Ulster Council GAA

Bord Gáis Energy Ulster U21 Hurling Final:
Antrim 1-18  Derry 0-09

Though far from impressive Antrim had too much hurling for Derry as they clinched the Ulster Under 21 title with a 1-18 to 0-9 win over the Oak Leaf boys at Casement Park.

Leading by just a point at the end of the opening quarter Antrim took a firm grip on the game when corner-forward CJ McGourty fired home the only goal of the game.

After that the Saffrons were well on top and went to lead by 1-8 to 0-3 at half time.
The second-half saw a similar pattern as Antrim picked off the points a couple in particular from Darren Hamill which really caught the eye.

Derry did manage to add six more points to their total, but Antrim were always in control, though they will know that their performance would fall well short of what will be needed in their semi-final clash with Kilkenny.

Scorers — Antrim: CJ McGourty 1-6 (5f); R Donnelly 0-3; PJ O’Connell, E McCloskey, N McManus 0-2 each; P Doherty, D Hamill, P McNaughton 0-1 each. Derry: S Dodds 0-5f; A Kelly 0-2; C McElhinny, Cormac McKenna 0-1 each.

Antrim — C O’Connell; C McKinley, C Donnelly, K McKeague; C Carson, A Graffin, C McKinley; PJ O’Connell, T McCann; P McNaughton, E McCloskey, N McManus; D Hamill, P Doherty, CJ McGourty. Subs: R Donnelly for C Carson, M Armstrong for N McManus, K Molloy for K McKeague

Derry — D McDermott; D McCloskey, Conor McKenna, L Craig; S Cassidy, S McNicholl, C Murphy; O McCloskey, N Holly; G O’Neill, Cormac McKenna, S Dodds; P Cleary, S McCloskey, A Kelly. Subs: C McElhinny for G O’Neill, M Bradley for Cormac McKenna, J Darragh for S McCloskey, S Logue for P Cleary.

Ref — G Devlin (Armagh)

Report:  antrim.gaa.ie

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 30th, 2009 at 9:46 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.

All Ireland Football Qualifiers Round 4:
Kerry 2-12  Antrim 1-10

Kerry battled their way to a place in the GAA All Ireland Quarter-finals after a hard fought five-point win – 2-12 to 1-10 - over Antrim in Tullamore.

The Kingdom once again failed to reach the standards that we have come to expect of them in recent years and made very hard work of killing off one of the perceived minnows of Ulster football.

However, after a difficult week off the field down in the South west, a victory of any description will have been welcomed greatfully by their manager, Jack O’Connor.

At half-time it looked like Derry were staring down an embarassing defeat after Liam Bradley’s side had established a 1-4 to 1-3 lead.

Tommy Walsh had pounced for an early goal for the Kingdom when he took a pass from the returning Tadhg Kennelly and drove the ball to the back of the net.

Kerry led by 1-2 to 0-1 after a Declan O’Sullivan point but they were soon rocked by an emphatic Antrim response.

James Loughrey made a terrific run and supplied the ball to wing-back Tony Scullion, who did well to round Diarmuid Murphy and score into an empty net.

Kerry were struggling badly in attack and Colm Cooper was drafted in at corner forward in place of Sean O’Sullivan.

However, it was the Ulster side who went in ahead at the break after Ciaran Close pointed with his fist.

Cooper made an immediate impact and he landed two frees after the break to level the game, before Paul Galvin found a crucial goal after good work by Michael Quirke and Donncha Walsh.

Kerry finished off with a flurry of scores to win the game by five points and claim a place in the draw for the All Ireland Quarter-finals.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 9:38 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 Christy Cooney and Ulster Council Secretary Danny Murphy declared themselves happy with the 2009 Ulster SFC after the showpiece Final between Tyrone and Antrim.

Cooney, on his first visit to the event as President, said it had been a ‘wonderful occasion with a sporting game and an electric atmosphere’. The Corkman was particularly pleased to see some of his boyhood heroes honoured on the pitch as part of the 125 celebrations.

