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Irish Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
All-Ireland winning captain rounds off great weekend with big win
Anthony Molloy rounded off a great weekend by landing over €5000 in a Donegal GAA draw after watching his native county win the Ulster Championship. If ever a man has earned a big cash prize for what he's done for his county, it's Molloy, who captained Donegal to their first ever All-Ireland title, back in 1992. Molloy was in Clones at the weekend to watch Jim McGuinness' Donegal down Armagh by 2-23 to 0-28 after extra-time to land a 12th Anglo-Celt Cup and make it back to back Ulster titles in their manger's second coming. The following evening Molloy won €5120 in the Official Donegal GAA 50/50 draw. McGuinness has now managed Donegal to five of those 12 Ulster titles, equalling Brian McEniff, with Declan Bonner in charge for two Ulster wins. Molloy - a current Donegal County Councillor - was captain for the 1990 and 1992 Anglo-Celt victories under McEniff. A Donegal GAA social media message read: "Congratulations to the latest winner of our Donegal GAA 50/50, a man who is no stranger to winning the biggest prize with Donegal - Anthony Molloy."
The 42
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Donegal go back to back with Ulster titles after a Clones thriller
Donegal 2-23 Armagh 0-28 DONEGAL HAVE RETAINED their Ulster title after an incredible contest that came down to the final play of an exhausting 90 minutes of football. A goal from Ciaran Moore in the third minute of the second period of extra time put them into a two-point lead after it looked like they were completely punched out. Armagh goalkeeper Ethan Rafferty levelled it then with a two-point free from 45 metres out. But Niall O'Donnell was to have the final say to bring the Anglo-Celt back to the Hills with a late winner. Advertisement More to follow….
The Irish Sun
26-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Conleith Gilligan admits Armagh's All-Ireland win ‘was brilliant but strange' as he maps out end to Ulster SFC drought
HOLDING Sam Maguire in the colours of Armagh was a strange feeling for Conleith Gilligan. Coaching the Orchard to glory last summer brought great joy — but his first dream was to do it with 3 Conleith Gilligan is a part of Kieran McGeeney's Armagh coaching set-up Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile 3 The association peaked with winning the All-Ireland title last summer Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 3 He played for Derry for 13 years but never won championship silverware Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Foylesider Gilligan was a standout forward for the Oak Leaf for 13 seasons and won two Division 1 titles. But he never lifted Championship silverware with his county. Derry lost All-Ireland semi-finals against Gilligan retired from inter-county football in 2012 and it was back to his beloved Ballinderry before teaming up with former Derry gaffer Mickey Moran as a Kilcoo coach. Read More on GAA They led the Down giants to All-Ireland club glory in 2022, before Glen dethroned them as Ulster club kings a year later with Gilligan as boss. Then when Orchard supremo Kieran McGeeney and coach Ciarán McKeever came knocking that winter , he could hardly say no. But he also could have hardly dreamed of, out of nowhere, helping guide a provincial rival to just their second All-Ireland last summer. He told SunSport: 'I suppose it's brilliant but it's different, you know? Most read in GAA Football 'For those that are Armagh people, born and bred . . . for Kieran McGeeney to do it as a player and a manager must be incredible. 'For Ciarán McKeever who won five or six Ulster medals but lost All-Ireland and semi-finals . . . for him it's probably validation for all the work that he's put in for so much time. Oisin McConville urges GAA to ditch big rule change mid-season after controversial ending to Championship clash 'But you are a wee bit on the outside, and as much as everybody makes you feel brilliantly welcome, what you do is facilitate and help them fulfil that. 'And it was brilliant for me, because obviously it's something I tried to do for 13 or 14 years with Derry and we lost a couple of All-Ireland semi-finals. 'Then you realise, 'Look, it's not going to happen' and I suppose you never really think that it's going to happen to you as a coach. It's brilliant, but different. 'It's been very strange but it's been great. A great experience and I suppose a brilliant opportunity.' BOUNCING BACK Armagh were in a strange place themselves when Gilligan came on board. That winter of 2023 was a dark one after McGeeney survived calls for him to be replaced as manager as patience in the county started to wear thin. More Ulster final penalty heartache followed against Donegal last May, but the doubters were silenced when And Gilligan hailed their resolve ahead of today's provincial semi-final against Tyrone in Clones as they chase a first Anglo-Celt since 2008. He said: 'You get to the Ulster final and it looks like you're going to win it in normal time and you don't. 