KILCOO COACH CONLEITH Gilligan felt Aidan Branagan was harshly sent-off in the dramatic conclusion to normal time in yesterday’s All-Ireland club semi-final.

Kilcoo ran out five-point winners over Cork and Munster champions St Finbarr’s, but needed extra-time before they shook off the determined challenge of their opponents in Portlaoise.

In normal time Kilcoo had a chance to win the game when Paul Devlin sized up a free but the decision was overturned by referee Brendan Cawley after an incident involving Branagan, who was subsequently sent-off, and St Finbarr’s Adam Lyne.

“Look it’s very hard to make a call on it because you seen it in normal time and in normal time, the player was encroaching Paul Devlin, trying to put him off,” said Gilligan, speaking immediately after the game on the pitch at O’Moore Park.

“Now when a player is encroaching and trying to put a free-taker off, it should be a 13m move forward because he has done it on the other side but Aidan came in with a shoulder.

“Look, it looked like a harsh red card from where I was at. Having not seen it the second time, it looked shoulder to shoulder, the player seemed to go down a wee bit soft.

“But unless I see it again, out of character for Aidan Branagan and he was doing it to try and protect Paul. But look the referee seen it and that threw the game towards extra-time. The way Paul was kicking, there was a fair chance he would have kicked it over because he had the breeze. It was one of them things and the extra-time hopefully will stand to us.”

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

After emerging from a huge test of their credentials as favourites, Gilligan questioned the conditions in which the game was played at with the removal of the water breaks.

Click Here:

The stoppage midway through either half had been in place when Kilcoo and St Finbarr’s won their respective provincial titles a fortnight ago, with Gilligan feeling it was unfair to change the system for a championship that was still ongoing.

“Look I suppose (for) players and management to take away the water break in the middle of a competition was very unfair. If you start a competition some way, you should finish it that way because obviously we were trying to get messages on. Obviously I think there was five times the amount of Finbarrs supporters behind us than there was people in Kilcoo, so it was very hard to hear anything. I thought the players done really well to control things on their own.

“Look I completely understand why from a management of the officials point of view. The fact that nobody can get in and no messages and they’re so strict on things, it is difficult. It’s one of the fastest field sports you can get. People say rugby but rugby is a very slow game, there’s rucks, it’s a very different game. To compare Gaelic football and rugby is very unfair.

“I think they probably have to look at that. That’s for somebody else. But I think the fact that the competition started with water breaks, it probably should have finished it out that way. Look the rules are the rules and we’ll just have to manage it.”

Kilcoo’s Ryan Johnston at the end of the game.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

After suffering a painful experience in extra-time two years ago at the hands of Corofin in the final, Gilligan praised his players for how they responded to the occurrence of the additional period yesterday.

“I suppose look we learned a very harsh lesson against Corofin. We had pulled back four points in a row and we had them under the cosh and got to extra-time. I suppose we were very energetic and pumped up going in off that game and thought we had all the momentum, but we probably couldn’t replicate that energy in the extra-time.

“I suppose the one thing we learned, we were very, very calm, we reset and we started again. We changed the team, we brought a couple players in, just that we thought was going to do the job. Justin Clark, he had a hand in two of the points, the first two points maybe in extra-time, he got fouled for one, it was a massive thing in terms of the game. We’ve been there before, we’ve already had two extra-times through Ulster and Down, so we were kind of used to that which was good.”

DERRY CAME OUT on top of a scrappy encounter with Down in Division 2 of the Allianz National Football League, Rory Gallagher’s side beating their Ulster rivals 1-10 to 0-6 in Owenbeg this evening.

Niall Loughlin supplied the only goal of the game midway through the first half, with the hosts leading 1-6 to 0-4 at half-time.

And Derry held out in a tight second period, Gallagher’s side finishing with nine different scorers, while Andrew Gilmore top-scored for Down with 0-3.

In Division 3, Limerick survived a late rally from Longford to get their National League campaign off to a winning start, winning 4-9 to 1-11 at the Gaelic Grounds.

Limerick had built up a seven-point lead thanks to first-half goals from Brian Donovan and Cillian Fahy, but Longford managed to claw the deficit back to just two points late in the second half.

Having scored 3-5 in the opening period, after the break Limerick managed just two points before stoppage time, when Darragh Doherty’s goal brought Longford to within two points of the home side.

