FOOTBALL
THE Hogan Cup is in Fermanagh.
And that means that Dominic Corrigan has achieved his career-long ambition after almost three decades of involvement taking the senior teams in St Michael’s, Enniskillen.
His first outright MacRory Cup success came 20 years ago, the school’s third title. Two years later the outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease meant that the drawn final with Omagh CBS could not be replayed – a shared success.
But he has overseen St Michael’s captains accept the Cup three times since, in 2002, 2012 and again in 2019 when the Enniskillen seat of learning defeated Omagh CBS 0-16 to 2-6 on St Patrick’s Day.
The Hogan semi-final was comfortable (2-13 to 1-10 against St Colman’s, Claremorris), but the final in Croke Park saw them hang on for a 1-12 to 1-11 victory over Naas CBS.
Around half of the starting team are again eligible for selection and the Fermanagh school is well positioned after the group games this term in the quest to become the 98th winner of the most coveted trophy in Ulster Schools’ GAA.
Also going well are Omagh CBS who won last season’s Danske Bank McCormack Cup but lost their only competitive game of the year on St Patrick’s Day.
The other perennial contenders, St Patrick’s, Maghera and St Colman’s, Newry, are also looking good, while St Patrick’s, Cavan, winners of the Danske Bank Rannafast title two seasons ago stumbled to a heavy defeat to Maghera.
St Colman’s followed Cavan as Rannafast champions and continued to play their brand of open attacking football as they re-grouped in the spring-time and brought the All-Ireland Paul McGirr Cup back to the province for the first time ever.
Quite a few of them have progressed into the MacRory side and you can expect to hear plenty about the likes of Dan McCarthy, Pádraig Clancy, MacDarragh Hynds, Peter McGrane and Adam Crimmins after Christmas and in the years to come.
A very late point from Jody McDermott on the last day of November won Maghera the right to inscribe their name once more on the Rannafast trophy in succession to St Colman’s after a very tough low-scoring south Derry derby with St Mary’s, Magherafelt.
A week earlier Maghera captured the Corn na nÓg title in a brilliant final with Omagh CBS that ended 3-16 to 5-9. That followed on from a 7-17 to 0-5 thrashing of St Patrick’s Cavan by the same group in the Dalton Cup final last April.
Omagh however managed to capture the Nannery and Brock titles in the spring-time.
St Patrick’s Downpatrick won their first Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup in 18 years in March, but were unable to build on it at All-Ireland level. Indeed the success was later tinged with sadness following the death of forward Niall Laverty in the autumn.
The other senior schools’ titles earlier this year went to St Columb’s, Derry (Markey Cup), Ballybay CC (O’Doherty Cup) and St Mogue’s, Bawnboy (Ward Cup).
St Paul’s Bessbrook took the Rafferty Cup for the first time earlier this month, while Holy Trinity Cookstown are Treanor Cup champions also for the first time and another Tyrone school, St Ciaran’s Ballygawley, won the Arthurs’ Cup last week.
And the new east Derry amalgamation of St Conor’s (Kilrea/Clady) won both the Gerry Brown and McDevitt Cups.
In 2019 there were also first ever provincial successes for Coláiste Oiriall (Fr Mallon Cup), Abbey VS, Donegal (Fr Faul Cup), Virginia, Cavan (Paddy O’Hara Cup) and St Patrick’s, Ballymena (Mulholland Cup) while Lagan College, Belfast won the JJ Reilly Cup after a unique final with Drumragh College Omagh – the first time ever that both participants in an Ulster Schools’ GAA final came from the Integrated sector.
HURLING
IN Hurling Cross and Passion, Ballycastle bridged a five-year gap to collect their tenth Danske Bank Mageean Cup. The score-line of 3-18 to 1-10 indicates a handy enough victory, but St Mary’s had them on the rack for periods during the final quarter, before goals from substitutes Caolan O’Connor and Conor O’Mullan at the start of extra time turned the tide.
CPC also collected a third successive Foresters’ Cup at Easter and the MacNamee Cup just before Halloween beating St Killian’s, Garron Tower in both finals.
Meanwhile St Louis, Ballymena turned the tables on a St Patrick’s, Maghera side that were comfortable winners of the Gallagher Cup back in May.
St Louis won the Leonard Cup final against Maghera at the start of December on a 2-13 to 0-5 score-line and St Killian’s hold the Thompson Cup.
St Columba’s, Portaferry won the Danske Bank Kirk and Leopold Cups for the first time beating St Patrick’s, Downpatrick in both finals.
The Red High however were convincing winners of both the O’Mahony and McGreevy Cups while St Patrick’s, Keady won the McFarland Cup back in May.
In camogie Cross and Passion Ballycastle continue to dominate and picked up a third successive Corn Uan Uladh and fifth successive Corn Eimhear.
Their All-Ireland senior final with St Angela’s Waterford went to a replay but the north Antrim school couldn’t seal the deal.
St Patrick’s Academy (Senior C) and two Derry schools, St Pius X, Magherafelt (Senior B) and St Colm’s, Draperstown (Junior C) all lost All-Ireland finals in the spring-time, but St Colm’s have bounced back to edge a very closely-fought Liatroim Fontenoys’ final at the end of November and are back on the national stage in February at a grade higher.
St Louis, Ballymena had a breakthrough success of a first Grade A title since 1951 when they beat St Patrick’s, Maghera in the Corn San Clár final while there have been recent Junior successes for Down schools Sacred Heart, Newry and St Columba’s, Portaferry.
And I will wrap up with some statistics.
There are now over 140 schools involved in Ulster Schools’ GAA and 55 active in camogie. To cater for them there are 43 football, 20 hurling and 20 camogie competitions providing games throughout the age-groups and at all the levels relevant to school size and the strength of the gaelic sports in the areas that supply them.
Running so many competitions, arranging pitches, referees, the presentation of trophies etc is a huge logistical programme undertaken by so many who volunteer their services on the Ulster Schools’ Councils and by the teachers and coaches in the individual schools.
While we not unnaturally tend to focus on the big days like the MacRory, Mageean or Hogan finals or All-stars Presentation Dinners, there is so much more happening in schools’ GAA and camogie well away from the limelight giving so much satisfaction to player, coach and spectator.
