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Extract from Martin Brehenny article: "The GAA invites applications from suitably qualified persons to work as silver craft adjusters. Responsibilities to include altering cups and trophies so as to render them incapable of holding liquids of any kind.

Apply to: Decommissioning of Cups as Weapons of Mass Drinking Dept, Croke Park, Dublin 3.

The vacancies arise from last weekend's Congress decision to launch a vigorous onslaught on the time-honoured tradition of celebrating success with a swig from the precious silverware. A rule was already in place declaring it illegal to fill cups with any alcoholic drinks and was punishable by a 12-week ban for any miscreant who tipped a tot -- large or small -- into a trophy.

Of course it was impossible to apply the rule even if anybody had the appetite to attempt to ascertain who exactly emptied that bottle of champagne into the Junior B cup. Besides, the evidence would have disappeared very quickly.

Step forward Shannon Gaels, home club to the parishes of Killinagh, Glangevlin and Doobally in Cavan, complete with a proposal, which was backed by the County Convention, for a significant addition to the rule: "All cups or trophies shall be altered to prevent the placing of any liquids therein."

2010 Ulster SFC Quarter-finals
Monaghan v Derry/Armagh
Antrim v Tyrone
Donegal v Down
Cavan v Fermanagh

Nov '09.

Formal recognition for GPA

After a decade-long campaign, the Gaelic Players' Association was today finally granted official status by the GAA.

The historic announcement, which follows a series of discussions between the two bodies over the last two months, was made at the GAA's Games Development Conference in Croke Park. 

In a statement, the GAA said at they are "pleased to announce that common ground has been found which safeguards and enshrines the GAA's amateur status while at the same time affording the GPA official status and recognition as the Association's player representative body."

Leading county board officers were briefed on the contents of the document this morning and the approval of the GAA's Central Council will be sought at its next meeting, which takes place on December 5.

Welcoming the groundbreaking development, GAA president Christy Cooney said: "This is an important day for the Association and one that I believe will lead to a brand new working relationship with the GPA, a body that has been in existence for the past 10 years.

"We are confident that we can forge a relationship with our inter-county players that will be for the betterment of the GAA as a whole. 

"We have always been committed to our amateur and voluntary ethos and the belief structure that has underpinned the values at the heart of our Association.

"With these proposals we have stayed true to these ideals, while at the same time coming to a position that recognises the important role that our inter-county players play in the promotion and commercial well being of the Association. 

"Our exchanges with the GPA have been frank and cordial and I think the progress that has been made is reflected in the agreement that we have reached.

"I acknowledge the role of everyone involved, but especially Turlough O'Donnell. 

"This is the beginning of formalising the relationship between the two bodies and we look forward to building on this very important first step."

Gaelic Players' Association Chief Executive Dessie Farrell said: "Official recognition for the players' association will provide a platform on which the GAA and the GPA can work together to secure a better future for our games and our players.

"This interim arrangement is the culmination of years of hard work on both sides to establish trust and understanding.

"I would like to thank the many people within the GAA and GPA who contributed to that process to date and the players who strived to have their distinctive voice heard within the GAA."

June '09.

Ulter SFC Quarter-Final:
Cavan 0-13 Fermanagh 1-9

A gutsy performance from Cavan saw them beat a surprisingly out of sorts Fermanagh team in damp conditions in Breffni Park on Saturday evening.Tommy Carr’s men led for more or less the whole game, and although the match was of moderate quality, the home side deserved their win if only for Fermanagh’s lack of acoring ability.Sean Johnston was easily Cavan’s best player, knocking over five points in a fine display, and crucially securing the home team’s last score with a cool effort which settled their nerves just as Fermanagh seemed on the brink of clawing their way back.

Feb '09.

Following a proposal by the club at county convention Owen Roe McGovern has been elected as a Vice President of Cavan Co. Board. As Andy Kelly stated at the clubs AGM in Dec. '08 it's the 60th anniversary of his return to Swanlinbar with his National League ('48) and 1947 All Ireland medals.

Round One of the Hotel Kilmore Championships are set to get underway on June 11th/12th/13th, with the first and second named teams, as well as third and fourth, taking each other on.
In the case of a three-way group the third team gets a bye into the second round.

July '08.

Swanlinbar Ladies win the Div 4, 9-a-side, League final against Shannon Gaels in Corlough to add to their win in the quarter final of the Junior B championship. Well done girls!!.

Feile '08: Dernacrieve Gaels hosted St Loman's club from Westmeath over the Feile weekend which proved a great success. Everyone who was responsible for organising and putting up the team visitors must take great credit. All the visiting teams had a terrific weekend and will go home with great memories. 

Ulster MFC: Experience told in the end
Tyrone 1.11 Cavan 1.09

Cavan minor boss Mickey Graham believes that his side are a match for any in Ulster after the young Breffni men went down to Tyrone on Sunday with a brave second-half display to their credit. Trailing by 1-6 to 0-3 at the break, Graham’s side fought back to take a one-point lead thanks to Kevin Tierney’s goal five minutes from time. Three late unanswered points proved decisive in handing Tyrone a place in the Ulster MFC final, but Graham believes that the Cavan players will learn from the harsh experience."We went in at half-time and talked to the lads," said the Cavan Gaels clubman.
"We lost our way a bit. Some of the boys were a bit nervous, so we just asked them for an honest team effort in the second-half and we got that.
"We came here to day as underdogs, but I think we showed that we are as good as anyone as anyone else in the province, it’s just that Tyrone were that wee bit more experienced. But these boys will learn from this and they can keep their heads up."

June '08.

Ulster MFC: Second-half haul sees Cavan to semis

Cavan 0-14 . Armagh 1-4

Cavan produced a gallant second-half display to take their place in the Ulster SFC semi-finals after defeating Armagh by seven points on Sunday in Kingspan Breffni Park. A rebounded goal from Robbie Tasker was the difference in Armagh taking a one point lead at the interval with the scores at 0-5 to 1-3, in favour of the Orchard County. Gearoid McKiernan levelled Cavan early on the second-half and from there on in it was the hosts who would put in an impressive performance to seal a provincial last four place. A Niall Murray free gave the young Breffni men the lead for the first time in the game, which was backed up with white flags from Niall McDermott, Oisin Minagh and McKiernan. The visitors only score of the half came five minutes from the end when a Rory Grugan free was the only score on his side’s behalf that troubled a stubborn Cavan defence, but by then Cavan would have had their thoughts on a semi-final place.

