ELECTRIC IRELAND ULSTER MINOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER FINAL

Monaghan  V Antrim: Corrigan Park, Belfast; Saturday April 27th @ 6.00pm

This Saturday Monaghan have their second outing in the Electric Ireland sponsored Ulster minor football championship when they travel to Corrigan Park, Belfast, to take on Antrim, with the prize for the winners being a place in the semi-final. Monaghan travelled to the same venue last year in the minor championship qualifiers and came away with a comfortable victory, going on to clinch the Ulster minor championship title and later booking their place in the All Ireland semi-final where they lost narrowly to Kerry. That’s a little bit further down the road than they are at the moment but given the respective positions of these teams, Monaghan will be regarded as favourites going into this contest against an Antrim team that finished the Ulster minor league, Jim McGuigan Cup Section A, with no points from their four outings and shipping a couple of heavy reverses in the process. From Antrim’s perspective team manager Colly McAllister readily acknowledges that his side are facing a big challenge in taking on the reigning Ulster minor champions. “We are in division 4 in the National League at senior level, whereas Monaghan are in division one but I feel that this minor team can strike a blow for the County by putting it up to Monaghan, but I would not agree that playing in Corrigan Park gives us a big advantage because we lost there last year to Monaghan”. Team captain Ruairi Hagan reflected the thoughts of his manager when he talked about how well this squad have bought into the minor championship mantra of McAllister and the attendance at training but acknowledged too that some players are making big sacrifices to play by attending training and mixing that with their studies. “The main thing for us” he was quoted as saying “is that we will do the County proud but I know we are up against it, having lost to Monaghan in the league” MONAGHAN MANAGER Mark Counihan saw his side, defeating Antrim in the league earlier in the season, but he feels that they will pose a different problem, this time around. “Yes we won that game fairly comfortably, but their under sixteen team was in action that same day and they have quite a good under sixteen team and some of those lads would be involved now with the minor team. I would expect at least four maybe five of those boys to step in because the last day we played them their full-back, was missing that day, their centre back was missing and their free taker was missing so I am expecting that it will be a vastly changed team, a totally different team on Saturday and we are also playing away from home and in a difficult venue in Corrigan Park. We know we have to be focused, we know we have to improve on certain things from the game against Down last Saturday, we have to get tuned in from the start, we have to get the effects of the Down  game out of the way and get rid of that nervous energy, get it away from us,  and hopefully we will get a good strong performance next Saturday again, and its going to take a strong performance to get over Antrim, this time around”.

Mark Counihan admitted too that the bench will play an increasing role as Monaghan progress in the championship. “I suppose that’s what the panel is about, and there were a couple of lads who were probably unlucky not to get in the last day. We had two or three guys lined up to bring them in but then the tide started turning and we were reluctant to make changes at that stage. We are back training this week and the boys will all be chomping at the bit again, and they will be looking for starting places or putting down a marker that they can be brought in to do a job at any stage in a game, but that’s what the panel is for and we are delighted that we have a very good panel to do that with”.

FIXTURES

The action is hotting up on the club front with a full round of games in the Shoe City senior, the Monaghan Electric intermediate and the Euro Tech Junior football leagues this Saturday and another round on Wednesday next May 1st.

SFL

In the Shoe City senior football league on Saturday Scotstown are at home against Clontibret, with that game at 5:30 PM, while the other four games, Currin away against Carrickmacross, Doohamlet at home to Inniskeen, Latton with the short journey in to Pearse Park, Ballybay and Truagh at home against Castleblayney are all timed for 7.00 PM. On Wednesday next,  May 1st with all games at 7:45 PM, Clontibret are at home against Ballybay, Doohamlet are away at Truagh, Currin play host to Scotstown, Latton are away at Castleblayney and it’s a local affair in Grattan Park between Inniskeen and Carrickmacross.

IFL

In the Monaghan Electric intermediate football league on this Saturday, April 27th, all games at 7.00 PM, Cremartin are at home against Monaghan Harps, Corduff are away at Donaghmoyne, Aughnamullen have home advantage over Magheracloone, Killanny travel to Tyholland and Emyvale play host to Sean McDermotts. There is another round of games in the intermediate league on Wednesday next May 1st, all games at 7:30 PM, Tyholland are at home against Donaghmoyne, Emyvale are away at Monaghan Harps, Magheracloone travel to Killanny, Corduff are at home against Cremartin and Sean McDermotts are at home against Aughnamullen, with that game at 7:45 PM.

JFL

In the Euro Tech Junior football league on this Saturday, all games at 7 PM. Clones are at home against Killeevan, Scotstown are away at Eire Og, Blackhill host Drumhowan, Rockcorry travel to Oram and Toome travel to Aghabog. Wednesday next May 1st, with all games at 7:45 PM, sees Toome at home against Blackhill, Eire Og away at Oram, Killeevan with a home game against Aghabog, Drumhowan away at Rockcorry and Scotstown, with home advantage over Clones.

HURLING

In the last round of games in the Silver Hill Foods senior hurling league, Carrickmacross HC defeated Clontibret, Inniskeen defeated Mattock Rangers and Castleblayney HC had a comfortable away victory over Truagh. This time around the action is in the first round of the Silver Hill Foods Development Hurling league with two newcomers this year in East Cavan Gaels, who play Monaghan Harps HC in Gavin Duffy Park and Latton, who are away against Truagh. The other games see Carrickmacross HC at home against Mattock Rangers and Castleblayney HC with home advantage against Clontibret. Those games are all timed for 7:30 PM starts.

AGHABOG; DOCUMENTING THE PAST

The Aghabog project, Documenting The Past, the brainchild of Aghabog club man, John Connolly, which centres on the role of local man Patrick Coyle, who served as Secretary of Monaghan County board from 1917 to 1923, is now moving towards fruition with a special celebration on Sunday week next May 5th in Aghabog. The project was based on the discovery of a notebook in which was recorded the minutes of County board meetings and County Conventions from 1914 to 1917, and this sparked further research into the role played by Patrick Coyle in those early years of Monaghan County board. A tribute published to him in the Northern Standard of February 1972, following his death, described him as “one of Ballybay’s best-known businessmen and one of the town’s most esteemed citizens”. Patrick Coyle moved from his native Aghabog to Ballybay, where he set up a very successful business but he was also very much involved in politics and the fight for independence at that time, being one of the most prominent members of the old IRA in Monaghan. He played a very prominent part in the War of Independence and he joined the Volunteers at an early age, being promoted quickly to captain of the Ballybay Brigade of the fourth Battalion IRA. To mark his contribution a special plaque will be laid on his grave in Aghabog cemetery on Sunday May 5th at 7:30 PM and that will be followed by function in the Aghabog GAA club rooms, during which the booklet that contains the transcription of the contents of the original notebook, will be launched.

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