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The Irish Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Tyrone stun Donegal as Peter Harte hands Jim McGuinness first Ballybofey loss
JIM McGuinness was beaten in Ballybofey as Donegal manager for the first time in league or championship as Peter Harte's two-pointer sealed a dramatic Tyrone win. Malacy O'Rourke - the only man to beat McGuinness in six seasons in the Ulster SFC with Monaghan in 2013 - saw his team lead the way for the most part and then stave off a late 2 Tyrone stunned the Ulster champions as they fell to defeat at home for the first time in sixteen games 2 Tyrone manager Malachy O'Rourke shakes hands with Donegal manager Jim McGuinness after his side's win Peter Harte's two-pointer with three minutes to play finally swung it Tyrone's way. And a late Cormac Quinn point put the seal on a three-point win for McGuinness's first loss in 16 at MacCumhaill Park, in his two stints stretching back to 2011. Harte's score was reminiscent of the 2016 belter in On an evening for ponchos, sunglasses and woolly hats, the weather was unpredictable and on the field, things were probably going against the grain as well. READ MORE ON GAA While Donegal edged their way past Armagh on a 2-23 to 0-18 scoreline in the Ulster SFC two weeks ago. Tyrone had been watching on, having run the But the result shows that you can never get too far ahead of yourself in the northern province and the teams who go deep into it come away with bumps and bruises. With Shaun Patton having put in a decent warm-up but missing out with an ankle injury. Most read in GAA Football Donegal had lost a foundation from the restarts and Tyrone's Seanie O'Donnell's two first-half goals gave Tyrone a foothold from which they could climb. The first of those came on eight minutes when he punched past Gavin Mulreany when Caolan McGonagle failed to get a proper hold of a raking ball in from Michael McKernan. Sharlene Mawdsley encounters unexpected headache on first trip abroad since GAA boyfriend reveal O'Donnell seemed to be popping up here, there, and everywhere and on 24 minutes he scored his second. This time he came from deep on the run and with Mark Bradley supplying the lay-off, went for power and although Mulreany got something behind it, he couldn't stop it going home due to its sheer power. Donegal were 2-3 to 0-4 down, at sixes and sevens, and Tyrone looked dangerous time and again. Michael Murphy was the one the bulk of those in the home support of 16,120 turned to and Michael Murphy was the one who delivered. Two monster frees against the wind - both worth two in the current currency as they say these days - were meat and drink for the Tiktokers. But Donegal were clawing their way back. Darren McCurry, with a two-pointer, and Kieran McGeary hit two late first-half points for the visitors, with Tyrone going in 2-7 to 0-11 in front. A Ciaran Thompson point took Donegal back to within one, but the moving quarter didn't happen. They would post four wides in succession, and Tyrone would post four points to move into a five-point lead of 2-11 to 0-12. Ben McDonnell, Darragh Canavan and their scoring constant, McCurry, was the one to help things tick along in times of trouble. Murphy, 11 minutes after Donegal's only second-half score, was typically the man to get them going, with another two-pointer from a free. If the 2012 All-Ireland winning captain was almost single-handedly keeping his team in it, Langan was certainly the one playing the support act. A minute later, by now at the midpoint of the second half, he slung over from outside the arc and Donegal were back to just the one down again, before Langan himself equalised. The trajectory now seemed to be Donegal's and second half substitute Patrick McBrearty lamped over another two-pointer and Donegal were 0-20 to 2-12 in front woith just eight left. But when it was in the melting pot, it was Tyrone who graped the initiative to post a huge win. With Cavan winning in Mayo last week to instantly scattered the pigeons and two into one never going to happen with Donegal and Tyrone. Things might not always turn out as they seem. DONEGAL 0-20 TYRONE 2-17 Donegal: G Mulreany; F Roarty, B McCole, E Gallagher; R McHugh (0-1), C McGonagle, C Moore; H McFadden, M Langan (0-7); D Ó Baoill, C Thompson (0-2, 1f), S O'Donnell; C O'Donnell, M Murphy (0-8, 3 2pt f, 1f, 1 '45), O Gallen. Subs: O McFadden-Ferry for McGonagle (31). Subs: E McHugh for Ó Baoill (half-time), P McBrearty (0-2) for McFadden (42), P Mogan for O'Donnell (50), O Doherty for Gallagher (60). Tyrone: N Morgan; C Quinn (0-1), P Hampsey, N Devlin; M McKernan (0-1), R Brennan, K McGeary (0-1); B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; S O'Donnell (2-0), M Donnelly, C Daly (0-1); D McCurry (0-7, 1 2pt f, 2f), M Bradley (0-1), D Canavan (0-2f). Subs: B McDonnell (0-1) for Kennedy (h-r), P Harte (0-2) for Donnelly (53), E McElholm for Bradley (55), F Burns for Brennan (57). Referee: M McNally (Monaghan)
