right all you experts lets start with Vincent Kerr Tír Na nÓG

gabby01 (Antrim) - Posts: 78 - 28/02/2009 12:18:20    220929

is that Vincent Kerr the hurler

nothappy (Antrim) - Posts: 47 - 28/02/2009 12:31:08    220934

so what have we here no one out can name 15 all time greats from Antrim is it because Antrim don't have 15 players that you could call greats or is it because the posters on this site would rather post about what is wrong with the county or what is wrong with the clubs. well I'm sure that if this topic was posted on another counties website that it would be filled so come on yous Gaelic experts give us your answers

gabby01 (Antrim) - Posts: 78 - 28/02/2009 19:53:18    221047

Gabby, 15 is a bit limited.

Hurling: Klute, Dessie Donnelly, Sambo, Barr, and Humpy McKillen all won all stars, but others could have, and many didn't get the chance.

Gary O'Kane appeared in 5 all Ireland finals, and that Dunloy team had many fine players.

In my watching years Seanie Burns, Aidan Hamill, James McNaughton, Leonard McKeegan, Seamus Richmond, Brendan McGarry, Peter Boyle, Eddie Donnelly, Seanie Collins, all fine players and many left out.

In the 1950s Stout McDonald and Desie Cormican represented Ireland, and back in the 1940s there was Kevin Armstrong and the other stars who beat Galway and Kilkenny to reach the All Ireland final.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 28/02/2009 22:31:06    221156

Here is my selection of the best ever Antrim team, 1. D D Quinn 2. Dessie Donnelly 3. Seamus Mc Mullan 4. James Mc Naughton 5. Karl Mc Keegan 6. Gary O Kane 7. Paul Jennings 8. Paul Mc Killen 9. Danny Mc Naughton 10. John Carson 11. Neil Mc Manus 12. Liam Watson 13. Gregory O Kane 14 Terance Mc Naughton 15. Olcan Mc Fetridge. I'll add that this is a team selected from players I have watched and it does not take into account players like Peter Boyle, Brendan Mc Garry, Kevin Armstrong whom I have never seen hurling, others who had a good shout at being included were Terance Donnelly, Lenard Mc Keegan, Paddy Richmond, Brian Mc Faul, Shane Elliott, Alister Elliott, Conor Mc Cambridge, Brian Donnelly and Dominic Mc Kinley. This is ment to spark a bit of debate, i'm not insulting anyone and i'm not crazy, lol

JohnHorsebox (Antrim) - Posts: 6 - 01/03/2009 10:07:04    221219

Okay 15 might not be enough then we wil try a panel of 30 by the way it is hurling and football so if vincent kerr is not one of the all time greats that came from this county and his name is in croke park as one of ulsters great hurlers then there must be someone greater in ulster.

gabby01 (Antrim) - Posts: 78 - 01/03/2009 11:07:34    221234

from what i've seen, post 1989

1. DD Quinn
2. Brian Donnelly
3. Dominic McKinley
4. Sean McIlhatton
5. Terence McNaughton
6. Gary O'Kane
7. Ciaran Herron
8. Paul McKillen
9. Jim Connelly
10. Liam Watson
11. Aiden McCarry
12. Gregory O'Kane
13. Alistair Elliott
14. Ciaran Barr
15. Olcan McFetridge
16. Shane Elliott
17. Leonard McKeegan
18. Kieran Kelly
19. Karl McKeegan
20. Sean Paul McKillop
21. Malachy Molloy
22. Colm McGuckian
23. Brian McFall
24. Jim Close

hope i haven't missed anyone, haven't included the youngsters who are making good progress as they still have to do it consistently

kautostar (Antrim) - Posts: 71 - 02/03/2009 14:30:24    222066

Hey Patrique,
Yer man Dessie Cormican, he was corner forward for Antrim in 1945 against Galway, I have a photo copy of the programme, dunno the score, but can you tell me who his club was if he is still alive, or when he died? And as a point of interest, the Cappataggle keeper who lost to Blarney in the years Intermediate club final was a Cormican. I wanna know Dessies club?

