Ulster Council GAA

This year the Ulster GAA Coaching Conference is targeting coaches who workin the nursery and juvenile sections of our clubs. This is a very important area within our clubs. It is at this stage of the young player’s development that the right building blocks are set down for their future progress and development.

The title of the Conference “Physical Activity, Common Goals, Different Roles” was used at the National Coaching and Training Centres 8th National Forum in 2005. This has become very relevant in Ulster as we have moved forward in recent years. Clubs are now running nursery sessions with under 6′s and fundamentals up to Under 8 and 10 with more sports specific activity up to under 12 and 14. The Minister’s Sport in Schools programme is delivering physical literacy to Foundation and Key Stage 1 pupils (up to primary 4). Teachers in the Schools also have a responsibility for delivering the new curriculum and embedded in this is the Fundamental Movement Skills Programme (FMS) being delivered by the Education and Library Boards.

The Conference explores how all stakeholders have a common goal, the physical literacy and health of our young people and the development of better technical and tactically aware children and youth who feed into our Gaelic Games.

As we move forward the “what” we coach becomes increasingly important. Of equal importance is the “how” we coach – as the coach / player interaction often influences the young persons’ future involvement in our games. We are joined by some of Irelands leading coaches and educationalists who will share their expertise, knowledge, ideas and concerns as we “strive to meet the needs of the future generation of GAA players in Ulster”.

The conference attendance is limited to 350, and places will be distributed on a first come first served basis.

The cost of attending this one-day event is £20 / €25 per person, and you must pre-register, by contacting Bernie Mc Glinchey on 028 37 521900, or email at bmcglinchey@ulster.gaa.ie

The deadline for registration is: Monday 19th January at 4.00pm.

Related:

- 2009 Ulster GAA Coaching Conference Booking Form

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 6:06 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Venue: Loughry College, Cookstown (Food Technology Room 5)
Tutor: Des Jennings
Info: This theory session will specifically look at the age group of 15 and older.  This course is open to everyone but is particularly aimed at Development Squad, Under 16, Under 18, Under 21 and Senior county and club coaches in both codes.

Please note change of course on this date.

Please note that this course is free of charge to everyone.

Contact: Should you have any queries please contact Tony Scullion 07795120438.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ulster Club SFC Final Replay:
Crossmaglen Rangers 0-12 Ballinderry Shamrocks 1-4

A determined fourth-quarter display sealed a seventh Ulster Club SFC success for Crossmaglen Rangers following a five-point replay victory over Ballinderry Shamrocks at Brewster Park, Enniskillen.

In a game played in dry conditions, a somewhat disappointing opening half was overshadowed by an excellent second half display from both teams who produced some excellent football, with Oisin McConville the top scorer, finishing this game with five points, the margin between the sides at the full-time whistle.

As they had done in the drawn encounter two weeks previously, Crossmaglen began this game in determined fashion and were fully deserving of their 0-4 to 0-1 interval lead, with McConville kicking two first-half points.

But it was a first half dominated by some indecisiveness by both teams in front of the posts, with defences standing firm and Ballinderry Shamrocks in particular failing to capitalise on scoring opportunities, as the Derry champions could only manage a Conleith Gilligan point after ten minutes for all of their first half efforts.

Colin Devlin, Gilligan and Darren Conway were among those who had scoring chances for Shamrocks, who finished the first half with three wides, but had numerous other chances cleared by the Crossmaglen defence, with Paul Kernan putting in a man-of-the match display from his full-back berth.

A powerful Michael McNamee effort propelled Crossmaglen into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead after eleven minutes, but amazingly just one further point was produced before the interval, with McConville slotting over his second pointed free in the 29th minute.

In a first half dominated by indiscipline and poor football, a flurry of yellow cards was issued by referee Brian Crowe in the 22nd minute as Crossmaglen brothers Aaron and Stephen Kernan and  Ballinderry’s Raymond Wilkinson were booked following an incident in the midfield sector.

Crossmaglen Rangers continued to show some of their outstanding football pedigree on the restart with a brace of points to open the second half on a positive note.

It was a combination of experience and youth which powered Crossmaglen to a five-point lead within two minutes of the restart as veteran McConville slotted over his third point, which was quickly followed with an excellent score from the youthful Paul McKeown.

But Ballinderry quickly kept tabs on Crossmaglen’s advances as scores from Gilligan and midfielder James Conway edged the Derry champions within a goal of their opponents.
That vital three-pointer quickly followed as James Bateson’s 36th minute goal levelled the contest for the first time.

But despite the strong efforts of the half-time substitute this was as close as his side would get to a first Ulster glory since 2001 with Crossmaglen exerting dominance once again in the final quarter.