Cavan - A O’Meara; D Barkey, M Leddy, D Tighe; K Meehan, F Flanagan, C Smith (0-1); G McKiernan (0-3), O Minagh (0-1); N Murray (0-4) (3f), N McDermott (0-3) (1f), N Smith; B Reilly, K Tierney (0-1), R Maloney-Derham. Subs - C McClarey (0-1) for R Maloney-Derham (44), M Kelly for B Reilly (55), S Cooney for K Tierney (60)

May '08.
Congratulations to Gearoid McKiernan on his 'Man of the Match' display in the Cavan Minors Ulster Championship opener against Antrim.
O'Neills Club leisurewear now available to buy in Cullens Drapery. Chech out the range including HOODIES, POLO SHIRTS & RAIN JACKETS all with the Club Crest.

Apr '08.
Congratulations to the Boys in 5th and 6th class at Scoil Mhuire and their trainer Declan Maguire who won the County Cavan Under 13 Indoor Hurling Final in Ballyconnell on Wednesday 16 April beating Kilnaleck Primary School. The team was Patrick Mc Govern, Gary Mc Govern, Cathal O' Sullivan, Greg Mc Govern, Brian Deering, John Mc Govern and John Joe Mc Govern.
Swanlinbar Ladies Gaelic Football Meeting A meeting was held in the clubrooms on Saturday 9th February and officers were elected as follows. Kieran Martin, Chairperson, Shona O Brien, Secretary and Agnes Mc Govern, Treasurer. It is hoped to enter a team for the coming season.

Dec '07.
During his address to the recent Cavan Co. Convention in Mullahoran the Chairman of the Cavan Co. Board Philip Smith informed the club delegates present that in 2008 they would be launching ’Club Breifne’.
They were well aware of the success of ’Club Tyrone’ and it was intended to have over 300 members making a contribution of €750 each to the development of Gaelic games in the county.
It will entitle members to gain entry to club and county games. There will be a launch night and a pre-game reception as well as the addition of a Club Breifne jacket. Co. Board clubs will be given first option to seek members. He added that they were confident that there would be good support for this initiative.

Sept '07.
 Ulster Council keen to see club at ’hub of their local communities
The inaugural Club Development Conference will be held on October 20th at the Stormont Hotel in Belfast and is the latest move by the Ulster Council to push forward the development agenda and aims to empower clubs to push the GAA agenda at local government level as well as within their own communities.
"This conference is designed to help the club official get some information in terms of community development, securing funding and facilities, getting things done better in the club," said the Council’s Ryan Feeney."On top of that, we’ll able to be looking at the new things that are being done in the club, such as fundraising programmes, and if they have something that’s going well then they’ll share that experience with others."


Aug '07.
Grass roots level to benefit
At an extraordinary meeting of Central Council on Saturday, it was agreed that significant financial funding would be made available to further develop the grass roots level of the GAA.
The funding is set to come from the revenue gained from hosting soccer and rugby internationals at Croke Park over the coming years, while the figure reported to be considered is in the region of €38 million.
The funding includes €8.5 million for county boards specifically for club associated development projects. In addition and because of rapid demographic changes, special urban initiatives will be funded, as will new hurling development initiatives.
There will also be a number of training facilities around the country brought up to a standard where there will be floodlights and all-weather pitches developed over the coming years. Mr Nickey Brennan, the President of the GAA, emphasised that this is a once off investment additional to funding made available on an annual basis from the GAA’s traditional income sources.

Mayo too strong for Cavan

Cavan’s hopes of SFC success this season ended on Saturday evening, 7th of July at McHale Park, Castlebar when they went under to a stronger and more focussed home side, Mayo on a scoreline of 1-19 to 3-7 before an attendance of some 10,000.
As the scoreline would suggest this was an open game, dominated by the respective forward lines. The visiting Cavan side who went into the game as underdogs started well with early points from Pierson, McCabe and youngster Ray Cullivan which gave their loyal following some hope. However, the home side worked their way back into the game with corner-forward Conor Mortimer to the fore and led at the interval by 0-9 to 0-6, after dominating the midfield sector for most of the half despite the best efforts of Dermot McCabe.Mayo got the first score of the second half before McCabe’s penalty flew to the bottom corner of the net, bringing his personally haul to 1-3 and closing the gap to just a solitary point. McCabe added a point and Jason Reilly’s customary goal must have sent shockwaves through John O’Mahony’s brain but the Maritime County refused to panic and soon assumed a commanding advantage. Mayo got an instant goal from Barry Moran and Andy Moran tagged on a point as they took control of the match at a vital stage. When Ballintubber’s All Star Alan Dillon grabbed his fifth point of the evening – his third from play – Mayo led by 1-14 to 2-7. David Heaney knocked over another Mayo point. Brady took another Mayo point seven minutes from time, putting five in it, but Cavan refused to give up and McCabe – moved to the edge of the square – caught the ball before sending substitute Rory Gallagher in and the former Fermanagh man made no mistake. Mayo finished strongly with a brace of Conor Mortimer points and they won a high-scoring match by six points in the end, 1-19 to 3-7.
Speaking after the game on Saturday evening in Castlebar, the Cavan team-manager Donal Keogan was fulsome in his praise of the Mayo side. “On the day they were much the better team, and were physically stronger all over the field. “We made too many basic errors and gave away the ball too cheaply, and were duly punished. The disappointing aspect of this defeat is that we scored 3-7 away from home against a top team, and still lost the game by six points.
“We, the players and management have learned a lot over the duration of the season, and we will be working hard to improve matters on all fronts next season.’’

