Articles in the GAA Category

By JOHN GRAHAM The Hillgrove Hotel, Monaghan, was en fete on Friday night last for the biggest occasion in the GAA’s social calendar in the County, Annual Awards night when all that was best, both on and off the field, during 2015 was acknowledged with the presentation of the various playing awards, the acknowledgement of outstanding service by club officials, special presentations to the referees who handled the various league and championship finals in 2015 and the induction of two former County players into the Monaghan GAA Hall of Fame. The occasion ...

PATRICK SMYTH Last Friday night, a who’s who of present and past stars of Monaghan GAA gathered with chief administrators of the Assocation to honour today and yesterday’s elite Gaelic games players from the county. Monaghan GAA’s Hall of Fame is an exclusive club. Last weekend at the Hillgrove Hotel, two Gaelic games legends, Brian Daly (Donaghmoyne) and Eugene ‘Nudie’ Hughes became the latest inductees with both men being saluted by a bumper attendance. Donaghmoyne native Daly first donned the red of the Fontenoy’s when he played on the under 14 ...

PATRICK SMYTH Who were Monaghan GAA’s big hitters in 2015? Who were the most outstanding local performers in the world of Gaelic games over the past year? Tomorrow night (Friday) all will be revealed at the Hillgrove Hotel when the annual Northern Standard/Monaghan GAA Awards night takes place. What can be revealed is that Scotstown tyro Darren Hughes and Rockcorry’s rock-solid Niall McKeown will be hot-footing it to the stage to collect their second prestigious award each for the second time in a week after their recent selections on the Ulster Club ...

By JOHN GRAHAM 2015 was an historic year for the Rockcorry club, first of all in winning the Monaghan Junior football championship and promotion back to Intermediate ranks for 2016 at the first time of asking, and then going on to add the Ulster Club Junior Football Championship title on the first occasion that they competed at that level. When they travel to Carrick on Shannon this Sunday to take on the Mayo and Connaught champions Ardnaree, in Pairc Sean, they will be writing another chapter in their evolving history as ...

MONAGHAN midfielder Owen Lennon has called it a day after announcing his retirement from playing gaelic football at any level last week. Ultimately the decision was based on medical advice as he has been suffering from a long standing ankle problem and that along with a back injury that troubled him also were the catalysts for the announcement. Owen, one of the most influential midfielders of his time, was a central figure in the Monaghan renaissance that saw them win promotion from division 3 to division 1 in successive seasons and ...

Armagh 0-16 Monaghan 2-09 JOHN GRAHAM A more resilient Armagh staged a strong final quarter to come from being five points in arrears at the three quarter stage to eke out the narrowest of victories in this fairly low-key and at times scrappy Dr McKenna Cup game that was played in bright, if somewhat greasy conditions, in Clones on Sunday last. Monaghan made ten changes from the team that started against Ulster University in their previous outing, giving senior debuts to Rockcorry trio Jamie Smith, Niall McKeown and Fergal McGeough as well as Blackhill’s ...

A busy week beckons for Monaghan in the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup with crucial games against Armagh and Cavan. by COLM SHALVEY Monaghan host Armagh in Clones on Sunday, before travelling to Cavan next Wednesday evening. Two wins would be needed for Monaghan to advance beyond the group stages for the first time since Malachy O’Rourke’s maiden year in charge in 2013, but the date that really looms on the horizon is the January 31 trip to Roscommon for the opening game of the Allianz National Football League Division ...

The debut performance of Barry McGinn was one of few positives Monaghan could take from their Bank of Ireland Dr. McKenna Cup defeat at home to Ulster University last Sunday. McGinn, who is the youngest member of Monaghan’s McKenna Cup panel, top-scored with 1-3, including three of his team’s four points in the first half via a fine effort from play and a free off either foot. The forward, whose CV includes scoring two goals as a sub in Monaghan’s Ulster MFC Final win in 2013, leading Our Lady’s, Castleblayney ...

Ulster University  2-16 Monaghan 1-09 By JOHN GRAHAM Monaghan fielded a largely experimental side in this opening round match of this year’s Bank of Ireland sponsored Dr McKenna Cup but it turned into a very disappointing afternoon in Clones on Sunday last as they were completely outplayed by a much more cohesive Ulster University side who recorded a deserved victory. In the corresponding fixture last year Monaghan defeated the students in Castleblayney but only three of that team started on Sunday last as Malachy O’Rourke used the game to run the rule over potential ...

With the action on the playing fields over for 2015, there is an equal amount of looking back on the year that was and looking ahead to the year to come. by COLM SHALVEY Monaghan end this year in a good place, not only as Ulster senior football champions, but with schools’ teams and development squads showing promise for the future and high expectations for the county minors and Under-21s for 2016. For Malachy O’Rourke’s side, the new campaign is already just over a couple of weeks away via the start ...