“I saw Sean O’Neill play when I was a boy and he was a remarkable player. Paddy Doherty was the same so it was great to see them and I think the crowd enjoyed it as well”.

As well as giving the Presidential seal of approval, he also had a word of caution for new Ulster champions Tyrone.

“They are the quality side at the minute and it will take a great team to beat them, but there’s always a banana skin somewhere along the way so you never know.

“I had a word with Brian Dooher about maybe seeing him play against another team in red and white in the All Ireland Semi-finals, but we’ll see what happens”.

Danny Murphy described the ’09 SFC as ‘eccentric’ after the surprise sequence of results, apart from pre-competition favourites Tyrone.

“The formbook didn’t stand up this year, with Antrim in particular causing upsets. Their emergence will live long in the memory and the crowds that followed them shows that they truly are a sleeping giant.

“Some people thought that the attendance at the Final might be down because Antrim were in it, but their support matched Tyrone and given where Antrim started this year that is a testimony to the whole association in the county and to their supporters when they realised the team was gaining momentum”.

Murphy and Cooney both expressed the hope that Antrim’s performances will help boost Gaelic games in Belfast in particular.

You can relive the magic of Ulster Final day by watching a selection of videos from the day on the ‘Land of the Giants’ microsite.

As well as the full interviews with Danny Murphy and Christy Cooney, there’s match action, the pre-match parade and anthem, speeches by Brian Dooher and Tom Daly, an interview with Armagh minor captain Declan McKenna, and much more.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 9:00 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.

Once again, Ulster GAA has raised the bar with the quality and content of their Championship Programmes, and these are a must for any budding programme collectors.

The Ulster Senior Football Championship Programme will be of particular interest as it is a bumper 100 page edition packed full of facts, figures, articles, photos and information.
The special Ulster Finals programme coincides with the Ulster Council’s GAA 125 celebrations and contains historical articles and photos for each of the 9 Counties of Ulster.

To purchase any Ulster Championship Programmes, contact Stephen Donnelly, stephen.donnelly.ulster@gaa.ie / 028 (048) 3752 1900.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 at 12:26 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 Senior Football Championship Final:
Tyrone 1-18  Antrim 0-15

Antrim’s fairytale run in the Ulster Championship came to an abrupt end in Sunday’s provincial decider at Clones, which the Red Hand won by 1-18 to 0-15.

In truth, the game was over inside 12 minutes, by which time the All-Ireland champions had already established a 1-8 to 0-1 lead.

Man of the match Séan Cavanagh, who started at midfield in the absence of Enda McGinley, scored a goal in the 11th minute which had Liam Bradley’s young side facing an uphill battle.

Cavanagh finished with 1-4, while Paddy Cunningham cobbled together a remarkable personal tally of 0-11for the underdogs.

While Antrim were outplayed, they did have their chances, and Cunningham could have sneaked a vital goal just before the break to reduce the deficit to something more manageable, but he opted to fist over after Tony Scullion had made the opening.

Tyrone led by 1-8 to 0-5 at the break – Joe McMahon and Tommy McGuian scoring a brace of points each in th opening 35 minutes – and they made the better start to the second half. Antrim, who were brilliantly led by Cunningham, did come with a late charge, but Tyrone were always able to keep them them arm’s length.

The All-Ireland champions claimed their 11th Ulster title, while Antrim’s wait for a provincial title will go on for another year at least.

Related:

- Video: Ulster GAA President Tom Daly pays tribute to Antrim before handing the Anglo Celt to Brian Dooher
- Video: Tyrone captain Brian Dooher addresses the crowd after receiving the cup
- Video: History, colour and nostalgia at the 2009 Ulster Finals in Clones
- Video: Tyrone’s Sean Cavanagh scored five times from play in the Ulster Final
- Video: Tyrone’s vice-captain Ryan McMenamin had an eventful day in Clones
- Video: Antrim captain Paddy Cunningham gave the fans plenty to shout about by scoring 11 points
- Video: Megan Burns, All Ireland Scor winner from Silverbridge, sang the national anthem at Clones
- Video: GAA President Christy Cooney enjoyed the Ulster Finals at Clones
- Video: Relive the pre-match atmosphere as the players make their way around St Tiernach’s Park
- Video: Ulster Council Secretary Danny Murphy is delighted with the 2009 Championship
- Photo Gallery: Ulster SFC Final – Antrim v Tyrone