June '07.
Scoil Mhuire: Congratulations to the girls team from St. Mary's National School who won the Cumman na nBun Scoil final in Breffni Park on Monday 18th by beating a very strong Gowna side in a tense thriller. Well done to Alana Maher on her "M.V.P." award. She and Holly McGovern have earned an appearance in Croke Park on All Ireland semi final day.

Keoghan furious at Cavan defectors
Cavan manager Donal Keoghan has hit out at Paul Brady and Seanie Johnston's respective decisions to play football in the United States for the summer. The pair incurred the wrath of their county boss after dropping out of his panel in order to join St. Brendan's club in Chicago, and Keoghan has declared that they will never play under him again. World Handball champion Brady and forward Johnston first informed Keoghan of their intentions on Monday and it seems that they were first contacted by St. Brendan's last week. "I'm very disappointed with them and the lack of respect they've shown for their team-mates, for the management and for the Cavan team," Keoghan seethed. "I'll be honest with you; I don't even want to change their minds at this stage. If they want to train all year and then up sticks and head off to America then it just shows how much they really care about Cavan football. "Any fella that goes away to America won't be wearing a Cavan jersey again while I'm in charge. I'm very hurt about it. There's definitely no way they'll be back playing while I'm in charge." According to Keoghan, a third unnamed player is also considering leaving, though a Cavan official said the player is now "considering his options." "I just got word that a third guy is heading off too and all I can say is that I'm very disappointed with them and their decision," Keoghan added.
 EAMON COLEMAN. R.I.P.
The President of the GAA, Mr Nickey Brennan, has paid tribute to the late Eamon Coleman, the former Derry manager who guided the County to their only senior All Ireland title in 1993. Mr Brennan described Eamon Coleman as an outstanding servant of the Association who left an indelible mark on the G.A.A nationally but on his native County of Derry in particular. He said: "Eamonn was initially renowned as a very talented footballer and won All Ireland medals with Derry at both U-21 and Minor as well as Ulster Championships at senior level. "When he entered management, he enjoyed unprecedented success and will always be remembered as the man who guided Derry to their historic success in 1993."
 May '07.

Final flourish floors Cavan

Down were less than dynamic at Pairc Esler but still managed to chisel out a 0-15 to 0-11 Ulster SFC preliminary round (replay) victory over Cavan.
After a first half which was as dull as dishwater, the Mourne County men took their time in this watery replay before cleaning up with five points without reply propelling them to a meeting with Monaghan on June 10th. Played on a perfect surface borrowed from the Crucible Theatre, the football was mostly of the imperfect variety but there was no question that the best team won under the sun.
In a fractious, frenetic encounter which had more perspiration than perspiration about it, the tone of the game was established after just 12 seconds when Dan Gordon fell to the ground holding his jaw after the throw-in.
Over the course of the following 76 minutes-plus, Cavan arguably won most of the physical battles but crucially not the war.
The Breffni blues’ bid for redemption was severely hampered by the dismissal, for a second yellow card offence, of playmaker Micheal Lyng just eight minutes into the second half. And for all the promptings thereafter of veteran Dermot McCabe, Cavan never looked like upsetting the apple cart.

Goal fest at Kingspan/Breffni Park
As predicted in pre-match reviews the meeting of Cavan and Down in the Ulster SFC preliminary round at Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan on Sunday, 13th of May was close, unpredictable and exciting. Both sides fancied their chances of getting a result, with Cavan holding the slight edge mainly because of a better league campaign and also home advantage. For the football purists this championship game was hardly a classic as the teams defended badly, took wrong option at vital times and didn’t know how to kill off a game when in command. On the plus side, the respectable crowd of around 13,000-plus were treated to a game that goals for either side came in abundance, plus a thrilling last few minutes when first Down looked to have booked their first round proper place, then came the Cavan comeback and that Jonathan Crowe goal, and not to be outdone Ronan Murtagh came upfield from defence to earn the Mourne side a deserved second chance in Pairc Esler, Newry next Sunday with a face-saving equalising point. Final score – Cavan 2-11, Down 3-8.

Cavan, will be thankful for getting a second chance, although they had the game snatched from their grasp in those final minutes. They will be first to admit that they were too inconsistent in their play over the hour, and some of the defensive play was poor to say the least. If they can galvanise the defensive, get a greater supply of ball around the midfield area they still have the players in attack to hurt this Down defence.

Cavan – Jimmy Reilly; P. Brady, Eamon Reilly, M. Cahill; Michael Hannon, A. Forde, R. Flanagan; Dermot McCabe 0-2, 1 free, Lorcan Mulvey; Ray Cullivan, Mark McKeever, Larry Reilly 1-2; Seanie Johnston 0-1, Gerald Pierson 0-3, one free, Jason Reilly 0-2 both frees.
Subs – Cian Mackey for Sean Johnston; Nicholas Walsh for L. Mulvey; Sean Brady 0-1 for Pierson; Johnathan Crowe for Paul Brady.

Down – Mickey McVeigh; Dan McCartan, D. Rooney, K. McGuigan; Ronan Murtagh 0-2, B. Grant, John Clarke; D. Gordon 0-1, J. Lynch; J. McGovern 0-1 from a free, A. Carr, Ronan Sexton 2-0; Daniel Hughes, P. Downey, Benny Coulter 1-1.
Subs – Martin Cole 0-2 for J. Clarke; S. Kearney for J. McGovern; P. Murphy for J. Lynch; P. McComiskey 0-1 for D. Hughes.

