IN ALL FAIRNESS - Hurling up North

It’s only when you make the journey to Belfast for the first time that is makes you appreciate the commitment those looking to better Antrim, and indeed Ulster hurling, are doing.

That Darren Gleeson has been doing the over six-hour return trip for the last six years, and indeed Dinny Cahill before him (the latter when there was no motorway to speed up the journey twenty years ago) is testament to their passion for the game, and also the loyalty they develop to the players, and the people they come in contact with.

Any time I have gone to an Ulster venue following the Tipperary hurlers and footballers over the years, firstly, you are struck firstly by the warm welcome you get from the moment you enter the venue. They can’t do enough for you. Maybe it’s always that way but I always got the sense there was an extra special “Cead Mile Failte” for teams and supporters from ‘the south’ who make the long journey north.

Every county has passion for the GAA but there is certainly an added element in the six counties, particularly due to the difficult times they had during the troubles to play the sport they love, and indeed many lost their lives doing it, including Derry man Sean Brown who was abducted by the LVF while closing the dates of the Wolfe Tones club grounds in Bellaghy in 1997, and was subsequently murdered. His case has come to prominence again recently as a new inquest takes place in the case, and whether state agents are linked to his murder.

When Antrim hurling enjoyed its last great year in 1989, reaching an All-Ireland senior final, few in Tipperary could appreciate the lengths their players and mentors had to go through to prepare, such as the level of intimidation and road-blocks (literally and metaphorically) they had to go through.

With little underage success to work from over the last thirty years, it has been encouraging to see Antrim hurling rise again in recent years to a place where they are playing in the senior championship for the second successive year.

Hurling in Down is also enjoying a resurgence and they have reached a division 2 semi-final, and if they beat Laois this Saturday, they will be mixing it with Waterford and Dublin in the league next year. Derry look set to be promoted from division 2B of the league and recently won the Ulster Under 20 Championship, and will compete in the upcoming Leinster Championship, while Donegal and Tyrone are next in line in the division.

One of the big successes in Ulster hurling is Cavan, who went six years without fielding and only rejoined the Allianz Hurling League in 2018, are into a Division 3A semi-final after last year's promotion from Division 3B. Their decision in 2012 to pull out of the league and instead focus on re-growing the game at grassroots level has certainly paid off. They are an example of what can be done in those counties where hurling is fighting hard for its very existence.

They were one of the five counties it was proposed to be removed from the hurling league for 2025 due to the small number of clubs playing the game. Now, they are an example of opting out of inter-county for a period proving to be a positive from where they can start again, but it cannot be a positive for a county not to field a senior inter-county team in anything, including football in Kilkenny.

But back to hurling and we need Antrim, we need a strong Ulster. They are as passionate, if not more so about the game there, and at club level the likes of Dunloy, Cushendall and Slaughtneil have proven to be as good as what is out there, but at inter-county level they just don’t have the depth of numbers to compete consistently, as is proven by Antrim this year where the retirement of Neil McManus and a few key players opting off for the year, has made things extremely difficult.

However, one thing you won’t see is Antrim or indeed any Ulster county feeling sorry for themselves. They are used to difficult situations when it comes to hurling, but they know what is needed to right the ship once again.

The biggest result for Antrim hurling came elsewhere last Saturday where St Killian’s College defeated Blackwater Community School from Lismore in the All-Ireland ‘B’ Schools final. The school, located in Carnlough in North Antrim, won the first Ulster title in sixty years, and while they are the ‘A’ champions playing in a ‘B’ competition, they showed in victory that the Ulster champions are probably worth their return to the Croke Cup going forward.