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 9:05 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 Minor Football Championship Final:
Armagh 1-08  Down 1-05

Armagh struck for two late points to seal victory in a low-key and, at times, quite scrappy Ulster Minor Championship final in Clones yesterday,

The Orchard county just about deserved the result against a Down team who only established a foothold in the game for a couple of periods in either half.

The winners were never headed, while the best that Down achieved was drawing level twice in the first half. Thereafter they were playing catch-up, although there was never more than three points between the sides at any stage.

Both sides came into the game with very good credentials following their semi-final victories. But on the day they simply failed to sparkle, although the difficult playing conditions with heavy rain before the match and during the half-time break did not help.

The game was five minutes old when Armagh opened the scoring with a point from midfielder Peter Carragher.

Armagh then picked up the pace and looked like they were getting into their stride as they went four points in front a minute later when Rory Grugan crashed to the Down net following good work by Conor King.

However, they were unable to consolidate and Down responded with a good period that saw them level by the 13th minute, David McKibben, with a point from a free, got them off the mark in the 10th minute and then Caolan Mooney goaled in the 13th minute when he was on hand to capitalise after an effort by McKibbin had been blocked.

Both sides squandered chances in the following nine minutes before Robbie Tasker restored Armagh’s lead in the 22nd minute.

A minute later Down were back to parity through Mark Haughey and both sides again wasted chances. With one minute of normal time remaining Robbie Tasker capitalised when a Down defender spilled a cross to restore Armagh to the lead, although Down had a great chance to equalise when Ross McGarry was awarded a close-in free, but his effort came back off the bar to leave the half-time score Armagh 1-3 Down 1-2.

Armagh got down to the task right from the start of the second-half and within three minutes they had extended their lead to three points, Eugene McVerry from a free and corner back Kealan Downey breaking through with McVerry the provider.

The bright start though was ultimately to be a false dawn as the second half wore on. Points by Kevin McClory in the sixth minute and Robbie White from a free in the eighth minute brought Down to within a point with the standard of play now scrappy.

Gavin McParland restored Armagh to a two-point lead in the 11th minute with the game then scoreless until the 24th minute when Down pulled back a point through adventurous corner-back Darragh O’Hanlan.

Entering the final minutes Armagh rallied for two excellent points from Rory Grugan to clinch victory.

Armagh: S O’Reilly; K Downey (0-1), R Finnegan, K Nugent; D McKenna, N Rowland, J Morgan; P Carragher (0-1), J Donnelly; R Grugan (1-2), A Murnin, C King; R Tasker (0-2), E McVerry (0-1), G McParland (0-1).

Subs: R Rafferty for A Murnin, D Nugent for C King.

Down: J Deeney; R Doran, S McNamee, D O’Hanlon (0-1); K McClorey (0-1), C McClean, F McEvoy; C Mooney (1-0), N McParland; M Haughey (0-1), R White (0-1f), K Quinn; M Bagnall, R McGarry, D McKibben (0-1f).

Subs: D O’Hare for D McKibben, N Cunningham for K McClorey, P Quinn for R White.

Referee: S McNamee (Tyrone).

Related:

- Video: Armagh beat Down to become Ulster Champions 2009
- Video: Armagh captain Declan McKenna received the trophy after winning the ESB Ulster MFC
- Video: History, colour and nostalgia at the 2009 Ulster Finals in Clones
- Photo Gallery: Ulster MFC Final – Armagh v Down

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 9:02 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.