Disappointing exit by Cavan minors
Cavan minor footballers went into last Sunday’s, 13th of May Ulster MFC preliminary round clash with Down in Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan with high hopes of success, but on the day they literally kicked themselves out of contention and went under to a slicker and more organised Mourne county side on a scoreline of 1-10 to 2-5.
The sides had already met in competitive fare this season at the same venue in the Ulster Minor Football League, when the Down side got in for first-half goals and held out for a narrow win which was to deny the Breffni side a league final place.
On Sunday last it was Down who started the game better and three early points left them ahead by 0-3 after four minutes play. Then Cavan got the break they needed when Niall Smith scored the opening goal of the game in the 7th minute.
It was anticipated that the home side would kick on from that. However, it was not to be as the Down side regrouped well and they only trailed at the break by 2-1 to 0-6 – the Cavan goal coming in the closing five minutes from Swanlinbar clubman, Mark Cunningham.
Down upped their performance in the second-half and an early goal from Eamon Toner settled them and gave them the confidence to go on and win the game by two points in the end.
For periods in that second-half the home side looked capable of overtaking their opponents, but some bad decision making in front of goal and rank poor shooting – they kicked 17 wides to Down’s 5 – meant that a Cavan minor side once again failed to live up to their promise and departed from the championship in their first outing. To their credit they battled to the end, and with a little bit of luck could have snatched a draw.
Going into this game, the main worry in the Cavan camp was would their defence be able to contain the lively Down attack and give their talented attack a reasonable score to overtake. However, this wasn’t the case as the Cavan rearguard especially towering full-back Rory Dunne and goalkeeper, A. O’Meara were heroic at times and kept their side in the game right to the final whistle.
A disappointing end to the season which promised so much for Jody Clarke and his Cavan players. There was no doubting that this is a talented Cavan side, but on this occasion as has been the case in recent season they failed to deliver.

Cavan – Alan O’Meara; Raymond Farrelly, Rory Dunne, Oisin Moynagh; Daniel Graham, Thomas Reilly, James McAvoy; Barry Watters, James McEnroe; Niall Smith (1-0), Declan McKiernan, Adrian Cole; Mark Cunningham (1-2), Conor Smith (0-1), Martin Dunne (0-1, one free).
Subs – Eugene Keating (0-1) for Declan McKiernan; Joshua Hayes for Raymond Farrelly; David Givney for Martin Dunne; Michael Reilly for James McEnroe; Niall McDermott for Niall Smith.
Down – Kieran Gordon; Conor Doyle, Ryan Mallon, Niall Higgins; Ryan Boyle, Michael Higgins, Ryan McGovern; Ruairi Digney (0-2), Eamon Toner (1-1); Paul Devlin (0-5, three frees), Conor Poland, Ben O’Reilly; Christopher Killen (0-1), Sean Murdock, Paul MacPolin (0-1).
Subs – Colm Flanagan for Paul MacPolin; Owen Pyers for Sean Murdock; Damien Turley for Eamon Toner.

Referee – Fergal Cleary from Fermanagh.

April '07.

ROSCOMMON v CAVAN , Div 2 League Semi Final, Croke Park.

Full-forward Ger Heneghan was the star of the show as Roscommon sauntered into next Sunday’s NFL Division Two final thanks to a well-merited 2-13 to 0-14 win over Cavan at Croke Park.
Corner forward Heneghan catapulted the Connachtmen into the lead with a fine goal after six minutes and then later added four points as Cavan chased the game with a distinct lack of conviction.
Manager John Maughan will be pleased by a fine all-round team effort but a late injury to midfielder Seamus O’Neill will not have caused him to smile.
Cavan huffed and puffed and were always in touch without ever really looking like gaining parity after Heneghan’s early major.
But the clear domination at midfield where O’Neill and Michael Finneran held sway proved pivotal to Roscommon’s ability to maintain their early lead ’till the death.
Even though Rory Gallagher notched three first half points from frees, Roscommon were good for their 2-6 to 0-6 interval lead thanks, in part, to a fine Cathal Cregg goal after Heneghan had eyed the latter’s darting run.
Cavan showed a lot of appetite for the fray after half-time and with Dermot McCabe and midfield partner Michael Brennan both finding the target early on, Roscommon’s lead didn’t look quite so secure. And when Anthony Forde and Martin Cahill both swept up from the back to get themselves on the scoresheet, the Cavan fans had at last some real hope.
However the subsequent dismissal of midfielder Brennan for a second yellow card in the 52nd minute and some further classy play from Heneghan put paid to any lingering Cavan hopes of getting out of jail.

Feb '07.

Bingo starting on Monday February 5 in the Hall at 9.00 p.m. - €2000 in prizes. €1000 must go on 10th game.

County Hurling Champions: Congratulations to the Scoil Mhuire school team who won the U -10 Indoor Hurling final at Virginia College. Team members were : Dylan O' Sullivan, Bhreifne Mc Kiernan, Brian Deering, Patrick Mc Goldrick, John Joe Mc Govern, John Mc Govern, Cathal O' Sullivan (Captain), Conor Mc Goldrick, Conor Gilheany, Ryan Malanaphy and Sean Mc Govern.

Jan '07.
Cunningham turns in a ’man of the match’ performance

While the McKenna Cup win over Derry in Celtic Park, on Sunday 7th January was essentially an excellent team performance special mention must be given to a number of excellent individual performances on the winning side. Swanlinbar youngster Michael Cunningham making his inter-county senior debut in this game turned in a very hard working display.
He was in the thick of the action from the off, finishing the game with three excellent points and was a constant thorn in the Derry defence with his strong-running and great appetite for work. No far behind him was the UCD and Castlerahan star, Sean Brady one of the more experienced players on the starting line-out in attack. Brady a son of former Cavan star, Tony was listed at full-forward but took up a roving commission and the Derry defence got it hard to pin him down.
Another real plus for the Cavan management was the form of midfield substitute Lorcan Mulvey. The Butlersbridge youngster replaced the injured Darren Rabbitte after 22 minutes. He made his presence felt when he came into the fray, scoring two points from play – his first within two minutes of his introduction after a pass from Michael Brennan.