However Limerick pulled clear again with a late flurry of scores, including a goal from James Naughton, which extended their cushion to seven points.

Elsewhere in Division 3, Antrim hit 1-5 without reply in the final minutes to beat Fermanagh 1-14 to 0-8 at Brewster Park.

After a slow start Fermanagh managed to fight back and make it a one point game entering the final 10 minutes, but Antrim’s superior firepower saw Enda McGinley’s team pull clear again for a deserved win.

The Saffrons had the better of the first half play, leading 0-6 to 0-3 at the break.

Click Here:

And Fermanagh were made to pay for some wasteful finishing when Kevin Small found the net for Antrim, with the visitors then hitting the last five points of the game to seal the win.

In Division 4, London came from 10 points down to claim a dramatic win over Carlow, the Exiles winning on a score of 2-11 to 1-13 in what was their first competitive game in two years.

The home team looked to be in control at Netwatch Cullen Park but London grew into the game after Carlow lost Jamie Clarke to a red card. 

The hosts were seven points clear at that stage, but after clawing back Carlow’s lead a point from Killian Butler put London ahead in the 60th minute.

And London held on across a tense finish to claim a three-point win and make a superb start to their League campaign. 

Kilmacud Crokes 1-11
Pádraig Pearses 0-8

Kevin Egan reports from Kingspan Breffni Park

KILMACUD CROKES WILL face Kilcoo in the AIB All-Ireland senior club football final in a fortnight’s time as a strong finish helped them overcome the challenge of first-time semi-finalists Pádraig Pearses at Kingspan Breffni Park this evening.

Crokes fired over the final five points of the game after a strong third quarter from the Roscommon side left them well-positioned to challenge before the late flurry of scores.

On four separate occasions, Pádraig Pearses cut their deficit back to a point in the second half but every time Kilmacud Crokes were able to conjure a response.

The Dublin side are now just a win away from lifting their third All Ireland crown after showing admirable resilience in a fiery encounter.

Paul Carey and Niall Daly scores for Pearses helped cut their three-point half-time deficit back to the minimum but both times Crokes found the score they craved. In a tense second half, these well-matched sides traded blows as Tom Butler reduced his side’s deficit to the minimum again but the impressive Shane Horan found the target for the Leinster champions.

A Hubert Darcy score in the 47th minute helped Pearses slash their arrears to a point once more but Paul Carey missed a 45 metre free to level the contest.

This proved to be the last chance for Pearses to mount a comeback as Kilmacud Crokes’ bench made a notable impact. Substitute Cian O’Connor fired over twice before Conor Casey moved the gap out to four, while O’Connor’s burst of pace and Casey’s high fielding ability were also crucial ingredients in the later stages of the contest.

Goalscorer Craig Dias tapped over before Anthony Quinn made sure of the win as Kilmacud Crokes will make the short trip to GAA HQ.

It was Pádraig Pearses who started the quicker with Niall Daly firing over inside the opening 60 seconds. However, despite Kilmacud Crokes enjoying limited possession in the opening stages of this contest, they created the all-important score in the eighth minute.

The Dublin side showed their patience in maintaining control of possession before Hugh Kenny fed Shane Horan, who duly found the onrushing Craig Dias. The midfielder coolly slotted the ball between the legs of the onrushing Pearses goalkeeper Paul Whelan.

Despite Paul Carey tapping over for the Connacht champions, there was a sense that Kilmacud Crokes were getting on top. They held Pearses scoreless for 22 minutes after Carey’s free as their defence frequently cut out any threat with a minimum of fuss.

Hubert Darcy was turned over deep in Crokes territory and the Leinster champions countered at great speed as Dara Mullen fired over. A despairing Niall Daly block from a Shane Cunningham effort prevented Pearses from falling further behind but Kilmacud Crokes were dominating the ball and the game, even if they too were struggling to put scores on the board.

Tom Fox ended a 10 minute scoreless spell for the Dublin side before Callum Pearson fired over, as his side held on to possession for over two minutes before carving out the chance they desired. A Paul Carey free ended Pearses’ scoring drought as Kilmacud led by three points at the break, with both sides bumping shoulders as they ran down the tunnel at the Cavan venue.

