Antrim GAA
Encyclopedia
- For more details on Antrim GAA see Antrim Senior Football Championship or Antrim Senior Hurling Championship.
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
(GAA) or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards
GAA county
A Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...
of the GAA in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and is responsible for Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...
in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams
History
Antrim staged the first hurlingHurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
match under the new Gaelic Athletic Association rules in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in 1885. The games have always been well organised in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
city and hurling teams from the Glens have won considerable admiration in club competition.
Hurling
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Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
. In 1943 Antrim defeated both Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
(by 7-0 to 6-2) and Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
(by 3-3 to 1-6) in the cramped surroundings of the old Corrigan Park, but disappointed in the All Ireland against Cork. Two years previously, Antrim had been graded Junior a year before, and had been beaten by Down
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
in the Ulster final. They were only competing in the Senior Championship because the Junior grade was abolished. Antrim hurlers featured strongly in Ulster Railway cup final appearances in 1945, 1993 and 1995. In hurling, the progression that began with Loughgiel's success at club hurling level in 1983 (with players like 15-stone goalkeeper Niall Patterson) culminated in an All Ireland final appearance in 1989. Antrim's first All-Star, Ciaran Barr, helped Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
club Rossa to reach the 1989 club hurling final and after a great show against Buffer's Alley, Barr starred in a 4-15 to 1-15 All Ireland semi-final win over Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
. The final was one of the poorest on record, as stage fright overcame the Antrim team. It was no flash in the pan: Antrim failed by just two points against Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
in the 1991 All Ireland semi-final. Dunloy were back in the All Ireland club final in 1995, when they lost in a replay, 1996 and 2003 when they were heavily beaten.
Honours
- Christy Ring CupChristy Ring CupThe Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2005 for middle-ranking hurling teams in Ireland....
: 1- 2006
- All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Intermediate Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship is a hurling competition played between the strong hurling counties of Ireland. In some cases the teams consist of players who are not on the senior squads for their county , or in others of players who are from junior or intermediate clubs...
s: 1- 1970
- All-Ireland Junior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Junior Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...
s: 1- 2002
- All-Ireland Vocational Schools ChampionshipAll-Ireland Vocational Schools ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions...
s:- 1971
- National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling LeagueThe National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
s: 3- 1956 (Div 2)
- 1970 (Div 2)
- 2003 (Div 2)
- All-Ireland Senior B Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior B Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship was an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1974 and 2004 for the so-called 'weaker' hurling teams in Ireland....
s: 3- 1978
- 1981
- 1982
- Walsh CupWalsh CupWalsh Cup may refer to:* The Walsh Cup , an inter-county and colleges hurling competition in the province of Leinster in Ireland* The Walsh Cup , a contest between the U.S. Naval Academy and Wisconsin Men's Varsity Eight rowing teams...
: 1- 2008
- Ulster titles: 136
- SeniorUlster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster Senior Hurling Championship is the premier intercounty "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months. The Ulster Hurling Final is played in July...
: 50 - 1900-01, 1903–05, 1907, 1909–11, 1913, 1916, 1924–31, 1933–40, 1943–49, 1989–91, 1993–94, 1996, 1998–99, 2002–09, 2010 - Under 21Ulster Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipFor the Senior equivalent see: Ulster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster U-21 Hurling Championship or for sponsorship reasons the Erin Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship is an Under 21 hurling tournament between counties affiliated to Ulster. The winners of the Ulster championship go on to...
: 24 - 1964, ‘65, ‘66, ‘67, ‘70, ‘72, ‘73, ‘74, ‘76, ‘78, ‘79, ‘80, ‘81, ‘82, ‘88, ‘89, ‘91, ‘92, ‘94, ‘95, ‘96, ‘98, ‘99, '00, 2002, '06 - MinorUlster Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of hurling played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The competition began in 1930, with Down winning during the inaugural year. The most successful...
: 52 - 1931, ‘33, ‘35-41, ‘45-56, ‘58-66, ‘69, ‘70, ‘86, ‘87, ‘88, ‘92, ‘93, ‘95-99, '00, '01, 2002, '03, '04, '05, '06, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - JuniorUlster Junior Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster Junior Hurling Championship is a junior "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council....
: 14 - 1950-55, ‘57, ‘58, ‘59, ‘61, ‘63, ‘66, ‘68, ‘69 - IntermediateUlster Intermediate Hurling ChampionshipThe Ulster Intermediate Hurling Championship is an inter county competition between the Intermediate Hurling county teams in the province of Ulster in Ireland...