Rangers outscored their opponents by 0-4 to 0-1 during the last 15 minutes, with a brace of those scores coming from McConville including a 60th minute penalty strike, which the 33-year-old opted to slot over the crossbar to secure a five-point win and a first three-in-a-row since the 1980′s.

Crossmaglen Rangers: P Hearty; P McKeown (0-1), P Kernan, B McKeown; A Kernan (0-1, 1f), F Bellew, J Donaldson; T McEntee, D McKenna; S Kernan, J McEntee, M McNamee (0-2); J Clarke (0-1), O McConville (0-5, 2f 1pen), J Murtagh (0-1). Subs: T Kernan for S Kernan (42); K Carragher (0-1) for Clarke (51); J Hanratty for Murtagh (55)

Ballinderry Shamrocks: M Conlon; D Bell, N McCusker, C Wilkinson; K McGuckin, R McGuckin, M Bell; J Conway (0-1), K M McGuckin; D Conway, C Gilligan (0-2, 1f), R Wilkinson; C Devlin, B McGuckin, M Harney (0-1). Subs: J Bateson (1-0) for B McGuckin (HT); S Rocks for K M McGuckin (Blood sub 45-48); P Wilson for D Bell (53); R Scott for Kevin M McGuckin (56)

Referee: Brian Crowe (Cavan)

This entry was posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 11:11 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Yesterday’s Ulster Club Senior Football Championship Final fell foul of the winter frost and had to be called off at around 12pm.  The refixed final replay will now take place on Sunday 14^th December at Brewster Park Enniskillen, with a 2.30pm throw in.

—

Sunday’s game – like all replays, is set to be a serious tactical battle.  The past fourteen days will have been a time for reflection for both Donal Murtagh and Martin McKinless and their respective backroom teams.   From a Ballinderry perspective, they will realise that Ronan McGuckin made an impact in the physical stakes when introduced last week and subsequently, could be introduced from the offset.  Darren Conway was extremely busy in the first half where he was very mobile at centre half forward and also pulled Francie Bellew out from the heart of the Cross’ defence.  Niall McCusker could be deployed to the edge of the square from the start as Ballinderry are physically small in the inside line.  With Enda Muldoon rightfully deployed at midfield, Colin Devlin, Raymond Wilkinson and Brian McGuckin all contributed to last week’s epic, but they lack physical strength and can be swallowed up in the tackle.  These are just some of the ideas that McKinless and co will have discussed since last Sunday.

From Crossmaglen’s point of view, they will know that should they find themselves in a similar position to last week with ten minutes remaining, they will need to kill the game off like they have done so many times in the past, but for some reason not last week.  Paul Kernan’s deployment at full back worked well, with John Donaldson also having a strong game at wing half back.  In the air, Tony McEntee, David McKenna and John McEntee were at times sublime.  These three provided a strong platform for most of Crossmaglen’s attacks.  Michael McNamee looked extremely dangerous at times, but like Tony and Stephen Kernan, he wasn’t involved in the game enough.  John Murtagh looked lively when introduced and took a fine point off his left foot, so he could claim a starting berth.

Last weeks final was a far cry from the 2006 decider that was played in horrendous conditions at Casement Park, that ended in a Crossmaglen victory on a scoreline of 0-5 to 0-3.  Today, supporters are looking forward in anticipation to a game to match last week’s hugely entertaining tussle.  Will Crossmaglen secure their three in a row or will Ballinderry collect their second Ulster title?  Hopefully, by 4.00pm on Sunday we will have an answer to this conundrum.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

GAA President to attend special dinner to honour 1958 Sigerson champions

Event: Dinner to mark the 50^th Anniversary of Queen’s University’s victory in the 1958 Sigerson Cup
When: Saturday, 13^th December 2008 at 7.00pm
Where: Queen’s University, Belfast

GAA President Nickey Brennan will attend a special dinner in Belfast on Saturday, 13^th December to mark the 50^th anniversary of Queen’s University’s first Sigerson Cup success.  He will be joined by the surviving members of that team and a number of other guests, including some members of the losing UCD side of ’58.

The Sigerson Cup is the premier intervarsity sports competition in Ireland.

The Queen’s success of 50 years ago precipitated the eventual breakthrough of Down in 1960, and came only months after Derry had competed in the All-Ireland final.

Queen’s have since won the competition another seven times, most recently in 2007.

The 1958 team featured a number of intercounty stars of the time, including Seán O’Neill of Down who would later win three All-Irelands, two Allstars and a place on the GAA Team of the Millennium and is regarded as the greatest of Ulster’s Gaelic Footballers.

The late Paddy O’Hara (Antrim) who passed away in August, was manager of the successful team. O’Hara was a star of the Ulster championship winning Antrim sides of 1946 and 1951.

Other members of the team included Phil Stuart, Peter Smith, Leo O’Neill, Gerry O’Neill and Tom Scullion, all of whom had featured for Derry in the 1958 All-Ireland final.  Leo and Gerry O’Neill are brothers of Martin O’Neill (the current Aston Villa manager).

