Eamonn Barry's first term as Blackhall Gaels manager brought them to the semi-finals of the Senior Football Championship, but more importantly led them to silverware as the ACFL Division 1 title was garnered with an impressive final win over Wolfe Tones. Barry's greatest claim to fame on the club front was guiding Dunshaughlin to three successive county senior titles, as well as a Leinster success, in the early years of this decade and one of the better moments of Blackhall's championship campaign this year was a surprisingly comfortable victory over his former club in the quarter-finals. But when the really big questions were poses by O'Mahonys in the first half of the semi-final, Blackhall had no answer to the craft and accuracy of David and Stephen Bray who did most to destroy their hopes of reaching the final for the second time in four years. Blackhall were afflicted by injury problems last year when they failed to reach the knockout stages for the first time since their golden year of 2003 and they didn't exactly enjoy the best of fortune on that front this term either, with former Meath captain Anthony Moyles a notable absentee in the early stages of the championship and starting only two games subsequently. Of course, Blackhall won the 2007 Under-21 Championship when beating Summerhill in the final and the hope must have been that that success would give them the sort of boost that would lead to a prolonged run in this year's SFC. Their group opponents were St Patrick's, Dunboyne, who defeated them in the 2005 final, Walterstown and Simonstown, the club they frustrated in 2003 when making a sensational recovery in the final to claim their one and only Keegan Cup. It wasn't the strongest group of the championship and Blackhall looked capable of emerging from it. However, they made a very disappointing start at Dunsany when St Patrick's finished strongly to claim the points on a day when Mark Crampton made a welcome return for Blackhall as a substitute after a lengthy absence with a knee injury. His involvement after that was limited to a couple of appearances as a substitute. Blackhall opened up a 0-4 to 0-0 lead after 12 minutes thanks to points from a Tadgh Brosnan line ball, Sean Whelan, Crampton and John Callanan and were also in front by 0-8 to 0-3 late in the first half. However, Peter Sullivan netted for the Stamullen men who trailed by 1-3 to 0-8 at the change of ends. With the wind at their backs in the second period, Pat's played with great passion and a second goal from Barry Campbell on 50 minutes edged them ahead, before they notched the last four points of the contest to win comfortably. The concession of those two goals had proven disastrous for Barry's side who were adrift by 0-11 to 2-10 at the end. Dunboyne provided the opposition in the second round at Summerhill and Blackhall bounced back with a 2-8 to 0-8 victory. Alan Nestor gave them a launch pad when he netted from a brilliantly struck penalty after eight minutes, but they relied on goalkeeper Martin Whelan to save them later in the first half when he foiled Michael Dunne in superb fashion. They might also have added two more goals themselves in that period when the upright thwarted Brosnan, but they still held a handy 1-5 to 0-2 advantage at the break. Dunboyne had Colm Brennan sent off in the third quarter, but they still managed to cut the deficit to 0-5 to 1-5 as they threatened a revival. Points from Brosnan and substitute Andy Brady extended Blackhall's lead to five, before Dunboyne pulled the gap back to 0-7 to 1-7 with seven minutes remaining. However, the Batterstown/Kilcloon combination killed off the contest when Brady scored their second goal and they had achieved a notable win which revived their qualification challenge. With that victory under their belts, Blackhall must have fancied their chances against Walterstown in the third round at Dunsany. Moyles didn't figure against St Patrick's or Dunboyne, but started this game which was very much a tale of penalty woes as they conceded goals from two such kicks. Brady goaled in the first half for Blackhall, but Alban Crosbie also found the net from a penalty for Walterstown late in the period and they led by 1-4 to 1-1 at the break. Blackhall