cathalger (Antrim) - Posts: 5 - 02/03/2009 18:45:21    222350

No greats in Antrim sorry!

osama_bin_laden (USA) - Posts: 246 - 02/03/2009 19:09:45    222364

Patrique,
meant to say, it was a national league game agin Galway, it was on the 30 Sept 1945 and it was in Corrigan Park. No 13 D. Cormican.

cathalger (Antrim) - Posts: 5 - 02/03/2009 20:47:56    222441

Osama if you have nothing sensible to contribute don't contribute at all. We all know you are from Antrim yourself, so for once why not get behind the county and make a positive contribution.

SW_Gael (Antrim) - Posts: 55 - 02/03/2009 21:46:04    222487

Too many options, but here's a different proposal.

Antrim Coast Team 1980 - date

1. Ryan McGarry
2. Sean Delargy 3. Terence Donnelly 4. Dessie Donnelly
5. Terence McNaughton 6. Leonard McKeegan 7. James McNaughton
8. Paul McKillen 9. Karl McKeegan
10. Peter Boyle 11. Neil McManus 12 Brian Donnelly
13. Johnny McIntosh 14. Eddie Donnelly 15. Danny McNaughton

16. Frank Ward 17. Sean McNaughton 18. Stephen Boyle 19. Paul Graham

What about a Glens (all the inland clubs) and Belfast select?

bredaghman (Down) - Posts: 98 - 04/03/2009 15:49:49    223927

Dessie Cormican played for Mitchell's, as did his sons. One of them played in the 1974 All Ireland U21 final against Mayo.

Mitchell's alas have fallen on hard times since those heady days.

I am not sure whether Dessie is still about.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 05/03/2009 00:23:25    224396

Cathalger - I am pretty sure Dessie Cormican was a Mitchells man - I think he also played on the QUB team that won the Fitzgibbon in 1953. I don't think that was a National League match, though? I'd been putting together the stats on Antrim in the NHL and hadn't come across it. I did find a match report and Galway won 6-12 to 2-1 it doesn't mention NHL. Both sides had lost the All-Ireland semifinals a few weeks before but I there are no reports as to whether it was organised as a fundraiser or as part of the Oireachtas competition.
The early National Leagues were organised on (rough) geographic lines. With the limited number of teams entered, it made the Hurling Leagues expensive for Antrim as they had long distances to travel no matter who we played (the idea that we got to Division I for the first time in 1988 is a joke). When Antrim played in the NHL for the first time, it was in 1931 in a group with Dublin, Meath and Laois. We didn't enter again until 1945 (NHL was suspended during WWII) when we were placed in Group 1 with Dublin and Tipperary. Dublin were the 1944 Leinster champs while Tipp were the reigning All-Ireland champions. Galway were in Group 3 with Clare, Limerick, Offaly and Westmeath. We stayed in the same group until 1947 when a Northern Divison was set up with Antrim, Meath and Westmeath (this was an unoffical Division II). We won an Ulster Hurling League in 1947, but lost the 1947-48 and 1948-49 Division II finals. In 1948-49 it was officially Division II (we were in IIB with Down and Armagh), although in 1949-50 it was redesignated as Group D (Antrim, Meath, Armagh and Tyrone). We were placed in a re-organised Divison 1A from 1951-52, but only placed in a Special Hurling League in 1954 (which we won beating our old friends Offaly). We won the 1955-56 Division II title, beating Kerry in the final, having won Division IIA (Antrim, Down, Meath and Wicklow). In 1956-57 we finally got to meet Galway in Division IB of the NHL (with Clare, Galway, Tipperary and Westmeath). We beat them 4-2 to 2-4.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 05/03/2009 09:34:53    224455