Two of the victorious side have passed on – Christy Mallon (Tyrone) and Mick Brewster of Fermanagh (whose sons Paul and Tom have starred for Fermanagh and both were Sigerson Cup winners with Queen’s – Paul as captain in 1993 and Tom in 2000).

Queen’s overcame an eleven-point half-time deficit in the 1958 Sigerson Cup final to draw level with UCD on the stroke of full-time, thanks to a last gasp Phil Stuart goal.  The replay took place in Ballybay, Co Monaghan in February 1959.  Once again, QUB trailed at the break, this time by six points.  But they eventually rallied with Tom Scullion scoring the winner in a 0-10 to 0-9 victory.

The Golden Jubilee dinner will be hosted by the Queen’s University GAA Past Members’ Union.

John Devaney, QUB GAA PMU Chairman, said that “it is a welcome opportunity to honour the team that pioneered Queens’ success in the Sigerson Cup.  The success in 1958 was a milestone achievement, not just for the GAA at the university, but also in terms of its impact across Ulster”.

Mr Devaney added that “Paddy O’Hara and the members of the ’58 side have been iconic figures for the hundreds who have represented Queen’s in the Sigerson Cup ever since.  The surviving members of the team, as well as representative of the Mallon and Brewster families, will be travelling to this event from across Ulster and Ireland so it should be a special occasion”.

Further details on the Golden Jubilee dinner are available from Karl Oakes, QUB GAA PMU Secretary at 02890387688 or k.oakes@qub.ac.uk.

PHOTOGRAPH ENCLOSED:

Back Row (l-r):             Seán O’Kane, Peter Smith, Christy Mallon (RIP), Phil Stuart, Seán O’Neill, Patsy McDonald, Seamus McMahon, Henry McRory

Middle Row (l-r):          John O’Neill, Tom Scullion, Barney McNally, Paddy McGuckian, Mick Brewster (RIP), Frank Higgins, Gerry O’Neill, Charlie Murphy, Leo O’Neill, Eamonn Flanigan

Front Row (l-r):            Dessie O’Rourke, Kevin Halpenny, Paddy O’Hara (RIP), Hugh O’Kane (Captain), Dr John Macaulay (RIP), Seamus Mallon, Brendan Donaghy

CONTACT:
Mr Karl Oakes
Secretary
Queen’s University GAA Past Members’ Union
Tel       + 44 (0)2890 387688
Mob     + 44 (0) 7841235877
Email    k.oakes@qub.ac.uk

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ulster Club Senior Football Championship Final:
Ballinderry (Derry) 1-10 Crossmaglen (Armagh) 1-10

In the Ulster Club Senior Football Championship Final, Ballinderry and Crossmaglen played out an entrawling draw at Brewster Park Enniskillen.

‘Cross’ looked to have secured their 7th Ulster title as Oisin McConville’s goal helped them to a 5 point lead, with as many minutes remaining. However, with time running out, full-back come full-forward Niall McCusker blasted home for the Derry champions to share the spoils.

The replay will now take place in Brewster Park Enniskillen on Sunday 7th December, with throw-in at 3.45pm (with extra time if necessary).

—

Ulster Club Intermediate Football Championship Final:
Greenlough (Derry) 0-7 Trillick (Tyrone) 0-8

In Saturday night, under the floodlights of the newly redeveloped Athletic Grounds in Armagh, Trillick and Greenlough played out an absorbing Intermediate Club Final, where the Tyrone side emerged winners by the minimum of margins.

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Ulster Club Junior Football Championship Final:
Druhowan (Monaghan) 5-10 Lissan (Derry) 0-4

In the curtain raiser to the Senior Final on Sunday Drumhowan added the Ulster Club Junior Football Championship Cup to their trophy cabinet. In what was a one-sided affair, the Monaghan champions ran out easy winners in the end.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ulster picked up a total of 6 Ladies Football All-Stars at the gala banquet at CityWest Hotel on Saturday night.

All-Ireland Champions Cork and Ulster champions Monaghan dominated the nominations for this year’s Ladies Football All-Stars with 20 nominations between the two senior finalists but it was the four in a row champions who collected the most All Stars on the night.

Cork, who have dominated the senior grade over the past four years, deservedly picked up the majority of the honours on the night with new Cork captain Angela Walsh collecting her fourth award to match her four All-Ireland medals.

Monaghan were rewarded for their outstanding displays this year with four All Stars.

Intermediate champions Tipperary picked up one All Star in the form of Edel Hanley while Michaela Downey landed her first award for Down.

Senior counties Mayo and Tyrone also picked up a single All Star on the night.