Perhaps it was the catalyst for a noted improvement in the quality of the far in the second half, even if the outcome of both periods was the same – Kilmacud outscoring Pearses by
three in both half hour spells.

Scorers for Kilmacud Crokes: Craig Dias 1-1, Dara Mullen, Shane Horan, Cian O’Connor 0-2 each, Tom Fox (f), Callum Pearson, Conor Casey, Anthony Quinn 0-1 each.

Scorers for Pádraig Pearses: Paul Carey 0-3 (0-2f), Niall Daly, Hubert Darcy (0-1f) 0-2
each, Tom Butler 0-1.

Kilmacud Crokes

1. Conor Ferris;

2. Michael Mullen, 4. Ross McGowan, 7. Dan O’Brien;

5. Cillian O’Shea, 6. Rory O’Carroll, 3. Andrew McGowan;

8. Ben Shovlin, 9. Craig Dias;

10. Tom Fox, 11. Hugh Kenny, 17. Shane Horan;

13. Callum Pearson, 14. Dara Mullen, 15. Shane Cunningham.

Subs: 20. Conor Casey for Shovlin, 22. Cian O’Connor for Kenny, 12. Aidan Jones for
Pearson, 18. Anthony Quinn for Fox, 23. Theo Clancy for Horan (60+1).

Pádraig Pearses
1.Paul Whelan;
18.Caelim Keogh, 2. Mark Richardson, 3. Anthony Butler;

5. Conor Lohan, 6. Ronan Daly, 7. David Murray;

8. Niall Daly, 9. Conor Daly;

12. Shane Carty, 11. Niall Carty, 10. Lorcán Daly;

13. Conor Payne, 14. Hubert Darcy, 15. Paul Carey.

Subs: 20. Tom Butler for S Carty, 19. Emmett Kelly for Lohan, 21. Jack Tumulty for L
Daly, 29. Eoin Colleran for Carty, 23. Shane Mulvey for Richardson.

Referee: Paul Faloon (Down)

Buy The42’s new book, Behind The Lines, here:

Click Here:

OLIVIA DIVILLY DROVE Kilkerrin-Clonberne to their first ever currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior club title following a stunning four-point win over Mourneabbey in St Brendan’s Park, Birr.

The Connacht champions are also the first team from Galway to get their hands on the Dolores Tyrell Cup since Galway Gaels in 1982.

Chloe Miskell’s 12th minute wonder goal gave them a lead they never relinquished and scores from Olivia Divilly, Louise Ward and Eva Noone helped avenge the heartache of defeat to the same opponents in 2019.

Doireann O’Sullivan opened the scoring for the reigning champions from a free on five minutes before a foul on Ailish Morrissey resulted in Eva Noone hitting the target.

But the game came to life in the 12th minute when Louise Ward, Lynsey Noone and Morrissey combined to allow Miskell score with a rocket of a shot past Meabh O’Sullivan, for Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s goal.

Doireann O’Sullivan responded from a free but the Galway club were in the ascendancy. Olivia Divilly and Morrissey scored before Nicola Ward sliced through the heart of the defence and added another point.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne led by 1-4 to 0-2 but Doireann O’Sullivan reduced arrears again. Olivia Divilly’s latest free restored Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s five-point advantage and the teams traded points, a fourth for Doireann O’Sullivan was cancelled out by Morrissey.

Ciara O’Sullivan was taken down for a Mourneabbey penalty just before half-time. Laura Fitzgerald scored the goal for the sixth consecutive game and left the Cork side just 1-6 to 1-4 down at half-time.

Divilly stretched Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s lead to three after the restart but Mourneabbey enjoyed the better chances with Doireann O’Sullivan adding two more points from frees, although two goals chances were missed. Kilkerrin-Clonberne goalkeeper Lisa Murphy saved from Laura Fitzgerald while Ciara O’Sullivan hit the crossbar.

An Olivia Divilly point gave Kilkerrin-Clonberne a 1-8 to 1-6 advantage at the last water break and they pushed on after the resumption as Olivia Divilly again, and Louise Ward, put four between them.

Ciara O’Sullivan responded with Mourneabbey’s only point from play but the second goal they needed never materialised and they finished with 13 players as Niamh and Doireann O’Sullivan picked up late yellow cards.