: 5 - 1966, 67, 69, 70, 73
- Senior
All Stars
-
- 1971: N Wheeler
- 1988: C. Barr
- 1989: D.Donnelly, O. McFetridge
- 1991: T. McNaughten
- 1993: P. McKillen
Gaelic football
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
and won by 3-1 to 1-1. The following year they beat even more prestigious rivals, Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
. Heavy rain on the day, and over-indulgence at a wedding the day before were blamed for the shock 3-5 to 0-2 defeat. Antrim's County Board decision to introduce a City League in 1908, one of the first in Gaelic history, was a more legitimate explanation. The 1946 Antrim football team was regarded as one of the most exciting of the era, taking advantage of the newly reintroduced handpass. Joe McCallin's two goals helped beat Cavan
Cavan GAA
The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan...
in the Ulster final but Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
roughed them out of the All Ireland semi-final. The opening of Casement Park
Casement Park
Casement Park is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Antrim football and hurling teams...
boosted the games in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, but from the late 1960s the troubles hampered sporting life in the football heartlands of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, particularly Ardoyne. Political violence meant that the county could not build on the under-21 team of 1969, one of the finest in Ulster history (Din Joe McGrogan, scorer of the goals that put Antrim in the final, was killed by a Loyalist bomb). The countys Vocational Schools team has made it to 2 All Ireland Finals in 1968 were they beat Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
and in 1971 were they were beaten by Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
. A drawn Ulster semi-final with Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
in 2000 was one of the highlights of Antrim's recent football career alongside winning the Tommy Murphy Cup
Tommy Murphy Cup
The Tommy Murphy Cup is a Gaelic football competition, featuring senior county teams elimainated from the early stages of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and also Kilkenny when not fielding a team in the main All-Ireland...
in 2008, beating Wicklow
Wicklow GAA
The Wicklow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wicklow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wicklow...
in the final and gaining revenge for losing the 2007 final to the same opponents. The current senior manager is Derry's Liam Bradley
Liam Bradley
Liam Bradley ; commonly known by his nickname Baker, is an Irish Gaelic football manager. He is currently manager of the Antrim senior football team, having been appointed in October 2008.-Personal life:...
. Antrim also made history in 2009 by getting to the Ulster Championship final, the first Antrim team to reach it in 31 years. They were runners-up to All-Ireland champions Tyrone.
Honours
- All-Ireland Vocational Schools ChampionshipAll-Ireland Vocational Schools ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions...
s:- 1968
- All-Ireland Under-21 Football ChampionshipAll-Ireland Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the summer months...
s: 1- 1969
- All-Ireland Senior 'B' Football Championships: 1
- 1999
- Tommy Murphy CupTommy Murphy CupThe Tommy Murphy Cup is a Gaelic football competition, featuring senior county teams elimainated from the early stages of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and also Kilkenny when not fielding a team in the main All-Ireland...
s: 1- 2008
- Oireachtas Cups: 1
- 1946
- Dr. McKenna Cups: 6
- 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1981
- Dr Lagan CupDr Lagan CupThe Dr Lagan Cup was inter-county Gaelic football competition in the province of Ulster. The competition was discontinued in 1967 when Donegal won the competition. The Lagan Cup was the trophy for a Senior Football League limited to five Ulster counties at a time unlike the Dr McKenna Cup which was...
s: 3- 1944, 1946, 1948
- Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Football ChampionshipFor information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
s: 10- 1900, 1901, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1946, 1951
Camogie
Antrim have won the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship six times and been runners-up ten times.Camogie arrived in 1908 with the foundation of Banba club, but the movement joined by clubs such as Crowley's, Mitchel's and Ardoyne was short-lived. A 1927 revival was more successful and in 1934 there were three adult leagues in Belfast, southwest and north Antrim.
Antrim’s successes include a three-in-a-row in 1945-7, with the benefit of dispute that removed their main rivals Dublin and the arrival of a Dublin coach, Chalrie MacMahon, and the fact four of their semi-finals and two of the finals were played at Corrigan Park
Corrigan Park
Corrigan Park is a GAA ground on the Whiterock Road in West Belfast that served as the main venue for Gaelic Games in Belfast until the opening of Casement Park in 1953. It was named in honour of Sean Corrigan, mentor of the Brian Óg club who were Antrim’s first hurling champions...
and Antrim was described as the “home of camogie.” Players from the Belfast league clubs such as Deirdre, St Malachy’s and St Theresa’s and Glens villages such as Dunloy
Dunloy GAA
Dunloy Cú Chulainn's is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Dunloy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with hurling...
and Loughgiel Shamrocks
Loughgiel Shamrocks
Loughgiel Shamrocks GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Loughguile/Loughgiel in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. They are currently the only club in Ulster to have won an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, which they won in 1983.-Honours:*All-Ireland Senior...
to win all but a handful of the Ulster camogie championships played. They defeated Dublin in a 1956 semi-final that prevented Dublin winning 19 All Ireland titles in a row. O’Donovan Rossa won the All Ireland senior club championship
All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship
The All-Ireland Club Camogie Championship is the most important competition for club teams in the Irish women’s field sport of camogie. It is contested by the senior club champions of the leading counties and organised by An Cumann Camógaíochta.-Trophy:...
in 2008. Antrim are the 2010 All Ireland junior champions
All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship is the most important competition for third-tier county teams in the women’s field sport of camogie. In accordance with the practice in GAA competitions the term junior applies to the level of competition rather than the age group...
.