proceeded to dominate the second half, but they missed chances which were ultimately to prove costly as the Blacks almost snatched victory at the death. Points from Brosnan (two) and Nestor got Blackhall back to level terms and when Paddy O'Brien, the influential Moyles and Sean Whelan also split the uprights they were ahead by 1-7 to 1-4. That advantage stretched to 1-9 to 1-5, but they failed to register again as Walterstown got the last two scores to draw (2-6 to 1-9). The second of them was another goal from a penalty by Crosbie in injury time, but the match might have ended in disaster for Barry against the club he enjoyed so much success with as a player when Charles McCarthy missed a chance to snatch victory at a stage when Blackhall wouldn't have had time to go in search of an equaliser. Blackhall had a lengthy wait for their final group assignment against Simonstown at Walterstown and this game brought another draw which had contrasting consequences for both teams. The point gained was enough to see Blackhall through to the quarter-finals, but the Navan men were out of the hunt for honours as they were left to rue Wayne McCarthy's missed penalty early in the last quarter. A 22nd minute goal from Brosnan helped Blackhall to lead by 1-5 to 0-5 at the interval, but with Simonstown's Shane O'Rourke proving a handful, Moyles was introduced in an effort to help contain him. Paddy O'Brien was deprived of a goal when Simonstown 'keeper Gary Lynch saved well, but Blackhall were also thankful to Martin Whelan who saved McCarthy's poorly taken penalty. Blackhall were still clinging onto a minimum margin lead when young Sean Tobin slotted over the equalising point from a free as it finished 1-10 to 0-13. However, the draw that score earned was of no use to Simonstown and Blackhall, for whom Brosnan tallied an important 1-6, were through to a last eight meeting with Dunshaughlin. This game took place at Pairc Tailteann where Blackhall won with surprising ease by 1-13 to 0-7 against a very disappointing Dunshaughlin team. Points from Brosnan (four frees), Sean Whelan, Mark Mullally and Andy Brady helped the Gaels to lead by 0-7 to 0-3 at the break, by which stage Martin Whelan had produced a brilliant save from Conor Staunton. Injury-hit Moyles and Nestor were introduced for the second half to give Blackhall a further lift and when Sean Whelan goaled they were well on their way to the last four. The advantage stood at 1-9 to 0-7 by the three-quarter stage and they scored the last four points to copper-fasten their position of authority. If that victory was a high point of the championship for Blackhall, then what happened in the semi-final against O'Mahonys, also at Pairc Tailteann, must have been a real low. The Navan men were rampant in the first half as David and Stephen Bray inflicted significant damage and they had seven points on the board without reply after 22 minutes. Blackhall, who started both Moyles and Nestor, didn't get off the mark until the 24th minute when Sean Whelan pointed and with Brosnan fisting over their only other point of the opening period they trailed by 0-2 to 1-9 at the break. The O'Mahonys' goal was a fantastic score as David Bray fed brother Stephen superbly and he worked his way through before netting. Sean Keating scored a second goal for the Brews Hill team three minutes into the second half to leave them ahead by 2-9 to 0-3 and the fact that Blackhall managed to draw this period (0-7 to 1-4) was surely of no consolation. It finished 2-13 to 0-9. Moyles and Nestor failed to get into the match and the latter was withdrawn early in the last quarter. It was a bitterly disappointing way to exit the championship. The Blackhall Gaels team in the semi-final was - M Whelan; D Beirne, D Dalton, D O'Brien; G Beirne, J Meyler, P Brady; A Moyles, M Mullally (0-2); J Callanan, S Whelan (0-3), P O'Brien; A Brady, T Brosnan (0-4), A Nestor. Subs - N O'Hora for P Brady, B McKeon for Callanan, A Dalton for D Beirne, M Ferris for Nestor. League Final While the championship might have ended in disappointment against an O'Mahony's side that were unstoppable, the league went much more to plan for Barry's men. A backlog of fixture meant that the momentum that has taken