Eva Noone had the final say, where she finished a move involving Nicola and Louise Ward to restore Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s four-point cushion, and ensure they were crowned champions.

Scorers for Kilkerrin-Clonberne: O Divilly 0-5 (3f), C Miskell 1-0, E Noone 0-2 (1f), A Morrissey 0-2, N Ward 0-1, L Ward 0-1.

Scorers for Mourneabbey: D O’Sullivan 0-6 (6f), L Fitzgerald 1-0 (1-0 pen), C O’Sullivan 0-1.

KILKERRIN-CLONBERNE: L Murphy; A Costello, S Gormally, C Costello; S Fahy, N Ward, C Dunleavy; S Divilly, H Noone; O Divilly, L Ward, L Noone; E Noone, C Miskell, A Morrissey.

Subs: N Divilly for Miskell (42), K Mee for Fahy (47), A Clarke for Morrissey (52), M Flanagan for L Noone (60).

MOURNEABBEY: M O’Sullivan; M Burke, E Meaney, K Coakley; A Ryan, M O’Callaghan, E Jack; E Coakley, N O’Sullivan; E Harrington, R O’Sullivan, B O’Sullivan; C O’Sullivan, D O’Sullivan, L Fitzgerald.

Subs: A Cronin for Harrington (39), D Cronin for Jack (53), A O’Sullivan for Burke (57).

Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

Click Here:

JUST UNDER 12 months after she got the all-clear, Bríd O’Sullivan captains Mourneabbey against Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Senior club final today.

She has already been successful with the captain’s armband twice at this stage of the competition, but this year holds a special significance.

“It started off as a bump in my thumb. I had it for quite a while and I just put it down to getting a bang in a match,” said O’Sullivan.

“It was never sore and I thought it was nothing but finally then in February of 2020 I was at the doctor and said it in passing.”

That bump turned out to be soft tissue sarcoma, a cancer usually found in arms, legs, the chest, and abdomen, while hers had unusually developed in her right thumb.

But initially it seemed benign and O’Sullivan’s doctor recommended getting a biopsy, more as a precaution than anything else.

Covid-19 was just taking hold in Ireland at the time and that was a contributory factor as the procedure was delayed until the following September.

Click Here:

But the Cork stalwart still had her sights set on her football in the days prior to going under the knife.

“It was a small procedure under local anaesthetic and I remember at the time, it was a Wednesday and I was supposed to be playing a challenge game with Mourneabbey on the Friday,” said O’Sullivan.

“To show how not worried I was about it, I was tempted to cancel the procedure because I knew I would have stitches in my thumb and I wouldn’t be able to play the challenge game.

“I ended up doing it anyway to get it over with. I got it removed on the Wednesday, strapped, played the game on the Friday and honestly did not give it a thought.”

There was still no alarm from her health professionals but one phone call in late October changed everything.

The 28-year-old was on mid-term break from St Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow, where she is a PE and Science teacher.

“I woke up with a missed call and it was the secretary of the doctor who had removed it, asking me to ring back,” said O’Sullivan.

“She said that the doctor wanted to see me in person and could I come up that evening. At that point I was like, what’s wrong, she wants to see me in person.

“I went up that evening with my parents and went in with my mam, she basically told me what they had removed was a rare form of cancer, called soft tissue sarcoma.”

O’Sullivan of Cork during last summer’s TG4 All-Ireland senior championship Group 2 Round 1 match between Cork and Meath at St Brendan’s Park in Birr, Offaly.

Source: Ray McManus/SPORTSFILE

It was Ms Jenny Lynch from the Mater Private that delivered the diagnosis, with Bríd and her mother Reena sitting in disbelief opposite her, while father Dan waited in the car.

But it wasn’t until the plastic surgeon offered up some of the consequences that the O’Sullivans were left in real shock.

“She said if it’s just in the soft tissue underneath the surface of your skin, it’s just a case of removing more of the soft tissue,” said the Killavullen native.

“The thing about it being in your thumb is it’s really uncommon and you don’t have loads of tissue there.

“She said if it’s gone down as far as your nerve you will have to get some of the nerve removed and you mightn’t have some feeling in your thumb. But if it’s gone down as far as the bone, you might be looking at getting your thumb amputated.”

O’Sullivan had already captained Mourneabbey to two All-Ireland titles and matched those feats with Cork, where she starred in a couple of All-Ireland successes as well.