'It looks like you're going to win it in extra-time and you don't, and then you lose on penalties. It would have been very easy for the players to down tools because they had so much disappointment. 'They'd lost the Ulster finals and had those disappointments in next thing'. 'Eaten bread is soon forgotten. It was refreshing for me because I took energy from that, because I know how disappointed I was and I was only there a wet week. 'So it was hugely impressive from a players' perspective that they decided 'it's the next thing'. That's the mark of the group and the humility. 'Winning or losing didn't really change them, it was still the same ethos of, 'Let's do the best we can with what we've got'. 'It's easy when you're winning, when you're winning everybody will put their shoulder to the wheel and everybody will sacrifice. To take the blows and keep coming back . . . that's a hugely impressive thing because as I said, success sometimes makes it easy. 'But when you don't succeed, there has to be something bigger than yourself and they have that.' DERR TO STAY Gilligan is rising as one of the top coaches in the game and was linked to the vacant Derry job last year before Paddy Tally took the reins. But staying with Armagh for another year was an easy choice, and every day is a school day alongside McGeeney, McKeever and Kerry legend Kieran Donaghy. He said: 'I only knew Kieran a wee bit but I was always hugely impressed by him and I suppose getting to work with him and all the Kierans/Ciaráns — Donaghy and McKeever — and Denis Hollywood and Julia O'Neill, it's just a brilliant group to work with. 'It's challenging at times and it's hard work but it's all worth it and I suppose, look, you can only be better as a consequence of being involved with people at that standard. The standards are so high it drives everybody on and everybody tries to be better. 'It's very hard to tell what you've learned because you kind of don't really know what you don't know. 'There'd have been elements of football that I wouldn't even have thought about that Kieran would have as his bread and butter. 'So, for me, the development has been huge and I suppose in every facet you're really a better person because of the lessons you learn around the group of humility and wanting better for the people around you and the standards that they would drive. 'That helps you in every way, and your whole life is just in a better place because you have to be, because you don't have time for messing about. 'It's bang, bang — and as I say, it's hard to know the gaps until you see them, but they're there and they're huge. I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity.'
Irish Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Football previews: Armagh-Tyrone leads way as last of the provincial final places up for decision
Saturday Ulster SFC semi-final: Armagh v Tyrone, Clones, 4.45 – Live GAA+ The enduring appeal of the Ulster Championship makes this a compelling fixture. Armagh have lost the last two finals on penalties and, although All-Ireland champions, haven't won the Anglo-Celt in 17 years. Tyrone last won in 2021 when they went on to add the Sam Maguire. The teams were tied on seven points in the league, but Tyrone took the drop, having lost the head-to-head to their neighbours. That match in February was one of their poorest performances in the league but Armagh were much closer to full strength, as the Errigal players were still unavailable. Darragh Canavan's return is a big plus for Tyrone, who accounted for Cavan in perfunctory style in his absence. When fully engaged, they played a well-integrated game, availing of a wide range of scoring threats, with only two of the starting 15 failing to raise a flag. They also field their All-Ireland centrefield of Conn Kilpatrick and Brian Kennedy after a bit of a scare around the latter's withdrawal in the quarter-final. READ MORE With their defensive priorities last year, Armagh looked like a team that would be unsuited to the Football Review Committee experiment. That masked, however, the fact that they had the players to be more attack-oriented. Ethan Rafferty is back in goal and kicked a couple of two-pointers from play in the league match. Kieran McGeeney's injury list is easing and, overall, he has significantly improved depth, even though the current absence of Rian O'Neill is a severe loss. They weathered an awkward first half against Antrim and pulled away after half-time, but this will be a different level of championship play. There is a vibrant buzz about Armagh at present despite the burden of being champions, but if any manager can deliver a strategy to upend them, it's