Dec '06.
The new Cavan Co. Board Chairman is Philip Smith from the Kingscourt Stars GFC. He was elected at the Co. Convention which was held in the Sports Hall, Cornafean on Thursday, 14th of December. In a contest for the position vacated by outgoing Chairman, George Cartwright, Smith, who was Chairman of the Youth Board for the past number of years, held off the challenge of outgoing Vice-Chairman, Pauric Mahon from the Lacken Celtic GFC. The new Co. Board Chairman has been involved with his home club, Kingscourt Stars in an officership capacity for many years and is an experience administrator at both club and county levels. He is looking forward to the challenge ahead, and was very thankful for the support he got at convention from the clubs of the county.
And it was a good night all round for East Cavan, when Noel Rodgers from Knockbride defeated Drumalee’s Tommy Lyons, the well-known referee and club official for the post of Vice-Chairman which was held for the past number of years by Pauric Mahon.
The Convention also appointed a new Assistant Secretary, Orla O’Reilly from the Redhills club replacing Patsy Barry from Bailieborough.
George Cartwright the outgoing Chairman is Cavan’s new Central Council delegate replacing the long-serving Phil Brady from Arva who stood down this year.


Oct '06.
Annual Dinner Dance The Silver Jubilee of St Marys first League win in 1981 was celebrated in the Slieve Russell last Saturday 28th. It was a memorable occasion for the team of 1981 who each received a framed picture of the team. A DVD of the history of the clubs triumphs over the last 25 years was presented at the dinner dance and is available from Houlihan Computers 0499521964, Mobile 086 0879645 Price €10.Ulster Club Championship Swanlinbar played Armagh junior champions An Port Mor in Crossmaglen on Sunday 29th Oct. in a pulsating game but on the day An Port Mor were the stronger side winning by 3 - 9 to 2 - 8.

Impressive JFC final replay win for Swanlinbar

West Cavan side, Swanlinbar are the new Cavan JF champions for 2006, when on Sunday last, 8th of October they convincingly defeated Munterconnacht in the final replay at Kingspan/Breffni Park, Cavan on a scoreline of 0-18 to 0-9. Two weeks ago the sides met at the same venue in the drawn final and it took a place point from Swanlinbar’s Damien Leydon to give his side a second chance.

And you could say they took this second chance in impressive fashion turning in a great team performance highlighted by some excellent point scoring, for which their opponents Munterconnacht has no answer to. Midfielder Michael Cunningham and full-forward Robert Prior were the stars of the show for the West Cavan side with both players leading by example and contributing 12 points to the winning tally, 0-6 apiece.

Swanlinbar started the game on Sunday in lightning fashion and after five minutes play were ahead by four points to nil. The East Cavan side slowly but surely worked their way back into the game and at the break they trailed by five points – 0-9 to 0-4.

In a carbon copy of the opening half it was Swanlinbar who were first out of the blocks and increased their lead with a Michael Cunningham point. Munterconnacht made a brief comeback and two points from John McCabe gave their big following some hope as the half progressed. When it looked as if Munterconnacht could work their way back into the game, it was then we saw the real worth of this Swanlinbar side. They upped their work-rate all over the field, and scoring five points midway through the second-half were well on their way to a championship success. Munterconnacht true to form battled gamely, but on the day they had come up against superior opposition who were full of running to the final whistle.

In the closing ten minutes Swanlinbar took advantage of a tiring Munterconnacht side and added four more points to their tally for a convincing nine points win at the finish.
A great team effort by the winning side, who on the day were far superior to their opponents in all facets of the game. As their team-manager Dermot Smith remarked: “We peaked on the day, and the overall team performance was a credit to the players and the work they have put in over a long championship season. We can build on this success, and hopefully we will come back stronger again next season.’’
As for Munterconnacht it is a disappointing end to a championship season that had many highlights for them. They will be first to admit that they didn’t do themselves justice in this replay, but also acknowledged the team performance of the Swad side, and their hunger for success. They more than likely let it slip the first day, but they are basically a young side, and will be back again next season.

Swanlinbar – Gavin Leydon; Liam Prior, Thomas Prior, Seamus Corrigan; Neil McGovern, John Cunningham, Damien Leydon (0-2); Michael Cunningham (0-6), Gearoid McKiernan (0-1); Paul Prior, Kevin Brennan, Padraig Leydon; Mark Cunningham (0-2), Robert Prior (0-6), Rory McBarron.
Subs – Michael Curran for Gearoid McKiernan (56 mins.).

Munterconnacht – Shane Roache; Jim Gilsenan, Donal Heerey (0-1), Declan Hetherton; Peter Cullen, Terry McCabe, Jamie Hetherton; Thomas Brady, Danny Nolan; Stephen Sheridan (0-3), Brian Cullen, Enda Yore; Shane O’Reilly, John McCabe (0-3), Darragh Carroll (0-2).
Subs – Mark Flynn for Shane O’Reilly (42 minutes), Val Yore for Terry McCabe (51 minutes). Brendan Plunkett for Darragh Carroll, injured after 56 minutes
Referee – Jimmy Galligan, Killygarry.


Sept '06. Swanlinbar have qualified for the Junior Championship Final by overcomming a tenatious Cornafean team in Breffni Park on Saturday 2nd Sept and congratulations to Dernacrieve Minors who have made the Final after a good win over Kingscourt. Congratulations to Dernacrieve Gaels minors who defeated Belturbet in the Div.2 Minor Championship final on Sat 30th. Sept.

August '06.A five point win against Arva in Kildallan means Swanlinbar have qualified for the Junior Championship Semi Finals on Sat 2nd Sept. in Breffni Park against Cornafean. The Minor team, Dernacrieve Gaels, are also in the Championship Semi Finals after beating St. Finbars in Swanlinbar on Wed 23rd. August. Their Semi-final is on Wed 6th September against Kingscourt .