a belfast team 1jim corr 2 c ward sarsfields 3 g rogan rossa4 t cunningham st johns5 m carlin st johns6 s collins rossa j mckernan sarsfields g cunningham st johns j fegan rossa d armstrong rossa j crosseyst pauls b quinn gorts a hamill rossa p mc fall st johns a mc callin st johns this team has it all skill fight heart and alot more any better teams out there tell me

shambo (Antrim) - Posts: 67 - 05/03/2009 10:07:40    224476

15 hurling greats

1. paddy quinn
2. ger rogan
3. damian murray
4. mark barr
5. sean collins
6. mark reynolds
7. aidzo murray
8. jim close
9. jim fegan
10. donal armstrong
11. ciran barr
12. paul ward
13. noel murray
14. jim reily
15. collin murphy

lenyard (Antrim) - Posts: 91 - 05/03/2009 10:20:25    224488

1 , J Corr
2,
3, E Hamill
4, D Donnelly
5, G O'Kane
6, S Collins
7 J McNaughton
8, J Connolly
9, P McKillen
10, A Hamill

HongKongPhooey (Antrim) - Posts: 93 - 05/03/2009 21:38:24    225155

sorry - hurling cont.d
11 C Barr
12 Sambo
13, B Donnelly
14, E Donnelly
15 K Armstrong

subs
P Boyle
Forgot about Stout McDonald- he'd be in midfield instead of Humpy
and a few others , dunno much about pre 50's

HongKongPhooey (Antrim) - Posts: 93 - 05/03/2009 21:45:49    225166

Pearsesabu,
Thanks for all that, very interesting stuff, particularly that we beat Galway at the first time of asking in the League! I actually have the original of a programme from 1945 between Antrim and Tipp, again at Corrigan Park. It says at the top:- Craob Iomana Naisiunta na hEireann, and thats what put National League in my head, though admittedly my Irish isnt great. It actually says on the 45 programme between Antrim and Galway(of which I have only a colour photocopy):- "Cluice Iomana ar Son Cartannais", its in old Irish hence the absence of H's, just the appropriate accents over the C and T. What exactly does that mean? Excuse my ignorance.

It was an old man from Glenariffe who collected these programmes, and when he died 3 years ago I got my hands on them for a wee while. I couldnt keep them, there were lots of them, hurling and football, club and county, as they had been promised to a collector in Loughgiel. As there were more than 1 copy of a few of them I held onto some and photocopied the rest. They are very interesting.

Dessie Cormican played no.13 against Tipp and Galway in 1945. The reason he stood out to me was because I have a good friend from the Cappataggle club in Galway (who were beaten by Blarney in this years Intermediate final) called Adrian Cormican. His brother was in goals I think, he was recovering from an injury in the run up to the final. Mannix McAlister (Cushendall) was in goals for Antrim in both those games in 1945. He is famous around these parts for saving a Christy Ring penalty in a Railway Cup match in the 40's.

i have the original programme of the 1945 All Ireland final between Kilkenny and Tipp, and the 1959 final between Kilkenny and Waterford, they are great wee pieces of history. I have a multitude of photocopied programmes, many Ulster football and national football ones among them. 1946 Semi final between Antrim and Kerry. The first time I heard of that match was a few years ago when speaking to a very old Kerryman in a pub in Liverpool. He said Antrim nearly beat them?
Kevin Armstrong must have been a hell of a dual player.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Good Luck.

cathalger (Antrim) - Posts: 5 - 05/03/2009 23:32:43    225313

Cathalger - the Antrim Tipperary game in 1945 was the National Hurling League (Craobh Iomana Naisiunta na hEireann) while Cluiche Iomana ar son Charthanais is a charity (carthanas) match for the Antrim-Galway game (which makes sense - could even have been a fundraiser as part of building Casement). Just, out of interest - how much info is in the early programmes you have? Do any of them have colour photos of the team or players? Antrim wore saffron and green hoops up to the 1940s (they changed to saffron only in 1946 or so) - I've never seen a colour photo to see what the actual jersey looks like.

pearsesabu (Antrim) - Posts: 663 - 06/03/2009 12:03:26    225602