Sunday 19^th July

Ulster Senior Football Championship Final
Antrim v Tyrone, Throw In 2.00pm at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones

Ulster Minor Football Championship Final
Down v Armagh, Throw In 12.00pm at St Tiernach’s Park, Clones

Ticketing:

This is an All-Ticket Event – Valid Tickets will be required for entry.

Ticket Prices:
Stand: €25/£20
Terrace: €15/£13
Family tickets (Pat McGrane and Eastern Stands) – Juveniles: €5/£4 Adults: €25/£20
Senior Citizen (Stand): €15/£13

Tickets available through County Boards and www.ticketmaster.ie from Friday 3^rd July.
Family ticket are available through Clubs and County Boards.

Travel & Parking

• Supporters are asked to allow extra time for their journey. It is recommended that they should arrive at the venue no later than 1.15pm.
• Conventional Car Parks in the town centre will be available for use.
• Patrons are advised to lock their cars and not leave valuables in sight.
• Patrons should respect the residents in the area in respect of parking and litter.

Event Information

• Gates will be open from 10.30am
• Patrons are asked to co-operate with stewards at all times and to adhere to the ground regulations, which will be printed in the match programme.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 11:26 am and is filed under 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.

2009 has once again proven to be a year for the underdog in the Ulster Senior Football Championship.  12 months after Fermanagh reached their first Provincial Final in 26 years, Antrim will contest the Final for the first time since 1970.

Last year Fermanagh almost caused a major upset as they came back to draw with hot favourites Armagh, and only for wasteful shooting they could have won the replay.

Antrim will hope to go one step further today and win their first Provincial title since 1951.  New manager Liam ‘Baker’ Bradley has instilled new levels of belief, discipline, skill and determination in Antrim and they will relish the opportunity of taking on the reigning All-Ireland Champions.  Antrim have been a breath of fresh air to this year’s Championship and their free-flowing positive play has captured the imagination of many.

Tyrone have rightly been installed as many people’s favourites to once again lift the Sam Maguire Cup and few would bet against them collecting the Anglo Celt along the way.  They have shown glimpses of their brilliant best in coming through the ‘difficult’ side of the draw, disposing of Armagh and Derry in previous rounds, and will hope to continue their journey through the ‘front door’.

Once again, the Ulster Final is set to be a tremendous occasion and will be enhanced by the recognition of the Jubilee team – the Tyrone team which won the 1984 Ulster Senior Football Championship.  That day will be remembered for the performance of Frank McGuigan who scored a magnificent 11 points from play en route to defeating Armagh.  The men from 1984 will be in attendance on Sunday and will be presented to the crowd at half-time in the Senior Game.

As part of the GAA 125 celebrations, the Ulster Council will also specially remember all the All-Ireland winning captains from the 9 Counties of Ulster and these legends of the game will be presented to the crowd between the end of the Minor game and start of the Senior game.

Related:

- Video: Liam Bradley has taken Antrim to the Final in his first year in charge
- Video: Antrim players and supporters are in dreamland
- Video: Tyrone have been favourites since the start of the Championship
- Video: Cavan’s 1952 All Ireland winning captain Mick Higgins will be honoured at the 2009 Ulster Final

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 3:07 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’s 1952 All Ireland winning captain Mick Higgins will be honoured at Sunday’s Ulster Finals in Clones.

The 86-year-old will take his place on the pitch alongside all of Ulster’s All Ireland winning captains or a representative, as part of the 125 Anniversary celebrations.

Mick, who lives in Virginia, is the oldest living captain from Ulster to have lifted the Sam Maguire cup. The Cavan great won three All Ireland medals, including one from the famous Polo Grounds final in 1947 when the Breffni Blues beat Kerry in New York.

In fact, Cavan played in nine All Ireland Finals between 1933-52, with Higgins sealing victory in the ’52 decider after an exhibition of free-taking in a replay against Meath. He scored seven of Cavan’s nine points in the 0-9 to 0-5 triumph.

“It was a wet day but I kicked a long point after four minutes and I knew it was my lucky day”, recalls Mick in an interview specially prepared for the Ulster Council video website.