Cumann Peil Gael na mBán also announced that in January 2008 the Ladies Football All Stars would travel to Dubai to play an exhibition match.  The last Ladies Football All Stars tour was to Singapore in 2006.

Uactaran na hEireann, Mary McAleese was the guest of honour at the prestigious event which was filmed live for deferred airing on TG4.

Entertainment was provided on the night by Brian Kennedy, while Marty Morrissey and Dathi O’Se led proceedings.

The Young Players of the Year Awards went to Dora Gorman (Salthill/Knocknacarra, Galway – Connacht), Alice Malone (Kileen, Laois -Leinster), Aine O’Leary (Cil Min, Cork – Munster) and Jane Ward (Beragh Red Knights, Tyrone – Ulster)

Helen O’Rourke, Chief Executive of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, said “The All Stars would not be possible but for the contribution of our sponsors TG4 and O’Neills. I would like to take this opportunity to thank most sincerely the Managing Director of O’Neill’s Tony Towell and an Ceannasai TG4 Pól O’Gallchóir for their commitment to the sponsorship of our sport and their continued support of the Association.”

O’Neills/TG4 Ladies Gaelic Football All Star Team 2008: Elaine Harte(Cork); Sharon Courtney (Monaghan), Angela Walsh (Cork), Linda Barrett (Cork); Briege Corkery(Cork), Brid Stack (Cork), Neamh Woods (Tyrone); Amanda Casey (Monaghan), Juliet Murphy (Cork); Michela Downey (Down), Niamh Kindlon (Monaghan), Nollaig Cleary(Cork); Edel Hanley (Tipperary), Cora Staunton (Mayo), Edel Byrne (Monaghan).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 10:53 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The Ulster Council’s second Club and Community Development conference organised in partnership with the Irish News took place in the Europa Hotel, Belfast, on Saturday 15^th November.

Over 500 delegates attended including club, county and provincial level GAA officials, central and local government officials, and four government ministers including Tánaiste Mary Coughlan TD, Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie MLA, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon Ó Cuiv, TD and Minister for Education, Catriona Ruane MLA who deputised for deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness who had to attend to urgent business at the last minute.

The focus of this year’s conference was “Enhancing Community Cohesion through the development of GAA club and volunteers”

GAA President, Nickey Brennan, and President-Elect, Christy Cooney were also present with Cooney outlining the key initiates from the new National GAA Strategy which will be launched on November 25^th.  This year the master of ceremonies was BBC presenter Lynnette Fay.

There where seven conference workshops this year, that included

• Pitch and Club House Development: This workshop hosted by Stephen McGeehan Operations Manager, Ulster GAA and Helen Donnelly Development Officer in Sport NI focused on the development of facilities at clubs. Sport NI recently announced that 14 GAA clubs have benefited from capital funding which will see the development of second pitches on their groups, the bids for funding were completed with the support from officials in Ulster GAA.

• Volunteer and Community Leadership: This workshop hosted by Ulster GAA Strategic Adviser Mark Conway and consultant John O’Neill from the Venture I Network looked at the important role that volunteer GAA officials play in the development of community capacity building. The workshop gave an overview of the job roles of club executive officers and will highlighted the importance of club planning and community consultation.

• Urban Club Development: This workshop hosted by Ulster GAA Community Development Manager Ryan Feeney reviewed the new development initiatives that the GAA are establishing to support urban clubs in their ongoing development. The workshop gave case studies on successful urban GAA clubs and included testaments and ideas urban club officers.

• Child Protection at Club Level: Hosted by Geraldine McKavanagh, Child Protection Officer Ulster GAA. This workshop reviewed the recent changes to legislation that resulted in a review of the Child Protection procedures required by GAA clubs. This workshop also gave an overview of the important measures that each club must take to ensure that the GAA is compliant in this vital are of association business.

• Celebrating 125^th Anniversary of the GAA at Club Level: Hosted by Ulster GAA 125 Committee member Donal McAnallen, this workshop suggested initiatives that clubs can “roll-out” as part of the anniversary celebrations.

• Women in the GAA: Hosted by Ulster GAA Health and Wellbeing Manager Aileen Tohill, this workshop highlighted the important role that women play in the association, it focused on the integration process that has been taking place in Ulster over the past three years and suggested club level initiatives that could increase female involvement in the GAA.

• Club Communication: Irish News “Against the breeze” columnist and reporter Paddy Heaney hosted this workshop which gave club volunteers advice on how to deal with the press and media, and suggested tips and pointers on how to better promote the club develop improve sponsorship coverage.  The workshop also reviewed the development of the new national GAA brand as explained by David O’Connor from The Brand Union, which has resulted in new crests and branding for the entire association. This workshop gave clubs an overview of the new branding procedures and their relevance at club level.

The conference also held a one hour workshop as part of the consultation process for the new Ulster GAA strategy 2009-2015 were delegates could contribute to the development of the new strategy.