July '06.Killygarry were crowned Cavan U-16 Division 3 League winners on Saturday 8th July when they defeated a gallant Dernacrieve side in a wet and windy Milltown venue on a scoreline of 2-6 to 0-7.
Despite the conditions both sides ’rose to the occasion’ and the crowd were treated to an excellent game of football, which held their interest to the final whistle. The West Cavan side, Dernacrieve had the better of the opening half and were good value for their 0-5 to 0-2 lead at the interval.
With the wind at their backs in the second-half it was Killygarry who forced the pace, and despite the best efforts of a gallant Dernacrieve side they dominated play. In the closing minutes the Killygarry side got the ’breaks’ with two late goals which gave them the title, but they will be first to admit that the Dernacrieve side made them battle all the way.
This was a very sporting game played in a good spirit by players and mentors from both sides. There was also a very lively supporting crowd in the stand to support their teams. Killygarry have come through some tough encounters during the season to win this title and Dernacrieve was one of these. This team fought admirably throughout and their best performers were Chris Curran and Gearóid McKiernan.
It was a cruel way to loose a final but the U-16 Dernacrieve panel did exceptionally well to reach it in the fist place.
Dernacrieve Gaels – Mark Maguire; Thomas O’Brien, Adrian Martin; Damien McGovern, Donal McGovern, Cian Feehan; Chris Curran (0-2), Cathal Martin (0-1); Declan Gilheany, Kevin McGovern (0-1), Brian McAveety; Gearóid McKiernan (0-3), Paul O’Brien.

June '06.Cavan eventually got to take on Kildare in the qualifiers at the Newbridge venue on Saturday 24th .Despite a dream start from the Breffni County, Kildare progressed to the second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers after this high scoring encounter at Newbridge. Kildare 1-18, Cavan 1-13
The Breffni County were made to wait for this game but the delay seemed to give them little difficulty as Larry Reilly’s goal had them 1-03 to 0-01 to the good early on. The home fans at that stage must were fearing the worst but Ronan Sweeney hit back with a goal for the Lilywhites which was the start of a great scoring run.
For the remainder of the half Kildare outscored the visitors by nine points to two, with the influential John Doyle (0-4) at the heart of most of the Leinster side’s best moves. Those scores left it 1-10 to 1-5 at the break and the sides exchanged points on the resumption.
Cavan enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter as Seanie Johnston’s scoring prowess helped them narrow the gap to just two points on a host of occasions.
However, every time Cavan looked like making it a one point game, Kildare had the ability to pick off points. In the end the potency of the home attack was the difference between the sides as a run of late scores guaranteed them a five point win.

Cavan: J Reilly, M Hannon, A Gaynor, K Fannin, M Cahill 0-1, A Forde 0-1, C Collins, D McCabe, L Mulvey, M McKeever, S Brady 0-1, M Brides, L Reilly 1-0, E O’Reilly 0-1, S Johnston 0-6. Subs: R Flanagan 0-1 for Brides, E King for Mulvey, J O’Reilly 0-2 for McKeever, P Reilly for Cahill, J Jordan for Gaynor.
May '06.

Cavan crash out to Down in Casement Park and now must regroup for the qualifiers and hope the back door brings them more sucess.

April '06.Official opening of St. Mary's Park, Swanlinbar on Easter Monday 17th. April. See 'Picture Gallery' for more. A double DVD made up of clips from video tapes old and new is available now. Ask committee members for details.

March '06.

Cavan minor footballers got an excellent start to this season’s Ulster Minor League when on St. Patricks Day they convincingly defeated near-neighbours Meath at O’Raghallaigh Park, Kingscourt on a scoreline of 3-17 to 2-4.
The home side dominated this game from start to finish and with their forwards in top form, ably led by Crosserlough youngster Enda Gaffney – he finished top scorer with a personal tally of 1-8 – there was never any doubt about the outcome.
The game was over as a contest at the end of the opening half and when the teams retired at the break Cavan were ahead by 2-8 to 0-2. They continued to dominate the second-half and never allowed their opponents back into the match.
A promising start to the competitive season for Cavan and their new management team. However, there will be tougher hurdles to surmount in the weeks ahead in this competition. The Meath side on this occasion were short a number of their key players involved in colleges football with St. Patrick’s College, Navan and when they are available for selection they will have a much stronger panel to choose from.

Cavan – James McEvoy; Shane Bouchier, Niall O’Reilly, Damien O’Reilly; James McEnroe, Dane O’Dowd (0-1), Joshua Hayes; Rory Dunne, Michael Curran; Declan McKiernan, Paddy Brady (0-2), Sean Higgins (1-4); Enda McHugh (1-0), Ray Cullivan (0-2), E. Gaffney (1-8).
Sub – Terry Smith for J. McEnroe.

Under 16 Championship.

Tough luck to the Dernacrieve Gaels U-16 team who contested the Div 3 Championship Final against Redhills on Sat 15th in Breffni Park. Having played some excellent football to reach the final they came up against a very strong Redhills side and never really clicked on the day. After a high-scoring and interesting contest Redhills came away with the honours on a 5-13 to 3-7 scoreline.

Redhills dominated the opening half and were good valued for their 3-5 to 1-4 lead at the interval. During this period the Dernacrieve side had plenty of possession but found scores hard to come by at times.

With the wind at their backs in the second-half and confidence high, Redhills upped the pace of their game, and the Dernacrieve side were under real pressure. In the end, the scores had to come, and with ten minutes of the game remaining the Redhills side were in command leading by 3-9 to 2-4. Dernacrieve then went in search of goals to cut the leeway, but were hit on the counter-attack as Redhills now with the finishing line in sight hit them for two soul-destroying goals from Rory Dunne and Mark Kelly, and there was no way back for the amalgamation side in the end.

Dernacrieve – C. Martin; Donal McGovern, Peter Prior; Padraig McManus, Christopher Curren (0-1), Sean McGoldrick; Padraig McGovern, Ryan Maher (0-1); Kevin McGovern, Gearoid McKiernan (1-3), Cian Feehan; Aidan Gilheany (1-1), Mark Cunningham (0-2).
Subs – Pauric O’Rourke for Cian Feehan; Adrian Martin (1-0) for Sean McGoldrick.
Redhills – James Brady; Turlach Mooney, Ciaran Smith; Fergal McDermott, Niall McCaffrey, Eoin McDonald; Rory Dunne (2-1), David Faulkner (1-0); Niall Greenan (0-1), Oisin Minagh, Packie Leddy (0-3); Mark Kelly (1-7), Joe Callan (1-1).
Subs – Francis Fitzpatrick for Niall Greenan; Martin Walsh for David Faulkner.

Referee – Harry Conaty (Butlersbridge).


GAA News. Sept '05.