Higgins also reveals that he had been suffering from flu in the lead-up to the game but recovered to lead Cavan to glory. Modest Mick maintains that being the All Ireland winning captain did not ‘excite’ him as Cavan had plenty of successful captains before him and he was the captain because the honour always fell to the oldest player on the team.

And, when asked what he would like to be remembered for, Higgins replied: “That I never hit any one, I played the game clean and I never was put off”.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 3:00 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.

GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Qualifiers Round 2:
Derry 3-16 Monaghan 0-20

Paddy Bradley scored 2-8 as Derry got their season back on track with an impressive 3-16 to 0-20 defeat of Monaghan at Clones.

Bradley, who endured a difficult week, scored a goal in each half as the Oak Leaf men moved into Round Three of the GAA All Ireland Qualifiers.

The Glenullin man’s inter-county was the subject of intense speculation during the week, but he proved that he is as committed as ever to the Derry cause with a brilliant performance.

“I suppose stories like that keep the papers and TV channels in service,” Bradley said in a post-match interview.

“I trained last Sunday. I was carrying a bit of a niggle and there was a possibility that I might miss the game. I had intense physiotherapy throughout the week and it got me right for today.

“I was just glad to play my part. Once you are out in the heat of the battle all those things go to the back of your head.”

Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney refused to be drawn on his future after the game. McEnaney, who has been in charge of the Farney County for five years, said it was “time for reflection” and was effusive in his praise of the Monaghan players.

Indeed, the players were deserving of the praise such was the entertainment they provided when compared to the dour battle they played out in the Ulster Championship back in May in Clones.

A Paddy Bradley goal after Monaghan goalkeeper Padraig McBennett had made a bad mistake gave Derry the lead in the first minute. James Kielt added another and Damian Cassidy’s side led by 2-3 to 0-2.

Monaghan fought back gamely and trailed by 2-8 to 0-11 at the break. But the Bradley brothers, Eoin and Paddy, delivered the killer blow in the 54th minute. Eoin Bradley won the ball and played a brilliant soccer-style pass to Paddy, who finished first time for a brilliant goal.

Ciaran Hanratty and Paul Finlay did their best to peg Derry back with 0-4 apiece, but Derry’s goals earlier in the game were enough to see them through.

—

GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Qualifiers Round 2:
Wicklow 1-12 Cavan 0-8

Wicklow’s brilliant run in the 2009 GAA All Ireland Championship shows no signs of halting after Mick O’Dwyer’s side pulled off a 1-12 to 0-8 win over Cavan in Aughrim on Saturday night.

In a game played in atrocious conditions, the Garden County got the only goal of the game when Paul Earls punched to the back of the net after good work by Leighton Glynn. Wicklow led by 1-6 to 0-5 at half-time.

Tony Hannon, ho had a superb game, and Darren Hayden pushed Wicklow further ahead after the break, but Larry Reilly and Seanie Johnston hit back for Cavan.

However, the Breffni comeback never really materialised and it was Wicklow who finished the stronger.

—

GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Qualifiers Round 2:
Donegal 0-13 Clare 1-7

Donegal progressed to the next round of the GAA All Ireland Qualifiers but not without a battle against Clare in Ballybofey.

The home side held the lead at 0-9 to 1-3 at the break after David Tubridy had slotted home a 19th minute penalty for the Banner.

Although the game failed to catch fire, Donegal manager John Joe Doherty will be happy with the performances of Colm McFadden and Michael Murphy, who chipped in with tallies of 0-4 apiece.

Donegal hit three points on the bounce just after the break and looked all set to power home with a big win, but Clare hung in doggedly and managed to stay in the game until the end.

In the end they reduced the gap to just three points and Tubridy was unlucky to have a goal disallowed at the death.

—

GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Qualifiers Round 2:
Down 2-9 Laois 0-7

Down advanced to the next stage of the GAA All Ireland Qualifiers thanks to a relatively straight forward eight-point defeat of Laois in Newry on Saturday evening.