And for her, it was football she thought about before her long-term health or the other difficulties she might face in life with the potential of such a troublesome diagnosis.

“For someone who doesn’t play football, they would be thinking how does your mind go directly to that but when it’s something you spend a lot of your time doing, your mind goes there,” said O’Sullivan.

“The whole way along, I actually had been quite calm as she was explaining, if this comes up on the scan you will have to do this but it was the point where she talked about the amputation, that was the heart sinking moment.

“The first thing I said to my parents on the car journey home was: ‘What am I going to do about football?’ They essentially laughed in my face, thinking what? How are you even able to think about football?”

But O’Sullivan’s cancer had only reached part of her nerve and it never reached the bone.

She had surgery that December, where she had a skin graft from her arm to her index finger and the skin from her index finger was put onto her thumb.

Then, at the end of January 2021, they investigated the results and weren’t sure they had cleared all of the cancerous cells. It was less invasive from there and she eventually got the good news in February 2021.

Now, O’Sullivan receives CT and MRI scans every six months and that will become a yearly occurrence in time.

“I want people to know that nothing is too small, cancer doesn’t discriminate, you are never too young or never too fit to be affected by it,” she said.

O’Sullivan during the 2021 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland senior club semi-final between Mourneabbey and St Peter’s Dunboyne at Clyda Rovers GAA, in Cork.

The versatile forward will surely have a major influence on today’s proceedings at St Brendan’s Park in Birr [throw-in 1pm, live on TG4] and she has a lot to be thankful for with a fresh new outlook at the start of 2022.

Chief among those who helped her along the way are Ephie Fitzgerald and Paddy O’Shea, who ensured she remained a vital part of the Cork set-up, where she trained right up until the week before her first operation.

While her Cork team-mates were brilliant, so too were the Mourneabbey family, which very much includes manager Shane Ronayne.

“Shane puts so much into it and you would like to repay that when you see him putting so much in. He will be a real positive for Cork this year,” said O’Sullivan.

“You could say that Shane is our secret to success here in Mourneabbey. We haven’t looked back since he came. We have won seven out of the eight county finals, every Munster final and two All-Ireland finals since he has been
involved.

“He’s just an excellent trainer and knows how to get the best out of everyone. Over the years, he has become a fantastic part of the team in terms of being an excellent manager. “He’s a great friend for all of the players as
well.

“So yeah, we are lucky to have him.”

LIMERICK’S LEGENDARY GOALKEEPER says he was delighted to see his county finally end their wait for All-Ireland glory in 2018 on his upcoming episode of Laochra Gael.

Quaid is the next GAA figure to feature in the series which will be aired on TG4 next Thursday.

The episode explores various fascinating aspects of Quaid’s life, including his family’s ties with the goalkeeper position. He also details an unfortunate accident where one of his testicles exploded while saving a penalty, which hampered the final stages of his time playing hurling.

Quaid enjoyed a decorated career between the sticks for his county, although an All-Ireland medal proved to be elusive.

He recalls the joy he felt when Limerick lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 45 years in 2018, defeating the then-champions Galway in the final.

Nickie Quaid — son of Joe’s first cousin Tommy — lined out in goals for Limerick that day and continues to carry the family tradition of being the county’s chief netminder.

Joe could barely look as Galway’s Joe Canning stood over a crucial free near the end of the game.

“When he stood over the free,” Quaid begins, “I turned around. I couldn’t watch it. I looked up and I picked a Galway supporter and I picked a Limerick supporter and I watched the two of them.

“I heard the free being hit and none of them reacted. And I said, ‘What’s going on?’ And just as I turned, the ball was dropping in the square and all I could think was, ‘There’s going to be a flick, a goal and the match is over. And we’re gone again.

“And then Tom Condon came out with the ball. I just turned around and the four kids had tears flowing down their eyes.

“I went down and met Nickie at the side and all I said to him was, ‘Your father would be so proud of you.’ It was just unbelievable. And for my father and Jack to be able to see it.

“It was something I always wondered if I’d be jealous because it wasn’t me there. But I wasn’t, it was just magical. Declan Hannon said it in his speech afterwards that it was for all the people that had gone before them, and it felt like he was talking to me.”