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Michael Murphy makes his mark on wild Ulster ride
Ulster SFC final: Donegal: 2-23 Armagh: 0-28 This hectic rivalry keeps on giving. Until the final hooter, Donegal and Armagh gave it their absolute all. After a thrilling contest and extra-time, green and gold flooded the field and let loose. A wild ride was briefly derailed by a post-match scuffle between both teams. Players had to be separated. An investigation is inevitably coming down the tracks. The fixture didn't need that sort of unpleasantness because the glorious Gaelic football gave enough. Niall O'Donnell had already delivered the winner in front of an enthralled 27,788 crowd. All-Ireland champions Armagh had given an admirable showing but ended the evening sitting on a wall behind the Gerry Arthurs Stand, munching down much-deserved fuel and licking their wounds. They refused to yield despite blow after blow. Ryan McHugh man-marked Rory Grugan, successfully disrupting their primary creator. The margin was seven points at one point in the first half and three at the turnaround. Hugh McFadden's swing at a dropped ball resulted in a devastating goal yet they managed to craft two chances of their own back-to-back. Darragh McMullan and Ben Crealey both flashed wide. Meanwhile, Michael Murphy was making his mark. His return is now officially an undeniable success. The 35-year-old was targeted with three long balls early on. He was fouled for a scorable free for the first. He slotted the second. He broke the third for an Oisin Gallen point. Murphy added a second point after the break and finished with two assists. Afterwards, young fans from across the country waited outside the dressing room in search of their hero. Down the hall, Jim McGuinness was hailing the influence of his target man. 'Just a great ball by Finbar in the diagonal,' he said of Murphy's first catch. 'There's not many of them in the game at the minute, which is weird because of the mark. But yeah, great ball, mighty catch. But just everything with Michael that he brings to the table and in the meetings and in the prep. And obviously a cool head at half-time and just his quality on the ball as well.' With deep inhales of the peculiar fumes that swirl around Clones on Ulster final day, both outfits emptied themselves. Gallen was a wonder in the first half until Paddy Burns moved across to take him on. Ciaran Thompson kicked two crucial two-pointers. Ciaran Moore came off and back on to land a vital goal in injury time. And Armagh matched so much of it. They never led in normal time but kept chasing and hit the front through Jarly Óg Burns at the start of the additional period. Oisín Conaty was sensational throughout. Stefan Campbell managed to maintain his streak of awesome impacts from the bench with a three-point contribution. 'We had some outstanding players,' said McGeeney. 'Like Oisín was exceptional, six points from play. He was probably the best player on the pitch by a mile there.' Even after Moore's late green flag, Armagh drew level with a two-point free from the excellent Ethan Rafferty. Several Donegal substitutes had tried to impact the match. Several had failed. It fell to Niall O'Donnell to deliver. With his first shot on his left, he missed. The St Eunan's man was thinking about the extra time defeat he suffered against Derry in 2022. It took place in the same ground. Derry won by two. He came on and was stunned at how quickly time slipped away. He wasn't going to let it happen again. Just before the end of the first ten-minute period, he curled over a right-footed beauty and let out a guttural roar. With two minutes left, he had a chance on his left. Two steps, no play, clutch. Scorers for Donegal: O. Gallen, C. Thompson (2 tp) 0-4 each; C. Moore 1-1; H. McFadden 1-0; M. Murphy, P. McBrearty (frees) 0-3 each; M. Langan, N. O'Donnell 0-2 each; P. Mogan, D. Ó Baoill, J. McGee, C. O'Donnell 0-1 each. Scorers for Armagh: O. O'Neill 0-7 (1 tp, 1 tpf); O. Conaty 