Paul McComiskey and Benny Coulter grabbed a goal in each half to hand the momentum to Ross Carr’s side. However, it was Coulter’s 6-th minute penalty that put the result beyond any doubt.

Down had led 1-4 to 0-4 at the break as scores were difficult to come by at sodden Páirc Esler. Laois cut the lead to two points on the resumption of play thnks to a Niall Donoher score.

However, Aidan Carr and Conor Garvey edged the Ulster men ahead and when Coulter found the net with ten minutes left on the clock, the game was over.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 11:22 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.

Christy Ring Cup Final:
Down 0-14 Carlow 1-15

Carlow claimed their second successive Christy Ring Cup title after a four-point win over Down at Croke Park on Saturday.

The Barrowsiders did not wrap up the win until Robert Foley stole in for a vital 69th minute goal and Craig Doyle added a late point. Indeed, Foley was the champions’ hero, chipping in with 1-3 of their total.

The teams were level at 0-7 apiece at the break, and there was little to choose between them until Foley’s late intervention.

The reward for Carlow is a place in the All Ireland Championship in 2010, while Down can be proud of their efforts after a brilliant campaign.

—

Nicky Rackard Cup Final:
Meath 2-18 London 1-15

Meath claimed their first-ever Nicky Rackard Cup success with a six-point win over London at Croke Park.

The Royals had a healthy seven-point lead at the break – 2-10 to 0-9 – with Nicky Horan and Michael Cole grabbing the goals. For the Exiles, Martin Finn scored 0-6 as he showed his usual accuracy from placed balls.

London added a goal after the break from Henry Vaughan, but Meath were too strong and prevailed with a little to spare in the end.

—

Lory Meagher Cup Final:
Tyrone 5-11 Donegal 3-16

Tyrone staged a brilliant comeback to beat Donegal in the inaugural Lory Meagher Cup final at Croke Park on Saturday.

Full-forward Rory O’Neill bagged two goals for the winners, the first of which gave the Red Hand an early lead.

However, it was Donegal who led 1-9 to 1-6 at the break after Lee Henderson’s 22nd minute goal.

Peadar McMahon, Shea McKiver and Justin Kelly added further Tyrone goals in the second half before O’Neill struck for his second of the game late on to seal the win.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 13th, 2009 at 11:09 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 Annual Ulster GAA 3 day Elite camp took place from the 29^th June to the 1^st July in the Sports Science facilities of the University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

The camp brought together 90 (Under 16) players in total, forty five from each code of Football and Hurling, which were made up of the most promising players from each of the 9 counties in Ulster.

Throughout the duration of the camp, the players benefited from the knowledge and expertise of the SINI staff in Jordanstown as well as some of the top coaches in today’s game, while simultaneously gaining access to the world class facilities that are in the University.

The players are afforded the opportunity to improve their own knowledge in different areas which will ultimately enable them to improve their own game, such as:

• Movement Competencies & Running Techniques
• Nutrition/Hydration
• Fitness Testing
• Core Stability/Speed & Flexibility/Injury Prevention
• Ice Baths
• Lifestyle issues
• Dynamic Warm-Ups
• Skills Test

In addition, the players were videoed performing a range of different skills based tasks, such as blocking, kicking, striking, lifting and catching. They immediately got video feedback and then went and performed the skill again to improve in the areas required.

On top of that, there were field based sessions were players were accessed on different skills and then developed. Areas such as Support play on and off the Ball, Attacking/Defensive Play, Striking, Catching/Breaking Ball, Tackling/Blocking, Hooking, Lifting and Goalkeeping Skills were covered (3 goalkeepers)

Also there were Small/Full Sided games were some players had Heart Rate Monitors and GPS Tracking Systems attached and later they got feedback on how hard they worked as well as the areas of the pitch they covered.

Each year, we also invite a leading figure within the world of Gaelic Games to come and give a talk to the players. Past camps have seen Kieran Mc Geeney, Terence Mc Naughton, Sean Cavanagh and Peter Canavan and this year we had the honour of having Neill McManus who indeed was on the camp himself a few years ago and like our past speakers he gave the players some food for thought by describing what he feels it takes to get you to the top.