Notable players include team of the century member Mairéad McAtamney
Mairéad McAtamney
Máiréad McAtamney-Magill is a retired Irish sportsperson. She played camogie with her local club Portglenone and with the Antrim senior inter-county team from 1958 until 1983. McAtamney captained Antrim to the All-Ireland title in 1979...
, player of the year winners Sue Cashman
Sue Cashman
Sue Cashman is a former camogie player, winner of Caltex Player of the Year award in 1967, only the second of five camogie players in history to be awarded what would later become known as the Texaco Award...
and Maeve Gilroy
Maeve Gilroy
Maeve Gilroy is a former camogie player, winner of the Cuchulainn award in 1966 and of All Ireland medals in 1956 and 1967.-Career:She was already regarded as one of the country’s best players when she scored two goals for Antrim against Dublin in the historic 1956 All Ireland semi-final, a match...
, All Star award winner Jane Adams
Jane Adams (camogie)
Jane Adams is a camogie player, winner of an All-Star award in 2008, a Lynchpin award, predecessor of the All Star awards, in 2003. and an Intermediate Soaring Star award in 2011. She was Ulster camogie player of the year three times...
and Gradam Tailte winner Josephine McClements
Josephine McClements
Josephine McClements is a former camogie player, winner of the Gradam Tailte award for skill tests in 1982.-Career:She was playmaker for the Antrim team defeated in the 1973 All Ireland final by Cork and returned to win an All Ireland medal in Antrim’s 1979 defeat of Tipperary.-External links:* ...
, and All Ireland final stars Marjorie Griffin
Marjorie Griffin
Marjorie Griffin is a former camogie player, captain of the All Ireland Camogie Championship winning team in 1946.-Career:Born in Clare she moved to live in Antrim. She was play-maker from defence on the Antrim 1946 team that defeated Down, Armagh, Cavan and Derry to win the Ulster championship...
, Marian
Marian Kearns
Marian Kearns is a former camogie player, one of the stars of Antrim’s 1956 All Ireland Camogie Championship winning team.-Career:She scored the winning goal for Antrim against Dublin in the 1956 All Ireland semi-final with what was described as “a magnificent cross-shot which caught the defence...
and Theresa Kearns. Marie O’Gorman
Marie O’Gorman
Marie O’Gorman is a former camogie player, captain of the All Ireland Camogie Championship winning team in 1945.-1945 final:The final was played at Cappoquin, at a time both Cork and Dublin were suspended by camogie central council.-Presentation:...
. Celia Quinn
Celia Quinn
Celia Quinn is a former camogie player, captain of the All Ireland Camogie Championship winning team in 1947. She previously won All Ireland senior medals in 1945 and 1946.-External links:* Official Camogie Association Website...
and Madge Rainey
Madge Rainey
Margaret ‘Madge’ Rainey is a former camogie player, captain of the All Ireland Camogie Championship winning team in 1956. She played in the All Ireland senior final of 1951.-Career:...
.
Rosina MacManus
Rosina MacManus
Rosina McManus from Antrim was the 14th president of the Camogie Association.-Presidency:She organised coaching courses in Belfast which were filmed for promotional purposes...
, Nancy Murray
Nancy Murray
Anne ‘Nancy’ Mulligan-Murray from Antrim was the 16th president of the Camogie Association.-Playing career:From Deirdre club in Belfast, she won three All Ireland medals at full-back in 1945, 1946 and 1947 as Nancy Mulligan, playing her last match for the county in the All Ireland semi-final of...
and Lily Spence
Lily Spence
Elizabeth ‘Lily’ Spence from Antrim was the 10th president of the Camogie Association.-Referee:She refereed the 1953, 1955, 1971 and 1972 All Ireland finals.-Administration:...
served as presidents of the Camogie Association
Camogie Association
The Camogie Association organises and promotes the sport of camogie in Ireland and across the world. The Association has close ties with the Gaelic Athletic Association.-History:...
.
Under Camogie’s National Development Plan 2010-2015, Our Game, Our Passion, five new camogie clubs are to be established in the county by 2015.
Honours
- All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championships: 6
- 1945, 1946, 1947, 1956, 1967, 1979
- All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie ChampionshipAll-Ireland Intermediate Camogie ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship is the most important competition in the women’s field sport of camogie for second-tier county teams and for second-string teams of first-tier counties. If the winning team comes from a second-tier county, that county is promoted to the following...
: 1- 2001
- 2003
- All-Ireland Junior Camogie ChampionshipAll-Ireland Junior Camogie ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship is the most important competition for third-tier county teams in the women’s field sport of camogie. In accordance with the practice in GAA competitions the term junior applies to the level of competition rather than the age group...
s: 1- 1997, 2010
Ladies' Gaelic football
Antrim compete in the All-Ireland championship in ladies' football.Club honours
- All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
s: 1- 1983 (Loughgiel Shamrocks)
- All-Ireland Senior Club Football ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Club Football ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament run since 1971, played between the thousands of senior football clubs in Ireland. The current champions are Crossmaglen Rangers of Armagh, who defeated St. Brigid's of Roscommon on March 17, 2011 to win their...
- 2010 (Naomh Gall, Beal Feirste)