Malachy O'Rourke. Verdict: Tyrone Sunday Leinster SFC semi-finals: Kildare v Louth, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 2pm As has been flagged, this is the most consequential football match of the weekend, albeit not at the upper end of things. The losers here will, in all likelihood, be off to the Tailteann Cup. Whereas not desirable for either, this would spell disaster for Louth, who have been the second-best team in Leinster for the past two years. They won this fixture a year ago and have been playing in a higher division since. Under Brian Flanagan's management, Kildare have completed the bounce-back to Division Two but lost three of the last four matches. The quarter-final win was an impressive overturning of the match momentum, but then again, Westmeath had been making something of an art form of losing tight matches all through the league. They weren't helped by an injury to Ray Connellan, their most influential player in the first half, and Kevin Feely took over in his absence. Ger Brennan has been afflicted with injuries all season, but did enough to stay in Division Two and gradually the bodies are healing. Tommy Durnin and All-Star Craig Lennon returned the last day and Sam Mulroy is named to start this weekend, which will be a big addition to the side that beat Laois as he was significant in last year's semi-final victory. Laois gave Louth a good test the last day, and Brennan's side made a strong response, but they will have to raise their game for this. Kildare looked lively in their quarter-final and Darragh Kirwan, Alex Beirne and Ben McCormack turned the screw up front with good support from David Hyland pushing up. Verdict: Louth Ciarán Kilkenny of Dublin will return for the match against Meath. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Dublin v Meath, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 4pm – Live GAA+ Removed from Croke Park for the first time in 45 years, this once box-office attraction has been out of that category for a long time. Meath did well to overcome a predictably lively Offaly challenge in the quarter-final, but they looked very flat in the first half. Dublin managed to get away fewer shots at goal than Wicklow two weeks ago and won by nine. The perennial provincial champions – this year would be their 15th on the spin – have done badly in the past after starting campaigns poorly. Four years ago, a wan Leinster campaign ended in a first championship defeat for seven years. The sum of Dublin's parts – the returning Cluxton, O'Callaghan, Kilkenny and Howard – should be enough to win this even if it doesn't add up to what it once was. Meath, however, put in a serious challenge four years ago, forcing on their opponents the indignity of scrambling a bit at the end. It can also be argued that after their closest shave in the province for years – against Kildare in 2023 – they went out the next day and blew Louth apart before later claiming another All-Ireland. Matthew Costello, who has previously played well in this fixture, Jack Flynn and talented rookie Conor Duke were all big contributors to chasing down Offaly. If they don't start badly, Meath can be very competitive in this but only up to a point. Verdict: Dublin Ulster SFC semi-final: Donegal v Down, Clones, 3pm The season has been something of a long-distance contest for Donegal and this weekend is their third championship match in four weeks. They have been ultra-efficient without lighting too many bonfires, but they held off Monaghan last week in a tight finish. Down will be very relieved to have come this far. Fermanagh looked to have cooked their goose in the quarter-final before Daniel Guinness led the revival with his two-pointer to stem the flow of the match. What won it, however, was the pair of goals at the end when Guinness and Ryan McAvoy got through tired and slack defending. If that's the only route to victory here, Down won't be winning. Verdict: Donegal
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Armagh will have too much for Antrim in Corrigan contest'
As I touched on last week, Armagh will be putting a lot of energy into the Ulster Championship this have lost the last two Ulster finals on penalties and I have no doubt they will throw everything at this championship to try and lift the Anglo-Celt for the first time since of their panel - the likes of Stefan Campbell, Rory Grugan and Aidan Forker - have been knocking on the door of Ulster for a long time and their desire to add a provincial title to their CV is part of what makes Armagh dangerous in this McGeeney is obviously without the services of Rian O'Neill at the moment. His absence could hurt Armagh later in the summer, but they should have enough depth and scoring power to see off Antrim on Ulster wins over Antrim in 2021 and 2023 had 13 and nine-point margins. If Armagh click into gear early on Saturday, it could be a similar story.