Indicative of the effect that these camps have on our youth of today is provided when alot of the past ‘pupils of the camp have gone on to represent their county at minor, U21 and even at Senior levels. Indeed, one of them, Niall Mc Parland who is a currant Down minor football player was reflecting recently on his own experiences in the camp last year

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 at 9:38 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 ‘Fairytale of New York’ has nothing on this year’s ‘Fairytale of the Ulster SFC’ as Antrim pulled off an amazing trip to the Ulster final this month. An away win over Donegal and a neutral victory over Cavan to open the door to the provincial final against Tyrone left the Saffrons as the story of June 2009.

With that in mind, an Antrim player just had to be the winner of our Quinn-Insurance/UGAAWA Merit Award for June but who would it be was the big question. Many players were in the running but in the end it boiled down to a decision between Terry O’Neill and Michael McCann. Eventually Terry O’Neill got the nod.

“It’s brilliant to be recognised but this award is more to do with the team performances than with me personally,” stressed the St Gall’s utility man who played a roving role in both games and scored a superb individual point against Cavan.”It is true to say that a lot of our players would have deserved the award but I’m delighted that I have been recognised. No-one expected us to reach the Ulster final.”

Getting a special mention, also, were hurlers Justin Kelly (Tyrone), scorer of 1-29 in the Larry Meagher Cup, Shane McNaughton (Antrim) and Simon Wilson (Down).

The Milltown man may not have many county trophies to show for his talents but he has gathered many honours during his years in the blue of St Gall’s. During the last two years he captained his club team to win the Antrim SFC title, bringing his total of medals in that competition to seven. The 25-year-old Belfast schoolteacher has also an Ulster Club medal, five Antrim U21 trophies and one Antrim minor award. He played club hurling at minor level, as well, but decided to concentrate fully on football.

Before an Antrim county training session at Creggan Kickham’s Complex, Terry received his Merit Award of a Belleek China engraved vase, a sports voucher compliments of the sponsors and engraved silver cuff links from Omeath jeweller Gareth Mallon. He will later receive training gear from O’Neill’s International Sports and two tickets plus overnight accommodation for the UGAAWA banquet in the Slieve Russell Hotel on November 20.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 9:15 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 Minor Football Championship Semi-Final:
Armagh 2-14  Monaghan 2-08

A hungrier, more clinical Armagh deservedly booked a place in the final of the Ulster Minor Football Championship at the expense of Monaghan in an entertaining semi-final at Clones on Saturday.

The Orchardmen did it the hard way too, as they were forced to play all but eight minutes of the second-half with 14 players when full-back Ronan Finnegan was dismissed for a second bookable offence after conceding a penalty for a foul on Aaron McCarey.

Eugene McVerry finished top-scorer with 1-7 (1-3 from play) as he wreaked havoc on a beleaguered Monaghan defence.

The Farneymen got off to the best possible start with a goal by Pete Dooney after just 15 seconds.

They went four up after three minutes with a point by Aaron McCarey, but five minutes later Armagh were in front when Gavin McParland finished excellently after being well placed by McVerry.

McVerry added a point in the seventh minute and Rory Grugan hit a second two minutes later to put Armagh a point in front.

Monaghan equalised through Shane Coyle in the 14th minute but Armagh went on to hit four points without reply between the 20th and 26th minutes, three by McVerry, and a free from Rory Grugan.

In the final minutes of the first half, points from Jack McCarron and Daniel McKenna left Monaghan trailing by just two at the break.

McCarron reduced the deficit in the opening minutes of the second-half but Armagh then struck for a brace of points from Andrew Murnin and Robbie Tasker.

Three minutes though Monaghan were back on level terms when a high centre was fielded by Aaron McCarey, who was dragged down by Ronan Finnegan for a penalty that was expertly tucked away by Jack McCarron.