Ulster chief slams critics

The Secretary of the Ulster GAA Council has described Tyrone’s All-Ireland SFC final triumph over Kerry as "the perfect response to the whingers and begrudgers."
Danny Murphy says that a lot of people were made to eat their words after the O’Neill County’s impressive victory.
"Those criticising Ulster football, particularly Tyrone and Armagh, now have their answer. It was said that Ulster teams could not play with style.
"Well I think Tyrone disproved this theory once and for all. These people were taking cheap shots at us.
"They have considerable food for thought now."

GAA News. July '05.

Sunday, July 31, 2005
Cavan bow out of 2005 championship.
Cavan’s stand in manager Martin McElkennon praised Mayo’s defensive qualities after he watched his side exit the All-Ireland race.
After excellent wins against Donegal and Meath, Cavan went into the game against Cavan with high hopes but a poor performance dashed their hopes. Winning primary possession looked beyond the Breffni County and as a result their full forward line had little ball to work with.
McElkennon felt the loss of the midfield battle was crucial.
"Credit must be given to Mayo’s defence and in fairness they picked up most of the breaking ball,” said the Cavan coach. “It was tough on our players and they really tried hard.”

 

Cavan win derby duel

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Cavan fans were showboating in the sun at St. Tighernach’s Park, Clones as their favourites bounced Meath out of this year’s race for the Sam Maguire Cup after an absorbing All-Ireland SFC third round qualifier in front of over 18,000 fans.

Cavan 1-8 Meath 1-6

The pattern of the game was established from the opening minute as Jason Reilly and Larry Reilly easily punched a hole in the Meath defence but the last named shot tamely into the hands of Meath ’keeper Gallagher.
Less than a minute later the otherwise disappointing Ray Magee lofted a lovely point over the bar from under the hill as the 18,143 supporters settled down for an archetypal derby duel.
Two minutes after Magee’s effort, Joe Sheridan brought off a great full-length save from James Reilly in the Cavan goal and then two minutes later Jason Reilly rattled the post with the Meath full-back line spread-eagled.
It was non-stop action and nobody in the big crowd could have been surprised when, with Cavan leading by the odd point in five, the opening goal came.
A long, lofted free by McCabe from inside his own half was latched onto by Jason Reilly and the Belturbet man carried the ball forward before rounding Gallagher for a classy goal.
One minute later, James Reilly again denied Sheridan as the play swung from one end of the field to the other with monotonous regularity.
Cavan went in at the break 1-4 to 0-4 to the good and deservedly so and with McCabe continuing to pull the strings around the vital diamond area of the field, Meath looked increasingly fragile.
Meath supremo proceeded to use his full hand of cards in a bid to stir things up in front of goal but only Sheridan, with a brace, troubled the Cavan defence with any consistency.
Sheridan’s second point in the 55th minute left just the goal separating the sides once again, 1-6 to 0-6, but there still remained an inevitability about the way the game was meandering its way to a climax.
Then, suddenly out of the blue, Meath were awarded a penalty when Micheal Lyng barged into the back of the in-form Sheridan and with three minutes of injury time to go, Geraghty’s cool penalty conversion left just a single point between the sides.
Meath flattered to deceive in trying to spring their get-out clause and it was left to the ice-cool Finbar O’Reilly with his 74th minute free from 40 metres and McCabe’s timely block off a Sheridan goal-bound effort to finally wrap up matters for the overjoyed Cavanmen.

Cavan win Sunday, July 03, 2005

The enigma that is Cavan football produced another unexpected twist as Donegal were beaten in a SFC qualifier by 1-11 to 1-10 at Breffni Park. Cavan football appeared to be at an all-time low last weekend, when they were humiliated by Tyrone, but what a difference a week can make in football! Goalkeeper James Reilly was the Cavan hero with a couple of stunning late saves, including a 68th-minute penalty stop to deny Brendan Devenney.

Donegal fielded an unchanged team from that which had beaten Wicklow last day, but Cavan made a late change to their selected side, with Mickey Graham coming into the starting fifteen in place of John Tierney. Finbar O’Reilly got the home side off to a sweet start with a fourth-minute free and a ninth-minute ’45’ while Donegal opened their account through Brian Roper in the eleventh minute. Mark McKeever and O’Reilly extended Cavan’s lead to three points by the end of the first quarter and the home support went wild when Larry Reilly bulged the Donegal net on 18 minutes. Shell-shocked Donegal didn’t know what had hit them. 1-4 to 0-1.

Jason O’Reilly tagged on a point and there was an exchange of scores before the short whistle sounded with Cavan very much in the driving seat, 1-6 to 0-2. The next two points were swapped before Brendan Devenney opened his account seven minutes after the turnaround. Colm McFadden and Finbar O’Reilly had points and a Devenney goal on 50 minutes brought Brian McEniff’s men right back into contention at 1-8 to 1-5. A Finbar O’Reilly point steadied the Breffni ship and Devenney and Larry Reilly swapped points, as did McFadden and Finbar O’Reilly.

Cavan ’keeper James Reilly had to be at his best to deny McFadden a goal and Devenney fisted over a point to reduce the gap to three points with four minutes’ play remaining. Two minutes from time, Donegal got a penalty but Reilly again proved the hero when he excellently blocked Devenney’s drive and keep the three-point margin intact.

Four minutes of injury time were played and Cavan were hanging on desperately. Devenney hit two late Donegal points to close the gap to a single point but that was as close as they got. This was a stunning victory for Cavan, who have been rewarded with a third-round qualifier clash with neighbours Meath.

June '05.