Quaid’s cousin Tommy, who was also a famous goalkeeper for Limerick, passed away while performing renovation work on a Credit Union in Charleville in 1998.

Nickie Quaid also features in the episode and explains that he and his brothers were too young at the time to realise what had happened. They came to appreciate their father’s legacy in time.

“Tommy was my hero,” Joe remembers.

“I remember that day, [Tommy’s sons] Jack, Nickie and Tommy were out the back. Their father was laid out and they were out the back pucking balls.

“To watch young Jack with his father’s boots in his hands walking behind the coffin. And Nickie and Tommy there with Breda. It was heartbreaking.”

Joe Quaid’s Laochra Gael episode will be shown next Thursday night, 3 February on TG4 at 9.30pm.

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

Click Here:

DCU were crowned champions in 2020.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

THE DRAW FOR the quarter-finals of this year’s Sigerson Cup has been made today.

2020 champions DCU, who needed a last-minute penalty converted by Sligo’s Red Óg Murphy to overcome St Mary’s College a week ago, will take on Ulster University in Dublin on Wednesday, 2 February (5pm). 

University Limerick meet Queen’s University in Abbottstown on the same evening (7pm).

The previous day, Tuesday, 1 February, sees MTU Kerry take on Maynooth in Tralee (5pm), while NUI Galway face Letterkenny IT in Dangan (6.30pm).  

The @ElectricIreland Sigerson Cup Quarter-Finals

Big games ahead! Stay tuned for streaming details #GAA #FirstClassRivals #SigersonCup pic.twitter.com/A7sdIrfeop

— GAA Higher Education (@HigherEdGAA) January 27, 2022

Click Here:

The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!

NUIG 1-20
Mary Immaculate 2-9

John Fallon reports from Dangan

NUIG ADVANCED TO the quarter-finals of the Fitzgibbon Cup with an accomplished display in dreadful conditions on their college grounds in Galway as Mary I fell to a second defeat in the competition.

Incessant rain, a strong breeze and a very wet surface made conditions extremely testing for both sides but they still served up a good contest for the sizeable crowd on a miserable night on the banks of the Corrib.

NUIG held an edge throughout and Clarinbridge’s Evan Niland showed the sort of pinpoint accuracy which he will hope to take into the Allianz League in Henry Shefflin’s first year in charge of Galway.

It helps, of course, in such testing conditions to have the Hurler of the Year in your ranks and the deft touches of Cian Lynch were pivotal throughout as the Galway college got on top.

Galway senior Brian Concannon was also influential as they used the breeze to build up a 0-7 to 0-1 lead after 12 minutes before the Limerick college responded with a handful of frees from Devon Ryan which saw the gap cut to 0-8 to 0-5 eight minutes from the break.

But NUIG finished the half strongly and a good point from impressive corner-back Conor Caulfield and a couple of more frees from Niland saw them lead 0-12 to 0-5 at the interval.

Mary I needed a good start to the second-half and they got it when goalkeeper Eamon Foudy blasted home a penalty and Ryan added another free to cut the gap to 0-12 to 1-6.

Niland and Phillp Wall exchanged points before another one from the Galway sharpshooter pushed them four clear and they never looked back when Concannon soloed in from the left and blasted to the net and another Niland point pushed the gap out to 1-15 1-7 with ten minutes left.

NUIG never looked like getting caught and while Diarmuid Ryan got a late goal they were unable to rescue a lost cause and bowed out with a second defeat.

Scorers for NUIG: Evan Niland 0-10 (0-8f), Brian Concannon 1-3, Conor Caulfield 0-1, Mark Gill 0-1, Ian McGlynn 0-1, Diarmuid Kilcommins 0-1, Conor Walsh 0-1, Cian Lynch 0-1, Mark Kennedy 0-1.

Scorers for Mary Immaculate: Devon Ryan 0-6f, Diarmuid Ryan 1-0, Eamon Foudy 1-0pen, Phillip Wall 0-2, Colin O’Brien 0-1.