Down to 14 players with the dismissal of Finnegan, Armagh increased the tempo and responded with a brace of points from McVerry, both from frees, to open a two- point lead.

McCarey pulled a point back for Monaghan, but Armagh struck for another brace from Gavin McParland and another inspirational score from Robbie Tasker.

Monaghan stayed in touch with a point from Dooney in the 22nd minute of the half, but again Armagh’s response was swift and emphatic with a goal and two points without reply in the final five minutes of normal time to effectively clinch victory.

Eugene McVerry finished for the goal on the half hour, while he and Tasker shared the points that put Armagh seven in front going into stoppage time.

Three minutes into stoppage time McCarey pulled a point back, but the game was over as a contest quite some time before that.

Related:

- Photo Gallery: UMFC – Armagh v Monaghan

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 9:29 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.

All Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier Round One:
Monaghan 0-13 Armagh 0-12 (AET)

Glorious points from Conor McManus and Paul Finlay in the second period of extra-time gave Monaghan a 0-13 to 0-12 win over 14-man Armagh in a fractious encounter at Clones.

The Orchard County were always up against it after Steven McDonnell was sent off on 66 minutes. Monaghan used the extra man to their advantage, finishing much the stronger in a disappointing game.

The Farney County move on to Round Two of the Qualifiers, while Peter McDonnell will have some serious thinking to do after the Ulster champions’ Championship campaign ended at the first knock-out stage.

Finlay finished with six points (0-3f), but he was nearly left to rue a number of misses from frees in the second half.

Monaghan trailed by two points – 0-6 to 0-4 – at the break after three Aaron Kernan frees helped Armagh to take control after they had trailed 0-4 to 0-1 after just 14 minutes.

However, Monaghan failed to score in the remaining 21 minutes of the half and looked to be in real trouble.

But Finlay stepped up to the mark and drew his side level with two points immediately after the restart. In a tetchy second period, the sides were level on five occasions before Finlay edged Monaghan ahead with five minutes left.

McDonnell was then given his marching orders after tangling with JP Mone, but sub Stefan Forker grabbed a late free to send the game to extra-time.

Forker and McManus exchanged frees in the first half of extra time, but Monaghan came good after the brief break in the increasing gloom and it was Finlay and McManus who found the scores to send them through to the next round.

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All Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier Round One:
Donegal 2-13 Carlow 1-6

Donegal were given a scare by Carlow in Ballybofey before eventually securing their passage to round two of the Qualifiers.

A JJ Smith goal after ten minutes put Carlow into a shock 1-1 to 0-2 lead and John Joe Doherty’s side looked to be in real trouble.

However, they did manage to go in level at the break, 0-6 to 1-3. A Rory Kavanagh goal on the resumption of play put Donegal back on track.

Conal Dunne added a second in the 19th minute of the second half before veteran Carlow defender Mark Carpenter was given his marching orders for a second yellow card and the home side took complete control of the game.

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All Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier Round One:
Wicklow 0-17 Fermanagh 0-11

Wicklow overcame the dismissals of Tony Hannon and James Stafford to record a shock win over Fermanagh at Aughrim.

Mick O’Dwyer’s side went into the game without half of their regular defence, but they made light of the situation to record a stunning and surprising win.

A James Sherry goal had seen the Erne men go in 1-5 to 0-7 up at the break and the Garden County looked in deep trouble after free-taker Hannon had been sent off for a second yellow card offence.

However, with Paul Earls and Seanie Furlong to the fore, the home side scored a famous win with a powerful second half performance.

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All Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifier Round One:
Down 1-16 London 1-7

Down had nine points to spare over London in Newry to progress to round two of the Qualifiers.

Galway native Chris Donnellan netted a second half goal for London to leave them trailing by six points and dreaming of causing a massive shock.

However Ross Carr’s side then moved into top gear when Danny Hughes scored two quick points and then Benny Coulter palmed to the net after 26 second half minutes.

Ronan Sexton added another point for Down and the Exiles’ 32-year wait for  Championship win must go on.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 5th, 2009 at 11:22 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.