0-6; R. McQuillan, S. Campbell E. Rafferty (45, tpf) 0-3 each; J. Duffy 0-2; C. O'Neill, A. Murnin, B. Crealey, J. Og Burns 0-1 each. DONEGAL: S. Patton; F. Roarty, B. McCole, P. Mogan; R. McHugh, C. McGonagle, C. Moore; M. Langan, H. McFadden; D. Ó Baoill, C. Thompson, S. O'Donnell; P. McBrearty, M. Murphy, O. Gallen. Subs: C. O'Donnell for McBrearty (43), J. McGee for McFadden (50), J. Brennan for Ó Baoill (52), E. McHugh for Moore (55), A. Doherty for Gallen (64). O. McFadden Ferry for McGee, N. O'Donnell for Brennan, C. Moore for Doherty (all 70), P. McBrearty for Murphy (76), D. Ó Baoill for McHugh (79), S. McMenamin for McCole (84) ARMAGH: E. Rafferty; P. Burns, A. Forker, B. McCambridge; R. McQuillan, G. McCabe, J. Óg Burns; C. O'Neill, B. Crealey; D. McMullan, R. Grugan, T. Kelly; O. Conaty, A. Murnin, O. O'Neill. Subs: C. Turbitt for Kelly (41), S. Campbell for O'Neill (49), P. McGrane for McCabe (55), J. Duffy for O'Neill (60), N. Grimley for Forker (60-Inj); C. Mackin for Murnin (70), J. Hall for McQuillan (77-79, Temp), C. McConville for Conaty (79), S. McPartlan for Grugan (83), T. McCormack for McQuillan (88). Referee: B. Cawley (Kildare).
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Disciplinary measures likely after videos emerge of brawl at the end of Ulster final
GAA disciplinary officials are awaiting the referee's report from Saturday's Ulster SFC final but it is expected video evidence will be examined following the brawl at the end of the provincial showdown in Clones. In the immediate aftermath of the hooter at St Tiernach's Park, members of the Armagh bench appeared to be annoyed by some of the Donegal celebrations and reacted by racing on to the pitch. As several players and backroom team members dashed towards the flashpoint, the situation was exacerbated by the presence of fans pouring down from the stand and terraces. Given the video clips that circulated online over the weekend, disciplinary measures would seem likely. READ MORE Huge fight at the end of the Ulster final. Ugly way for a great game to finish. — Maurice Brosnan (@m_brosnan) [ Donegal beat Armagh to retain Ulster title after Clones classic Opens in new window ] When asked about his perspective on the row at the end of the game, Donegal manager Jim McGuinness said: 'I don't have a perspective on that, it's not nice to see. It shouldn't happen. I was giving my daughter a hug at the time. I didn't see what happened, but no, it shouldn't be in the game.' Kieran McGeeney could be able to call upon Rian O'Neill for their Sam Maguire defence after the All Star arrived to St Tiernach's Park on the Armagh team bus at the weekend. O'Neill has not featured all year and it seemed the Crossmaglen player would not feature at all for Armagh in 2025, but he has now returned to the set-up. 'He's joined us today so we'll see how the next couple of weeks go,' declared McGeeney. Tempers flare after the final whistle between Donegal Manager Jim McGuinness and Aidan Forker of Armagh. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Armagh led for the first time last Saturday in the early stages of extra-time but McGuinness believes Donegal's resilience to turn the game around again came from preparation. 'For me, that's where your training comes in,' he stated. 'That's every night, it's everything you do. It's everything you do away from the training. All of those moments are going to come to the surface at some stage. ''We've a lot of work done, lads. We can't let this slip because we've been so dedicated to this thing for the last number of months.' I'm sure Armagh were saying exactly the same thing but these are the conversations you have to find with yourself because you have to find something.' The upshot of it all is that Donegal will compete in a group alongside Mayo, Tyrone, and Cavan. Armagh will again be in a group with Galway, while Dublin and Derry ensure the reigning All-Ireland champions must compete in the Group of Death. 'As far as I know, we've been in the Group of Death for the last three years, so what's new?' stated McGeeney. 'It's a tough one, Derry are playing well by all accounts in challenge games. And Dublin are Dublin. Galway are probably one of the best teams in the country at the minute, but there's no easy ones left.' The focus moves to the Sam Maguire now for both Donegal and Armagh. 'It's always tough when you get beat, so what do you do?' asked McGeeney afterwards. 'That's part and parcel of sport, you just have to keep going.'