NUIG

1 Liam O’Reilly (Castlegar, Galway)

2 Eoin Lawless (Athenry, Galway

3 Jack Fitzgerald (Killimordaly, Galway)

4 Conor Caulfield (Kilconieron, Galway)

5 Caimin Killeen (Loughrea, Galway)

6 Darren Morrissey (Sarsfields, Galway)

7 Mark Gill (Castlegar, Galway)

8 Ian McGlynn (Kilconieron, Galway)

9 Diarmuid Kilcommins (Annaghdown, Galway)

10 Conor Walsh (Turloughmore, Galway)

11 Cian Lynch (Patrickswell, Limerick)

12 Brian Concannon (Killimordaly, Galway)

13 Phillip Hickey (Eire Og Nenagh, Tipperary)

14 John Fleming (Meelick/Eyrecourt, Galway)

15 Evan Niland (Clarinbridge, Galway)

Subs:

26 Mark Kennedy (Clarinbridge, Galway) for Hickey (39)

25 Niall Collins (Cappataggle, Galway) for Fleming (56)

18 Sean Burke (Kilconieron, Galway) for McGlynn (58)

21 Oisin Salmon (Clarinbridge, Galway) for Walsh (58)

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick:

1 Eamon Foudy (Inagh-Kilnamona, Clare)

2 Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers, Tipperary)

3 Keith Ryan (Upperchurch Drombane, Tipperary)

4 PJ Fanning (Mount Sion, Waterford)

5 Shane Ryan (Clarinbridge, Galway)

6 Diarmuid Ryan (Cratloe, Clare)

7 Darragh Lohan (Wolfe Tones, Clare)

8 Aaron Ryan (Upperchurch Drombane, Tipperary)

30 Cormac Power (Ballygunner, Waterford)

10 Jason Gillane (Patrickswell, Limerick)

11 Devon Ryan (Cashel King Cormacs, Tipperary)

12 Eanna McBride (JK Brackens, Tipperary)

13 Phillip Wall (Kilbrittain, Cork)

14 Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens, Tipperary)

15 Colin O’Brien (Liscarroll Churchtown Gaels, Cork)

Subs:

27. Jack Ryan (Clonoulty/Rossmore, Tipperary) for Fanning (10)

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary)

Click Here:

Sigerson Cup third round results

• Maynooth University 2-6 St Mary’s 0-10

• Ulster University 2-11 MTU Cork 0-8

*******

DERRY’S NIALL LOUGHLIN and Tyrone’s Ryan Jones struck second-half goals in Abbotstown this evening as Ulster University progressed to the Sigerson Cup quarter-finals at the expense of MTU Cork.

They had nine points to spare over MTU Cork, who were missing their sharpshooter and captain Damien Gore through injury, in a clash played at Abbottstown in Dublin.

David Buckley was superb for MTU Cork in attack as he scored 0-5, three efforts from play, and they trailed 0-7 to 0-4 at the interval.

Following traded points in the early moments from Michael Gallagher and MTU corner-forward Dylan O’Connor, Ulster University created some daylight with back-to-back scores courtesy of Michael McGleenan and Ruairi Slane.

Ruairi Gormley and Niall Loughlin added to the Ulster men’s tally, but their Leesiders kept themselves in touch with a spectacular two-point salvo from impressive centre-forward Buckley.

Yet, even though the Cork native grabbed his third of the night at the tail end of the opening period, Ulster University brought a 0-7 to 0-4 cushion into the interval after Loughlin (’45’) and captain Mark McKearney had found the range.

Although it initially remained delicately poised on the resumption, Loughlin subsequently shook the net on 44 minutes to create significant daylight in the contest.

This threw down the gauntlet to MTU, but in spite of Buckley continuing to lead the way for the Leesiders, Jones ventured forward from defence to grab a 50th-minute goal that ultimately placed the outcome beyond doubt.

The quarter-final line-up is now completed for the 2022 Sigerson Cup with the draw to take place tomorrow for next week’s last eight fixtures.

• Quarter-finalists: MTU Kerry, NUI Galway, UL, DCU, Queens University, Letterkenny IT, NUI Maynooth, Ulster University.

Scorers for Ulster University: Niall Loughlin 1-2 (0-1 ’45’), Ryan Jones 1-0, Liam Nugent 0-3, Andrew Gilmore (f), Mark McKearney, Michael Gallagher, Ruairi Gormley, Michael McGleenan, Ruairi Slane 0-1 each.

Scorers for MTU Cork: David Buckley (0-5, 2f), Dylan O’Connor (0-2, 1 ’45’), David O’Connor (0-1).