The conference also saw the launch of the new Ulster GAA Community Development Unit, which has been established to provide dedicated support for capacity building at club level, the new unit also, has responsibility for Community Outreach initiatives and strategic development across the province. The unit will be employing two new community development officers as part of a cross-jurisdictional initiative supported by the Department of Social Development and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Ulster GAA President Tom Daly highlighted the success of the conference “This years conference was an outstanding success  and I am thankful to all the 500  plus delegates for attending the event and, I am confident that those present all got something from the day that will assist them in making the GAA better in both their club and community. I am also thankful to the government representatives including the Tánaiste, both Community Ministers and the Minister of Education for lending their support to the day. I would also thank the Irish News for their support in the organisation of the conference, they are an excellent corporate partner and I look forward to launch of the Irish News Club and Volunteer Awards in March”

Irish News editor Noel Doran said,“We are delighted to show our support for the conference as it is a major event for the GAA in Ulster. The conference objectives fit perfectly with the aspirations of the Irish News to create a healthy future for the GAA in Ulster.”

Éamon Ó Cuív TD, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, who is also President of his local GAA club Naomh Pádraig CLG An Fhairche (Clonbur) Co. Galway said: “As a Minister with responsibility for community development I often use the G.A.A. at local level in particular, as one of the best examples of volunteering and community development across the island of Ireland. As a sporting organisation that is inclusive of all age groups and of both women and men, the G.A.A. can play an increasingly key role in integrating all of our communities and in the integration of new residents to our shores.”

Commenting on the new initiatives Minister for Social Development Margaret Ritchie MLA said: “The GAA in Ireland occupies a special place in the social and community life of many towns and villages.  It is Ireland’s largest amateur sporting, community and cultural organisation. I am committed to the ‘shared future’ and ‘good relations’ agenda sitting at the heart of all social policy. Segregation and polarisation has cost us dearly in economic, but more importantly, in social terms. Today, I am thankful to say that the binds of division are dissolving. I want to take this opportunity to encourage you in the work you are taking forward to strengthen community cohesion.  The GAA has always shown leadership at community level and long may this continue.”

Conference presentations and resources are available on the Ulster GAA Club Maith web-site www.ulster.gaa.ie/club-maith

Additionally photos and video reports on the conference are available on the Irish News web-site www.irishnews.com/gaaconference

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 11:27 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Jane Adams capped a superb week for Antrim camogie as her 2-9 haul inspired O’Donovan Rossa to All-Ireland senior club camogie glory on Sunday.

O’Donovan Rossa became the first Ulster outfit to capture the Bill Carroll trophy in the 44-year history of the competition as they recorded a 2-15 to 1-12 victory against Tipperary and Munster champions Drom & Inch.

A huge crowd witnessed a splendid game played on a fine pitch at Donaghmore, Asbourne and Adams was the undoubted star turn as two first half goals helped to establish a 2-7 to 0-8 interval lead for O’Donovan Rossa.

Adams collected Antrim’s very first camogie Allstar award eight days before this historic club final and she found the net twice in the final ten minutes of the first half to set 2006 runners-up O’Donovan Rossa on their way to a famous win.

With 20 minutes on the watch, Adams collected a fine ball from Seaneen Daykin to open up a 1-4 to 0-4 advantage and after Joanne Ryan responded with a point for Drom & Inch, Adams struck a second goal in the 25th minute.

Drom & Inch hit back with a free from their top scorer Therese Shortt but the lethal Adams hit three frees before the end of the first half to open up a five-point interval lead.

O’Donovan Rossa opened the second half with points from Maorisa McGourty and Grainne Connolly to put more daylight between the sides before Shortt opened Drom’s second half account with a free.

Three minutes from the end, Mary Looby scored a consolation goal with a fin= e handpassed effort to the net but it proved too little too late for Drom & Inch as O’Donovan Rossa secured a six-point win.

Adams, Daykin and Kerrie O’Neill were O’Donovan Rossa’s leading players while Shortt, Looby, Joanne Ryan and Geraldine Kinnane showed well for Drom & Inch.
Scorers for O’Donovan Rossa: Jane Adams 2-9, Grainne Connolly 0-2, Mariosa McGourty 0-2, Kerrie O’Neill & Maureen Stewart 0-1 each.
Scorers for Drom & Inch: Therese Shortt 0-7, Joanne Ryan 0-3, Mary Looby 1-2.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 11:04 am and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Ulster Interfirms Senior Football Championship Final:
Ulster GAA (Armagh) 3-8  McAleer & Rushe (Tyrone) 1-8

Ulster GAA continued their rich success in the Inter-Firms competition last night by adding the Ulster SFC Cup to their trophy cabinet.

In 2006 the Armagh based firm won the Ulster Junior title, before going on to beat Limerick Garda in the All-Ireland Junior Final.

