25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MONAGHAN'S 1985 TRIUMPH.
It started last year as part of the 125 celebrations when the Ulster Council decided that part of the presentation on Ulster final day would be to honour the 25th anniversary of Tyrone's Ulster championship victory in Centenary Year 1984.  The event was such a success that they decided to make it a permanent feature of Ulster final day and this year it is the turn of Monaghan who were victorious 25 years ago in 1985.

1985 ULSTER SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL.
Monaghan 2-9, Derry 0-8.
Monaghan totally justified their favourites tag when they eased to a comfortable victory over Derry in the final of the Ulster senior football championship on Sunday, July 21st, 1985 in Clones before a crowd of some 20,000 plus. The game as a contest never rose to any great heights and was described in one newspaper report as "a depressing experience for a young Derry side". Monaghan in fact struck a decisive blow tactically right at the very start when they switched Mick O'Dowd out to the '40 in place of Eamon McEnaney but the latter emerged as the game's outstanding personality by scoring 2-4 of his sides total. In the opening quarter the Monaghan defence was a little uncertain and against better opposition might have paid a harsher penalty, but later they settled and Derry made little progress. Overall though there was a hunger and determination about Monaghan's play which Derry never looked capable of matching.  Monaghan led from start to finish after Nudie Hughes opened the scoring with a point but the decisive blow came 18 minutes into the first half when Eamonn McEnaney drove to the Derry net for the first of his two goals.  Approaching the halfway mark Monaghan were ahead by six points, 1-5 to 0-2 but Terence McGuckian converted three frees for Derry in the final minutes to leave the half-time score Monaghan 1-5, Derry 0-5.  Derry needed a good start to the second-half but it was Monaghan who struck the decisive blow when Monaghan found the Derry net for the second time some five minutes after the restart, Eamonn McEneaney finishing well after excellent approach work by Eamonn Murphy, Ray McCarron and Mick O'Dowd. Derry did create some chances in the final 10 minutes but failed to capitalise and it was appropriate on the day that the final score of the match should fall to Monaghan's Mick O'Dowd, a player who had contributed richly to their seven points success.
TEAM AND SCORERS: Paddy Linden, Eugene Sherry, Gerry Mc Carville, Fergus Caulfield, Brendan Murray, Ciaran Murray, Declan Flanagan, Hugo Clerkin, David Byrne, Ray McCarron, Michael O'Dowd, Brendan Brady, Eamonn McEnaney, Eamonn Murphy, "Nudie" Hughes. Subs: Declan McArdle, Paul Curran, Mickey Caulfield, Anthony McArdle, Sean Mc Carville, Brendan Beggan, Kieran Finlay, Paddy Kerr, Jimmy Kiely, Eugene O' Hanlon, Noel Shields.
The Marksmen : Eamonn McEnaney 2-4, "Nudie" Hughes 0-2, Ray McCarron, Eamonn Murphy and Michael O'Dowd 0-1 each.
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