Ulster University

Odhran Lynch (Magherafelt, Derry);

Ryan Jones (Dungannon, Tyrone), Finn McElroy (Longstone, Down), Aidan Clarke (Omagh, Tyrone);

Mark McKearney (Dungannon, Tyrone), Michael McKernan (Coalisland, Tyrone), Michael Gallagher (Trillick, Tyrone);

Thomas Galligan (Lacken, Cavan), Ruairi Gormley (Strabane, Tyrone);

Tom Close (Clonduff, Down), Michael McGleenan (Eglish, Tyrone), Karl Gallagher (Emyvale, Monaghan);

Andrew Gilmore (St John’s, Down), Niall Loughlin (Greenlough, Derry), Seamus Loughran (Ballyholland, Down)

Subs

Liam Nugent (Rock, Tyrone) for Close (36)

David Mulgrew (Ardboe, Tyrone) for Gormley (42)

Seamus Loughran (Ballyholland, Down) for Gilmore (45)

Dominic McEnhill (Rossa, Antrim) for McKernan (52)

Ronan Beatty (Carryduff, Down) for Loughlin (54).

MTU Cork

Ryan Scully (St Finbarr’s, Cork);

Paul Ring (Aghabullogue, Cork), Aodhan Behan (St Senan’s, Limerick), Adam Murphy (Aghabullogue, Cork);

Colm O’Shea (Kilshannig, Cork), John Cooper (Eire Og, Cork), Brian Hodnett (Carbery Rangers, Cork);

Rory Maguire (Castlehaven, Cork), Cillian Donovan (Macroom, Cork);

Chris O’Donoghue (Glenflesk, Kerry), Brian Hodnett (Carbery Rangers, Cork), Conall Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials, Tipperary);

Andrew Whelton (Castlehaven, Cork), Daniel O’Connell (Kanturk, Cork), Dylan O’Connor (Castletownroche, Cork) 

**************

Earlier Maynooth University claimed a dramatic victory by two points against St Mary’s Belfast, with Naas player Paddy McDermott firing home an injury-time goal.

Paddy McDermott (right) was part of NUI Maynooth’s victory tonight.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

St Mary’s made the early running to go ahead 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time but only raised a single white flag in the second half. Cian McConville was their top scorer with 0-4, while Ryan Coleman grabbed a brace of points.

Maynooth struck for two crucial goals in the second half to clinch victory with Shane O’Sullivan, their top scorer with 1-3, and McDermott both finding the net.

Click Here:

Fitzgibbon Cup results

• Group A: UCC 3-22 UCD 1-14

• Group B: IT Carlow 2-22 Maynooth University 1-21; Waterford IT 2-20 DCU 0-18

*******

UCC AND IT Carlow both claimed their second victories in this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup as the group stage action continued tonight. 

Click Here:

The 2020 finalists, the last year this competition was played, are both unbeaten in their groups and on course for the knockout stages.

UCC ran out convincing 3-22 to 1-14 victors over UCD at the Mardyke by 14 points, while IT Carlow saw off Maynooth University by 2-22 to 1-21 at their home path in Carlow.

Tipperary senior Mark Kehoe excelled for UCC with 1-6 from play while Cork’s Padraig Power and Conor Cahalane also raised green flags. Limerick’s Will Henn and Cork’s Daire Connery shot 0-4 apiece for UCC.

Galway’s Donal O’Shea was top scorer for UCD with 0-9 while Diarmaid Ó Floinn bagged their only goal of the game. UCC were in front 0-14 to 1-6 at the interval before they fired home three second-half goals, Power impressing off the bench.

Fitzgibbon Cup
UCC 3-22
UCD 1-14
Result. @HigherEdGAA @UCCSport pic.twitter.com/9EKEbtGzSa

— UCC GAA (@ucc_gaa) January 26, 2022

DJ Carey’s Carlow team triumphed with Marty Kavanagh scoring 1-7, Chris Nolan shooting 1-4, while Wexford’s Seamus Casey fired 0-3. Maynooth’s top scorers were Conor Drennan (1-6), Jack O’Dwyer (0-7) and Cian Boyle (1-3).

In tonight’s late game, Waterford IT bounced back from last week’s opening defeat to IT Carlow as they triumphed by eight points against DCU.