Goals proved to be the key in what was a keenly contested affair at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena Cookstown.  Ulster GAA won the toss, and elected to play with the breeze in the first half.  This proved to be a wise decision, and early goals from Ruairi Convery and Paul Rouse gave the Armagh side a lead they would never relinquish.

McAleer and Rushe competed strongly for the remainder of the second half, particularly around midfield where Mick McCann and Paul Marlow were to the fore.  The Tyrone man responded with a few well taken points, but Paul Rouse toe-poked his second goal to leave the score 3-2 to 0-3 at half time.

The second half was again played at high intensity, with McAleer & Rushe chasing the deficit.  There was a lot of pressure put on the Ulster GAA defence early in the second half, and they weathered the storm well, restricting McAleer & Rushe to shooting from long range.  With 10 minutes remaining, McAleer & Rushe were given a lifeline, as the referee awarded them a penalty following a foul on Mick McCann, who had now moved into full forward.  McCann stepped up to take the penalty himself, but only to see it excellently saved by Paul Callaghan.

The penalty save seemed to spur on the Armagh men, and with Stephen Beattie and Ryan Mellon beginning to dominate in midfield, they were able to hold on for a great victory.

On acceptance of the Cup, Ulster GAA captain Stephen Donnelly paid tribute to McAleer & Rushe for a great final, and assured them that his team would do their utmost to proudly represent the Province in the All-Ireland series.

Ulster GAA will now enter the All-Ireland semi-finals with the 3 other Provincial winners.  Fixtures, dates and venues are yet to be confirmed.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 4:38 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Reigning Dr McKenna Cup Champions Down have been drawn against All Ireland SFC Champions Tyrone in the group stages of the 2009 Gaelic Life Dr McKenna Cup.  Monaghan and St Mary’s make up the other teams in Group B.

In Group A, reigning NFL Champions Derry will square up against last year’s beaten Ulster finalists Fermanagh along with Donegal and UUJ.

In Group C, new Antrim manager Liam Bradley, who was present at the draw, will have to pit his wits against Ulster Champions Armagh, as well as Cavan and QUB.

In the semi-finals, the winners of Groups B and C will face each other, while the winners of Group A will take on the best placed Runners Up.

The dates and venues for all the fixtures will be confirmed at the next meeting on the Ulster Council’s Competition Control Committee.

—

Full Draw:

Group A:
Fermanagh, Derry, Jordanstown, Donegal

Group B:
Tyrone, Monaghan, Down, St Mary’s

Group C:
Armagh, Queen’s, Cavan, Antrim.

Semi-finals:
Group A Winners v Best Runners Up
Group B Winners v Group C Winners.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 at 11:14 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

The second Ulster GAA Club and Community Development conference will take place on Saturday 15^th November in the Europa Hotel. Ulster GAA’s conference partner for the 2008 event is the Irish News. The conference has become the Ulster Council’s flagship non-games event focused at supporting club and community development right across Ulster GAA, which services over 250,000 volunteers working in 580 constituent GAA clubs and 600 constituent educational units across the nine counties of Ulster. This year’s conference is focused on improving the capacity of clubs and volunteers across the province as the theme of this year’s conference “Strengthening community cohesion though the development of the GAA clubs and volunteers” highlights.

The event is the second of its kind following the outstanding success of the 2007 conference in Stormont when over 450 GAA members attended. The conference will include a range of workshops, keynotes and discussion forums facilitated by leading GAA officials, Civil servants, business leaders and government Ministers. Last year’s keynotes included the then Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure Edwin Poots MLA, Minister for Education Catriona Ruane MLA and Margaret Riche MLA, Minister for Social Development. This year’s significant figures from the public sector have confirmed their attendance. Also attending will be GAA President, Nickey Brennan, and President-Elect, Christy Cooney. This year the master of ceremonies is BBC Championship presenter Austin O’Callaghan.

As part of the consultation process for the new Ulster GAA strategy 2009-2015 a specific part of the conference has been set aside where participants will take part in a one-hour club feedback forum were club officials can make their voice heard on the issues currently facing the GAA in the province of Ulster.

There will be seven conference workshops this year, they include:

• Pitch and Club House Development: This workshop will focus on the development of facilities at clubs. Representatives from both Sports Councils will be present to provide funding advice and guidance to clubs planning new facility projects. Ulster GAA officials will also be present to advise on pitch development, planning, floodlighting and club house development, and to give an overview of the support that the Ulster Council can provide to club level officials in project management.

• Volunteer and Community Leadership: This workshop will look at the important role that volunteer GAA officials play in the development of community capacity building. The workshop will give an overview of the job roles of club executive officers and will highlight the importance of club planning and community consultation.