them to the last four in the Keegan Cup race was used to good cause as they climbed from a mid table position to earn a final title with Wolfe Tones late in the year. In the final itself Alan Nestor's goal from a 52nd minute penalty kick earned them a minimum margin win at Ashbourne and secured the Tommy Mooney Cup for the first time, 1-10 to 0-12. Nestor netted with aplomb, hitting the ball high past David Nolan after Tadhg Brosnan was fouled by Ciaran McLoughlin to leave it 1-10 to 0-10. Points in the latter stages from Tones cut the gap to the narrowest, but having shaded the exchanges for most of the hour the 'Tones had to settle for the silver medal position. The losers were also left to rue a penalty miss by Ward in the 27th minute when the county player's kick was brilliantly saved by Martin Whelan who showed great bravery in prevent the Tones' ace-marksman from netting from the rebound. Whelan also saved Mark Coleman's 18th minute goal attempt at the expense. The Blackhall 'keeper turned another goal attempt by the Wolfe Tones number 14 over the bar at the expense of point shortly after the restart. Points from play from Anthony Moyles, Sean Whelan (his third such score) and Tadhg Brosnan levelled matters - for the fourth time - by the 43rd minute, 0-9 each. As the game entered the final quarter Wolfe Tones charges regained the lead when John Tiernan pointed a free with his left boot from. The 'Gaels responded with Brosnan levelling matters from a 40-metre free in the 49th minute. The next score proved to be the decisive. Apart from O'Brien, centre-half-back Johnathon Meyler was also impressive at the back for the eventual winners. The Tommy Mooney winning Blackhall Gaels side was: M. Whelan; G. Beirne, D. Dalton, D. O'Brien; D. Beirne, J. Meyler, N. O'Hora; A. Moyles (0-1), M. Mullally; M. Ferris, S. Whelan (0-3), J. Callinan; A. Nestor (1-0), T. Brosnan (0-5), A. Brady (0-1). Sub - M. Crampton for Ferris. Seconds come firm The curtain-raiser to that SFC semi-final was the Junior C final and that proved much more successful for Blackhall as they deservedly defeated Na Fianna by 2-7 to 0-6. Blackhall's third string team laid a solid foundation for success in the opening 10 minutes when they goaled twice and that left the Enfield/Baconstown combination chasing the game for the remainder. Thomas Clarke finished off a move involving a succession of passes when he netted after four minutes and the second goal arrived six minutes later when David O'Hanlon surged down the right and fired a shot past Na Fianna 'keeper Fergus Clinton. Blackhall might have scored two more goals in that period, but Clarke shot wide and O'Hanlon had his effort saved by Clinton. Blackhall still led by 2-3 to 0-5 at the interval, but Na Fianna reduced the deficit to three points on the restart. Though they were dangerous and the winners had to defend stoutly to keep them out, Na Fianna failed to score again and Blackhall's four second half points left them comfortably ahead at the end. The outcome was beyond doubt by the time Blackhall goalkeeper and captain Martin Hennessy tipped a rasping shot from David McCormack onto the crossbar. Hennessy had the honour of accepting the Royal Meath Association Cup. The Blackhall Gaels team in the final was - M Hennessy; Daniel Carty, P Snee, U Colgan; J Kelly; S Rattigan, D Tobin; J O'Hora, E Broad (0-1); J Larkin (0-1), J Staunton (0-1), D O'Hanlon (1-0); D Larkin, T Clarke (1-1), J Finglas (0-1). Subs - Dermot Carty (0-1) for O'Hora, P Conneally for D Larkin, G Smith (0-1) for Staunton, M Crehan for Kelly. Historic win for Blackhall camogie 2008 marked a historic year for Blackhall Gaels with the club winning their first ever Senior Camogie Championship title. Champions for the past three years Kilmessan were dethroned by the Blackhall Gaels ladies, who having only reached their first Senior Final in their Clubs history, gave Kilmessan everything they were made of to bring the Fag & O'Regan Cup to Blackhall Gaels. Jane Dolan was the deserving recipient of the player of the match award as she registered all of the scores for the Gaels. Qualification for the camogie final was done on a league basis and Blackhall Gaels scored victories over all four of the other