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Irish Examiner
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
New York hurlers are cuckoos come home to roost
Like a cuckoo in a reed warbler's nest, New York's hurlers are pushing out the native eggs in the Lory Meagher Cup. First to fall was Monaghan who they budged in last Saturday's semi-final having received a bye to that stage of the competition, much to the chagrin of Monaghan manager Arthur Hughes. "It's an absolute joke in my opinion,' he said. 'You don't know what you're coming up against, what level they're at, and it's completely unfair to just fly a team into the semi-finals. If you're going to participate in a competition, you should be there from the start." Featuring former Galway star Jonathan Glynn who is captain and Cork's Seán O'Leary-Hayes and managed by Ballyheighue man Richie Hartnett, New York were backed off the board and for this Saturday's final against Cavan the market is suspended. 'It's almost disgusting how the GAA have handled the situation,' remarked Cavan manager Ollie Bellew about New York's bye. In Donegal town in February, over three-quarters of Annual Congress delegates (76.8%) voted in favour of allowing New York into the lower-level inter-county hurling championship this season. Offaly Central Council delegate and former county chairman Michael Duignan was vocal in his support for The Exiles' admission to the competition. However, concerns were raised that they would be too strong for that level of hurling and so it has come to pass. Cavan had reservations about them being handed the semi-final berth. Those who supported New York felt they first had to crawl before they could walk but as was demonstrated in Mullingar last weekend they are running. If they retain most of their current 31-strong panel that has travelled to Ireland and are basing themselves between Westmeath and Dublin, they might prove too strong in the Nickey Rackard Cup as well. The tell-tale signs of their prowess had been there. Last year, New York claimed the pre-season Connacht Hurling League title when they beat Mayo, who had only been relegated from the Christy Ring Cup the year before. In 2023, they marked their first appearance in that provincial competition with a win over then reigning Lory Meagher Cup champions Longford before losing out to a Galway development side in the semi-final. Fermanagh are one minnow who will be hoping New York win on Saturday. If that comes about, they won't be relegated from the Rackard Cup. Instead, New York will join the fourth-tier championship as the seventh team but again enjoy a semi-final bye against the team that finishes second in the group after five games. New York will be seen by some as pariahs but they can't be blamed for wanting a representative outlet in hurling. It was Central Council who endorsed the motion for them to join the Meagher Cup just as they did their entry into the All-Ireland junior football championship the last past three seasons. Those footballers have won the last two of those titles but both of those successes came by small margins and next month they face USGAA in a quarter-final in Gaelic Park. New York's involvement in a competition below their station is the latest promotional problem for hurling. Moved to Saturday to facilitate the Dublin-Armagh All-Ireland SFC game in Croke Park on Sunday, the Meagher, Christy Ring and Nickey Rackard finals at GAA HQ clash with the U20 All-Ireland final between Kilkenny and Tipperary in UPMC Nowlan Park in yet another concertinaed day for the sport. GAA president Jarlath Burns will not be in attendance to present the cups at either venue as he is out of the country. Maybe he is better off missing out on Croke Park because the gulf in class last weekend, which is expected again in the Lory Meagher Cup final, doesn't exactly scream hurling development. If, as expected, Frank Sinatra's voice booms from the PA system at the final whistle, start spreading the news – New York's cuckoos have come home to roost.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
All-Ireland winner to line out in fifth tier hurling semi despite opponents rage
It's a story that has escaped the attention of many in the GAA world, but that could all change tomorrow afternoon as New York face Monaghan in the Lory Meagher Cup semi-final at Cusack Park Mullingar. New York haven't played a game in the competition but have been entered straight into the semi-finals of the fifth tier hurling Championship. Listed at number 10 for New York is one Jonathan Glynn, the towering Galway 2017 All-Ireland winner, with at least one Monaghan defender likely to be in for a tough afternoon in the Midlands againast the highly accomplished Ardrahan man. Also listed to start is former Cork player Sean O'Leary-Hayes, one of a number of former county senior and underage players. The fear is that New York - 1/100 on with the bookies - will be far too strong for anyone in the Meagher Cup with Monaghan as 12/1 outsiders to turn over the Statesiders. Monaghan have played five games in this year's Meagher Cup, winning three, drawing one and losing one, with Cavan already in the final by virtue of topping the table. Questions are already being asked about New York's inclusion in the competition and the level they're entering at. It looks like Nicky Rackard would have been a better grade, or even Christy Ring, in light of New York winning the Connacht Hurling League earlier this year, where they defeated Mayo in the final. It's likely though that New York had to enter the competition at the lowest tier. New York also enjoy special treatment for football's Tailteann Cup, by virtue of the logistics involved for everyone in playing matches which they're involved in. They don't compete in the round robin part of the Tailteann Cup, but replace the lowest ranked third placed side in the four team groups, entering at the preliminary quarter-final stage. Speaking to Gaelic Life, Monaghan manager Arthur Hughes slammed the decision to include New York at the semi-final stage of the Meagher Cup. Hughes pointed to a GAA discussion document last year that proposed getting rid of the five weakest inter-county hurling sides from the National Hurling League and using the money saved to boost club hurling. Hughes called the New York decision 'an absolute disgrace,' adding 'It's not that long ago that the GAA were trying to get rid of five counties in Ireland from playing in the National League and now they next thing they've done is bring in New York. 'It's an absolute joke, in my opinion. You don't know what you're coming up against, what level they're at, and it's completely unfair to just fly a team into the semi-finals. 'If you're going to participate in a competition, you should be there from the start.' NEW YORK (Lory Meagher Cup v Monaghan): Daniel Mottram, Eanna Barry, Henry Keyes, James Cronin Roger, Darren O'Donoghue, Darragh Moran, Sean O'Leary-Hayes, Tom O'Meara, Darragh Walsh, Jonathan Glynn, David Mangan, Aidan James Willis, Gerard McPartland, Adam Loughlin Stones, Cian Mullane. SUBS: Colin O'Brien, James Bermingham, James Breen, Darragh Hynes, Conor O'Shea, Harry O'Connor, Cian Murray, Tomas O'Connor, Conor Hammersley, Joseph Diggins.