• Urban Club Development: This workshop will review the new development initiatives that the GAA are establishing to support urban clubs in their ongoing development. The workshop will have case studies on successful urban GAA clubs and testaments from urban club officers.  Officials from the GAA Council of Britain will also be present to give an overview of how they develop Gaelic Games in urban settings in Britain.

• Child Protection at Club Level: A recent change in legislation has resulted in a review of the Child Protection procedures required by GAA clubs. This workshop will give an overview of the important measures that each club must take to ensure that the GAA is compliant in this vital are of association business.

• Celebrating 125^th Anniversary of the GAA at Club Level: The 125^th Anniversary of the GAA in 2009 will be milestone in the history of the Association. Both the Central Council and Ulster Council are planning a range of events across Ireland and this workshop will suggest initiatives that clubs can “roll-out” at club level at part of the anniversary celebrations.

• Women in the GAA: This workshop will highlight the important role that women play in the association, highlighting the integration process that has been taking place in Ulster over the past three years and suggesting club level initiatives that will increase female involvement in the GAA.

• Club Branding, PR and Communication: As part of the development of the new National GAA Strategy, the GAA commission a brand review which has resulted in new crests and branding for the entire association. This workshop will give clubs an overview of the new branding procedures and their relevance at club level. The workshop will also look at the development of club crests and promotional material and will also give advice of dealing with the media and press.
  

Keynotes at this year’s conference include addresses from Ulster GAA President Tom Daly, GAA President Nickey Brennan, Noel Doran, Editor of the Irish News and Danny Murphy Provincial Director of Ulster GAA.

President Elect of the GAA Christy Cooney will give a keynote presentation on the new National GAA Strategy, which will be launched on 25^th November while Ulster GAA Director of Games Dr. Eugene Young will give a keynote presentation on proposed Ulster GAA diversity initiatives, which will be developed over 2009.   The conference will also have stalls and representatives from companies and organisations who may have services relevant to GAA clubs.

This year’s conference will also see the launch of the new Ulster GAA Community Development Unit, which has been established to provide dedicated support for capacity building at club level, the new unit also, has responsibility for Community Outreach initiatives and strategic development across the province. The unit will be employing two new community development officers as part of a cross-jurisdictional initiative supported by the Department of Social Development and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The new unit will continue the development of the Club Maith support programme which includes a dedicated web-site that offers advice notes, information booklets and draft policies and procedures for clubs. The Club Maith accreditation programme is now also completed and ready to be rolled out over 2009.

Ulster GAA President Tom Daly highlighted the significance of the conference “The success of our first community conference highlighted the need for this event on annual basis, the Ulster Council is committed to supporting clubs in all areas of their development, and the establishment of the new Community Development Unit will help the Council do that. I am looking forward to seeing many of our club officials present at the conference and I confident that all present will benefit from the day. I would also highlight the important role of our conference partner the Irish News, I am grateful for their ongoing support in a range of matters and I look forward to strengthening our relationship over the next year.” 

Irish News editor Noel Doran said, “We are delighted to show our support for the conference as it is a major event for the GAA in Ulster. The conference objectives fit perfectly with the aspirations of the Irish News to create a healthy future for the GAA in Ulster.”

This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Cavan Gaels, St Eunan’s and Ballinderry all made their way into the Ulster Club SFC semi-finals.

Cavan Gaels emerged the victors from their clash with Antrim’s St Galls on a score of 1-7 to 0-7.

The first half finished with the sides level, despite Michael Lyng’s Gaels goal.

Seanie Johnston then took centre stage as he scored a couple of quick points to help the Cavan side into a lead of three. Eamonn Reilly, Niall Murray and Johnston then all struck late on to ensure a provincial semi-final against Ballinderry.

Ballinderry booked their place in that November 16^th encounter thanks to a 1-11 to 0-10 win over Monaghan side Latton.

The Derry champions had a second half goal from Raymond Wilkinson largely to thank for their win against stubborn opposition, though Conleith Gilligan also played an important role as four early points from him saw Ballinderry open up a bit of a lead.

Latton hit back though and were level at the break, in no small part due to Bernard O’Brien who fired over three points as the half wore on.

Wilkinson nabbed his goal just three minutes after the resumption and Gilligan added further scores to see the men from the Oak Leaf County home.

Donegal side St Eunan’s will play in the other semi-final after they overcame Tyrone’s Clonoe 2-10 to 1-8 at Coalisland.

Ryan O’Neill and David McGinley traded goals in the first-half, after which Clonoe were 1-6 to 1-5 clear, but the crucial score came after the break when Ciaran Sharkey buried a 54th-minute penalty for the men from the North-West.

Sharkey and Ross Wherrity added scores late on to seal the win and St Eunan’s will now take their place in the last four where they will play either St Patrick’s or Crossmaglen.