senior sides in the group stage, but they were given little chance against Kilmessan especially after having to play their final group game against a tough Trim side just five days earlier. With no pressure of weight of expectation Blackhall Gaels played with a freedom of expression and defended like their lives depended on it. Kilmessan are an exceptional side and were hot favourites in the run up to the final, but Blackhall Gaels were never out of the races. The full-back line of Helen Murphy, Emma Fahy-Whelan and Amy Crosbie were near flawless and with Jane Burke and Caroline Griffin causing problems at midfield and Holly Geraghty and Kristina Troy working tirelessly to assist Dolan in attack Blackhall stifled the considerable Kilmessan threat. Kilmessan will feel that they didn't play to their full potential, but they simply weren't let. Blackhall closed them down at every opportunity and while Kilmessan did manage to score more times they rarely looked like causing too many problems for the consistently excellent goalkeeper Emily Mangan. The only time that Kilmessan did look like pulling away was early in the final quarter when a goal from the impressive Stephanie Horan and a brilliant point from Donnelly gave them a 2-8 to 1-6 cushion. However a couple of defensive lapses let Blackhall back into the game and Kilmessan were punished. Blackhall were always in contention and even though Kilmessan started sharper when Frances Lynch drove over a great point after five minutes, Dolan responded with a free. Two frees from Donnelly, one from over 60 metres, stretched Kilmessan's advantage, but again Blackhall stayed in touch when Dolan gathered a massive Mangan puck out, raced 20 metres untouched before unleashing a rasping shot past Sheridan to move into a 1-1 to 0-3 lead. Dolan emulated Donnelly when she pointed a free from over 60 metres to stretch Blackhall's lead, but a Jenny Cusack point was followed by another Dolan score before Cusack reacted to a breaking ball to touch to the net and push Kilmessan into a 1-4 to 1-3 lead. Dolan restored Blackhall's lead from a '45' and a brilliant point from play before a Horan free ensured the sides were tied at 1-5 each at the break. The close nature of the contest continued after the resumption when firstly a brace of Donnelly points from placed balls edged Kilmessan clear, but Dolan again ensured the exchanges stayed close when she pointed a '45' after her earlier effort had hit the crossbar. It looked as if the game would finally swing Kilmessan's way when Horan netted in a scramble and then Donnelly pointed from play. However, Dolan was outstanding and she pulled the game out of the fire with two late goals to stun Kilmessan and secure Blackhall's first senior camogie title. This victory marked the icing on the cake for the club which has had great success since its establishment- winning the junior, intermediate and now senior championship in only six years. Congratulations to all the players and to their trainer Brian Heavin and selectors Deirdre Mangan and Kay Troy. This win rewarded the hard work of many people over the years such as Breda Fahy who trained most of the team from underage upwards and still remains a key figure in the Blackhall camogie scene 2008 was also a big year for camogie in Meath with the Meath team winning both a national league title and the junior championship. Since local man Christy Mangan took over as chairman of the Meath Camogie County Board camogie in Meath has gone from strength to strength. Blackhall are proud of Christy's achievements and of our four Blackhall players on the Meath panel - Jane Dolan, Emily Mangan, Holly Geraghty and Kristina Troy. In 2009 we look forward to defending the senior championship title and to the increased development of our underage section of the club with the aim of fielding teams in the under 10, 12, 14 and 16 age groups. The Blackhall Gaels side which claimed the Meath SFC title was: E. Mangan; H. Murphy, E. Fahy-Whelan, A. Crosbie; H. Geraghty, K. Murphy, C. Burke; J. Burke, C. Griffin; K. Troy, J. Dolan (3-7, 2-4 frees, 0-2 45s), S. Hughes; L. Lucas, J. Jordan, E. Nolan. Sub - G. Ennis for Nolan (ht). Tweet

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