Rooney and Lavery would fire over points to help their side into the lead for the first time.
Donal McKernan replied from a free, but Carryduff were on a roll and they opened a three-point gap late in the half.
Sarsfield’s responded through McKernan pointing and then Enda McCartan found Jemfrey to lash to the net and at this stage the smart money was on the home side.
However, Carryduff responded in kind with Sean O’Callaghan’s initial effort saved by Daniel McKernan, but Ciaran O’Callaghan finished the rebound to help his team into a 1-12 to 1-10 advantage at the interval.
They added to that lead at the start of the second half with Conor McAlister leading the way and he would finish the game with six points. He landed the first two on the restart before the hosts hit back when Donal McKernan found Daniel Smyth with a superb crossfield sideline to score.
After Rooney pushed the gap out to three with a 65, points from Anthony McGarrigle and Brendan Jackson left one in it, but this was as close as Sarsfield’s would get.
Carryduff finished on the front foot to hit five of the next six points through McAlister and Rooney to extend the gap to six in added time before Fionn Jemfrey responded with his second goal.
This gave Sarsfield’s a lifeline, but they couldn’t engineer another opportunity as Carryduff claimed the opening day points and could be a side to watch this year.
Sarsfield’s: Daniel McKernan; D Coleman, J Cunningham, M McCavanagh; J Maguire, C McKernan (0-1), R McKenna; A McGarrigle (0-1), E McCartan (0-1); D Smyth (0-2), Donal McKernan (0-7, 3f, 2x65s, 1 sl), O Coleman (0-2); J Ward, A McKiernan, F Jemfrey (2-3).
Subs: B Jackson (0-1) for M McCavanagh (26), N McAlea for J Maguire (40).
Carryduff: C McLornan; N McArdle, C Cassidy, C Goodwin; M Conway, D Goodwin, O Wyer; O Teague, D Rooney (0-11, 8f, 2x65s); J Lavery (0-3), C McAlister (0-6), C O’Callaghan (1-0); S O’Callaghan, J Woods (0-1), E Rooney (0-3).
Subs: D Sharkey for N McArdle (50), C Ennis for S O’Callaghan (50), C O’Reilly for C O’Callaghan (58), M McCaughey for E Rooney (59).
Rossa got their hurling league campaign off to a winning start, after holding off a strong Ballycastle fightback to claim a 1-19-0-16 win at Rossa Park on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts dominated the early exchanges on the scoreboard with Deaglan Murphy converting two frees, popping over from play, assisting a Pearse Short point and then landing a magnificent angled score from out by the sideline.
Neal McAuley opened Ballycastle’s account from a converted free, with Murphy adding his third placed ball at the other end.
The elder of the returning Murphy brothers continued to add scores at will, conjuring up another free, younger brother Daire got in on the act and a further Deagaln score from play opened up a 0-9-0-1 lead.
Ballycastle would claw their way back into proceedings in the later stages of the half but for the meantime had to time their scores with Tiernan Smyth squeezing a shot inside of the posts.
Rossa almost claimed the opening goal when Deaglan Murphy slipped a pass inside to Pearse Short, but Short was bottled up by full-back Dermot Donnelly.
Four unanswered points would follow though, Deaglan Murphy adding another two placed balls, Eoghan McMenamin swung an angled shot over and Stephen Beatty dropped a fine point from range.
The visitors ended the half in ascendancy with three unanswered scores of their own. Lorcan Donnelly floated a shot over from Dermot Donnelly’s layoff, he then got his angles right shortly afterwards and Cahir Donnelly would provide another before the short whistle, though they did have their work cut-out- trailing 0-13-0-5 at the interval.
Half-time substitute Tiarnan Murphy clipped over the opening score of the second period and an Eoin Trainor score shortly afterwards had the winning margin at double figures.
Like the opening half, Neal McAuley got his side up and running from the placed ball- dropping a 65’ over and it was the first of five in a row that halved the deficit for the visitors
Conor Donnelly opened his personal account for the afternoon, Cahir doubled his and further points from Seamus McAuley and Neal McAuley from play made it 0-15-0-10.
Momentum was momentarily halted thanks to Deaglan Murphy’s seventh converted free of the day, though Neal McAuley responded from the same scenario at the other end.
McAuley punished a further three infringements in the aftermath as Ballycastle had closed to within two-points with little over five minutes remaining (0-16-0-14).
Another Murphy free again stopped the visitors momentum and on the 57th minute Rossa looked to have sealed the points when substitute Tiarnan bore down and steered a low shot beyond the reach of Eamonn Elliott.
Ballycastle rallied briefly through a Seamus McAuley point from play and a sixth converted free from McAuley.
However, the hosts ended the afternoons scoring through a splendid Tiarnan Murphy attempt that dropped over and point from youngster and substitute Liam McEnhill.
Donal Armstrong needed to be alert to deny Conor Donnelly in added time and from the resulting 65’, Seamus McAuley floated the ball towards goal and Declan McCartney made a vital stop on the line as Rossa held out for a 1-19-0-16 win and join Sundays other winners on the league summit.
ROSSA: D Armstrong, C McGuinness, C Orchin, C Boyle, D McCartney, S Beatty (0-1), O McVicker, D Rogan, D Murphy (0-11, 0-8f), C O’Neill, P Short (0-1), Daire Murphy (0-1), D Rocks, E Trainor (0-1), E McMenamin (0-1). Subs: T Murphy (1-02) for C O’Neill (HT), L McEnhill (0-1) for D Rogan (50), M Armstrong for Daire Murphy (55).
BALLYCASTLE: E Elliott, O Kearney , D Donnelly, R McCook, M McClean, J McShane, R Laverty, S McAuley (0-2), Cahir Donnelly (0-2), J McToal, N McAuley (0-8, 0-6f, 0-1 65’), R McClean, Conor Donnelly (0-1), T Smyth (0-1). Subs: C Butler for R McClean (HT), D Kelly for J McToal (40), A Kelly for R McCook (45), C McAuley for L Donnelly (49), Darragh Donnelly for C Butler (56).