Below is the full round-up of the Ulster Club Championships to date:

ULSTER SENIOR HURLING CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Oct 12 Ballygalget        4-13                 Keady                                      0-12     Casement Park

Oct 12 Cushendall        3-11                 Kevin Lynch’s                          2-08     Casement Park

Oct 19 Cushendall        1-14                 Ballygalget                                1-13     Casement Park

ULSTER INTERMEDIATE HURLING CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Oct 05 Eire Og            1-17                 Eoghan Rua                              1-05     Omagh

Oct 05 Gort na Mona   1-25                 Cuchullains                               0-11     Casement Park

Oct 12 Castleblayney   2-09                 Liatroim                                    1-15     Dungannon

Oct 12 Gort na Mona   2-08                 Eire Og                                    1-09     Lurgan

ULSTER JUNIOR HURLING CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Sept 28 Ballela 6-13                 Naomh Colum Cille                  2-07     Pairc Esler

Oct 05             Ballela              1-19                 St Malachy’s Portadown          2-08     Lurgan

Oct 05 Lisbellaw          2-12                 Monaghan Harps                      0-11     Irvinestown

Oct 05 Na Magha        1-08                 Mullahoran                               1-11     Ballinascreen

Oct 05 St Teresas        1-13                 Setanta                                     3-11     Casement Park

Oct 12 Lisbellaw          1-08                 Mullahoran                               0-11     Ballybay

Oct 12 Setanta             4-16                 Ballela                                      3-11     Dungannon

Oct 19 Lisbellaw          0-09                 Mullahoran                               0-06     Clones

Nov 02            Lisbellaw          4-15                 Setanta                                     4-06     Ballyshannon

ULSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Oct 19 St Galls            0-12                 Mayobridge                              2-05     Pairc Esler

Nov 02            Clonoe             1-08                 St Eunans                                 2-10     Coalisland

Nov 02 St Galls            0-07                 Cavan Gaels                             1-07     Casement Park

Nov 02 Ballinderry       1-11                 Latton                                      0-10     Ballinascreen

ULSTER INTERMEDIATE FOOTBALL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Nov 02            Annaclone        1-10                 MacCumhaills                           1-08     Pairc Esler

Nov 02            All Saints          2-10                 Erne Gaels                                3-14     Casement Park

ULSTER JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Oct 26 Coa                  2-11                 Augher                                     0-07     Enniskillen

Oct 31 St Johns            2-13                 Coa                                          2-07     Pairc Esler

Nov 02 Middletown      1-06                 MacDermotts                           2-04     Armagh

Nov 02 Drung 0-08                 Lissan                                       1-11     Cavan

Nov 02 Drumhowan      0-11                 Carndonagh                              0-06     Clones

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

58 Department of Education Primary School Coaches had their first in service training day together at the Meadowbank Sports Complex in Magherafelt on Thursday 30th October.

This was the first occasion for the coaches from the GAA and the IFA to come together since the Minister’s Sport in School’s Project started in November 2007. The coaches were introduced by Eugene Young, Director of Coaching for the Ulster GAA. He welcomed everyone to this historic day where the two biggest sporting bodies had come together to share their experience and knowledge. He then introduced Mr Roy Miller, Director of the IFA, who stated how important this innovative project was to the youth with regards to obesity and getting children involved in sport at an early age.

Tom Daly, Ulster GAA President then spoke about the importance of the project and hoped it could be extended to the other three Ulster Counties because of its value.

The Minister for Education, Catriona Ruane commented how delighted she was to meet all the coaches for the first time and said how the feedback from schools and teachers had been fantastic. She went on to give an inspiration talk about the importance of sport for young people. She said this was one of the projects that excited her most because of its importance to all our children’s self esteem and helping to give them a great start in life.

Later in the day, Terence McWilliams the Primary School’s Project Coordinator for the GAA along with Tony Scullion, GAA Football Development Officer and the IFA coordinator Lee Carroll, took the coaches through a series of tasks involving Physical Literacy skills in the morning session and ‘The Family of Games’ (a series of progressively challenging games for P.1 to P.4 children in the afternoon. The feedback from all the coaches was excellent with the result that the IFA hope to run a similar day in the near future.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 1:23 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

“Strengthening  Community Cohesion through the Development of GAA Clubs and Volunteers.”

The second Ulster GAA Club & Community Development Conference, sponsored this year by The Irish News will take place on Saturday 15th November at the Europa Hotel Belfast.

Some of the workshops include Pitch and Clubhouse Development, Club Branding PR and Communication, Women in the GAA, and Child Protection at Club Level.  There will also be a series of Keynote speeches and Feedback Forums.

The cost per delegate is £20/€25.  Places are limited to 400 so please book asap.

To register for the conference, e-mail clubconference2008@ulster.gaa.ie, or for more information call (028) 37521900.

Related:
- Ulster GAA Club & Community Development Conference Booking Form

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Homepage News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.