The 42
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Armagh retain Ulster ladies title after comprehensive defeat of Donegal
Armagh 3-9 Donegal 0-7 Kieran Lynch reports from Clones ARMAGH RETAINED THEIR TG4 Ulster SFC crown with a comprehensive win over Donegal in Clones. A huge crowd descended upon St Tiernach's Park as this game was played before the men's Ulster SFC final between the same two counties. Two early goals from Aoife McCoy set Armagh on their path to triumph, as they took the lead early and never relinquished it. Advertisement Her first goal came on six minutes, as a slick handpassing move which involved Eve Lavery and Caroline O'Hanlon put her through and she drilled the ball into the roof of the net. Niamh Henderson added to the Orchard County's lead before McCoy netted for a second time on 13 minutes. On this occasion it was all down to the Dromintee player as she claimed possession some 30 metres out from goal, went on a driving solo run and slotted past Claire Friel to put Armagh seven ahead. At the other end, Donegal were plagued by wasteful shooting in front of the posts, with their solitary first half point coming from a Susanne White free. However, Armagh responded with scores from Emily Druse and Eve Lavery, before Grace Ferguson put the icing on the cake for their impressive first half performance with a superb point from distance. Donegal's Evelyn McGinley. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Donegal were first off the mark in the second half with a White point, but Armagh's Lauren McConville added her name to the scoresheet as she shrugged her way through a couple of challenges and slotted over with her left foot. James Daly's side weren't going away quietly however, with Cait Gillespie and Katie Dowds finding the mark. But Armagh put the game beyond all reasonable doubt 15 minutes from the end of time with their third goal. McCoy turned provider on this occasion, supplying a wide-open Niamh Coleman, and she made no mistake in sliding her effort into the bottom corner to put 10 between the sides. Rhiana McColgan and Eva Gallagher (two) scored in consolation for Donegal, whilst Kelly Mallon (free), Lavery, Maeve Lennon and Caoimhe McNally closed out the scoring for the victors. Armagh scorers: A McCoy 2-0; N Coleman 1-0; E Lavery 0-2; N Henderson, E Druse, G Ferguson, L McConville, K Mallon (1f), M Lennon, C McNally 0-1 each. Donegal scorers: S White (2f), E Gallagher 0-2 each; C Gillespie, K Dowds, R McColgan 0-1 each. ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C McCambridge, M McCann; E Druse, C Towe, G Ferguson; C O'Hanlon, N Coleman; L McConville, A McCoy, B Mackin; E Lavery, N Henderson, N Reel. Subs: K Mallon for Reel (40), C Marley for L McConville (48), C McNally for C O'Hanlon (51), M Lennon for E Lavery (51), S Quigley for G Ferguson (54). DONEGAL: C Friel; S McFadden, A Temple Asokuh, S McFeeley; N Carr, E McGinley, C Gillespie; A Walsh, R Rodgers; N Boyle, K Dowds, F McMenamon; J McFadden, M Bennett, S White. Subs: U Boyle for A Walsh (26), B McLaughlin for Temple Asokuh (26), TR Mahon for J McFadden (HT), E Gallagher for F McMenamon (43), R McColgan for M Bennett (43). Referee: Gavin Finnegan (Down).
Irish Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rian O'Neill arrives with Armagh panel ahead of Ulster final
Rian O'Neill has travelled to Clones as part of the Armagh panel for the Ulster SFC final against Donegal . O'Neill had stepped back from the Armagh squad up to this stage but the All Star could make a dramatic first appearance of 2025 in today's provincial decider. Despite not being named in the official match-day 26, O'Neill could yet be added to the squad by Armagh. He arrived on the team bus and took part in the prematch walk of the pitch with the rest of the panel. The Orchard County have lost the last two Ulster deciders after penalty shoot-outs. Donegal are the reigning champions. READ MORE The game starts at 5.25pm.