Poor Cavan performance in semi-final replay

Cavan senior footballers suffered one of their worst ever defeats in Ulster championship football when on Saturday evening 25th June at St. Tiarnach’s Park, Clones they went under to a rampant Tyrone side inspired by the maestro, Peter Canavan on a scoreline of 3-19 to 0-7 in the Ulster SFC semi-final replay.
Prior to the game, hopes were high in the Cavan camp and indeed amongst supporters - and they travelled in large numbers for this game - that they could turn over Tyrone on this occasion.
However, it wasn’t to be as Tyrone with a well thought out game plan were the masters on this occasion, and for long periods of the second-half of this game they made their opponents Cavan look very poor indeed.
The game was won and lost in the opening half as Tyrone with Canavan on fire, were clinical in their finishing, and finished the half ahead by 3-4 to 0-4, although Cavan dominated the possession stakes in this half but couldn’t put that dominance on the scoreboard.
Tyrone opened strongly in the second-half and scored three points in quick succession. This flurry of scores seemed to improve the confidence of the team as a whole and for the remainder of the half they played ’ducks and drakes’ with the badly exposed Cavan rearguard who were given a torrid time. And there was no let-up by the Tyrone side, who seemed to be determined to prove a point they are still the best side in the province and that last Sunday’s game with Cavan was just a ’bad day in the office’.
In the end, the dwindling crowd were treated to an exhibition of scoring by the winners with star acts such as Peter Canavan, Stephen O’Neill and attacking wing-half back Philip Jordan to the fore.
A great day for Tyrone football, as the side showed glimpses of the form that won them their only All-Ireland title to date at senior level in 2003. Could this be the start of a repeat of 2003? As for Cavan the least said the better. They were outplayed and outthought on the field of play and on the line on this occasion. Hopefully, this setback won’t have too much of an effect on the younger members of the side who showed up so well in the drawn game. You don’t become a bad team overnight, and they are lucky they have an opportunity to re-address the situation this coming Saturday and save their championship season against Donegal in the second round of the All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers. It is a tough ask, but Donegal themselves were in the same situation last Sunday ahead of their game away to Wicklow in Aughrim and produced the goods. Can the Breffni side emulate that feat. We all hope so, not alone for the players themselves, but for Cavan football in general!

Sunday, June 19, 2005, Clones

Micheal Lyng’s injury-time free gave Cavan a deserved 1-7 to 0-10 draw with Tyrone in a hard-fought Ulster SFC semi-final at Clones. The Cavan Gaels clubman held his nerve to land the equaliser eight minutes into stoppage time and there was a melee when Galway referee Gerry Kinneavy blew the final whistle. Tyrone players and officials were unhappy with the nature of the levelling score as the match official seemed hellbent on giving the Breffni boys every opportunity to clinch the replay their 78 minutes’ endeavour arguably merited.

After falling 1-6 to 0-6 adrift to Jason O’Reilly’s goal at the end of the third quarter, Tyrone appeared to have snatched victory with four successive points. However, Cavan were awarded four controversial injury-time frees and Lyng finally made the most of the fourth, changing the ball before calmly slotting over. Tyrone felt hard done by and the players let this be known amid some ugly scenes, but the fact of the matter is that the O’Neill County did not deserve an Ulster final place on the strength of this performance.

The underdogs led by two points at the interval, 0-6 to 0-4, with three points from Larry Reilly and efforts from Jason O’Reilly, Finbar O’Reilly and Martin Cahill. In reply, Tyrone had a brace apiece from Ryan McMenamin and Stephen O’Neill. Worried Tyrone boss Mickey Harte introduced the two Brians - Dooher and McGuigan - at half time and the changes had the desired effect as the Red Hands quickly drew level with points from Peter Canavan and Owen Mulligan.
Captain O’Reilly pounced for his goal in the 51st minute but Martin McElkennon’s side suffered a blow when handball hero Paul Brady was red-carded for stamping eight minutes later. Two points apiece from Canavan and O’Neill seemed to have done it for Tyrone but there was a late twist in the plot courtesy of Lyng, whose point set up an intriguing replay.

May '05.

Sunday, May 29
Cavan selector Paddy McNamee was a relieved man after watching his side come back to salvage a draw against Antrim at Kingspan Breffni Park. In the absence of ill manager Eamonn Coleman and suspended assistant Martin McElkennon, McNamee fulfilled the sideline role. It was not a comfortable afternoon for the Ramor man. "We missed two goal chances in the first half and another one at the start of the second half. When you have chances like that and don't put any of them away, you can't get away with that," he said. Cavan were ahead when defender Karol Crotty was sent off 15 minutes from the end, and thereafter Antrim took control.

April '05.

An historic vote at the annual Congress has temporarily suspended Rule 42. This could see soccer or rugby played in Croke Park, and only Croke Park, should an agreement be reached on the leasing terms and granting of planning permissions by the local authority.

March '05.

A Kildare club footballer has been sentenced to three-months in prison for assaulting a referee at an intermediate football match last year. Brian Hyland of the Ballyheague club attacked Fintan Barrett at the end of a game his side lost by nine points. The cause of the attack was, apparently, a decision that Barrett had made during the game. It comes on the same day that a GAA task force recommended changes that the GAC be divided into two units, one to look after fixtures and the other to deal with disciplinary issues.

Congratulations to the Swanlinbar Under 14's who defeated Shannon Gaels in Ballyconnell on Saturday 6th Nov. 2004 to take the Roinn B u-14 Championship for the first time in club history. The team was as follows:Damien McGovern, Thomas O'Brien, Sheila Walsh, Roisin Leydon, Adrian Martin, Donal McGovern, Cathal Martin, Christopher Curran, Mary Cunningham, Cian Feehan, Kevin McGovern, Nora McGovern, Michael O'Rourke, Gearoid McKiernan, Declan Gilheany. Subs: Paul O'Brien, Mark Magiure, Ailbhe Curran, Brian McAveety, Aaron McBrien, Davin McBrien.

Swanlinbar Seniors played Cornafean in last league fixture on Sun 14th Nov '04.

Well done to the seniors who defeated Cornafean in the last league game on Sunday. In doing so they secured third spot in the Div. 2 table and a place in the semi-final of the league cup which will be against Ballyhaise on Sunday 28th Nov.

Centenary Ball a huge success.

Swanlinbar 'had a ball' at the Slieve Russell on Sunday 24th Oct.2004. Member of the club and Cavan star of the forties Owen Roe McGovern was one of the guests of honour who also included well-known RTE commentator Micheal O'Muircheartaigh.

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