The county champions of Galway and Antrim will meet in the All Ireland series for the 10th time on Saturday in Parnell Park when St Thomas and Ruairi Óg Cushendall meet in the senior club championship
Galway Clubs vs Antrim Clubs in the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
1979/80 Final: Castlegar
1-11 Ballycastle McQuillans 1-8
Castlegar became the first Galway and Connacht team to win an
All-Ireland club title when they narrowly defeated an excellent Ballycastle
outfit in the final in Navan. After conceding a goal in the 15th
minute, Castlegar battled back to lead 0-8 to 1-4 at half-time, thanks to seven
pointed frees from Joe Connolly and a brilliant effort from play from his
brother John. Castlegar’s goal was brilliantly finished into the net by Liam
Mulryan early in the second half, but Ballycastle didn’t wilt and eventually
came back within a point of the Galway men until late points from Gerry and Joe
Connolly sealed a famous win.
1994/95 Semi-Final: Dunloy
2-10 Athenry 1-11
Athenry’s hopes of winning a first All-Ireland club title and
keeping the Tommy Moore Cup in Galway for the fourth year in a row were dashed
in cruel circumstances in Clones when Dunloy substitute Jarlath Cunning scored
a match-winning injury time goal to seal a famous win. A goal from Pat Higgins
left Athenry 0-9 to 1-5 behind at half-time, but the Galway men battled back in
the second half to lead 1-10 to 0-10 with ten minutes left. The game turned
when Dunloy scored a goal to level matters and despite Brendan Keogh edging
Athenry back in front, Cunnings late sucker punch won the day for the Antrim
men.
2000/01 Semi-Final: Athenry
3-20: Dunloy 1-10
Athenry were in irresistible form in their semi-final rout of
Dunloy, with Eugene Cloonan shooting 1-11 and both Cathal Moran and David
Donoghue scoring goals either side of half-time. The Galway champions would
eventually retain their All-Ireland crown on Easter Monday in an extra time
victory over Graigue-Ballycallen of Kilkenny in a final that was delayed by the
foot and mouth outbreak.
2003/04 Semi-Final: Dunloy
2-13 Portumna 2-10
Portumna’s first tilt at the All-Ireland Club championship
ended in disappointment as they crashed to a three point defeat at the hands of
Dunloy in Clones. A goal from Damien Hayes in the 18th minute gave
Portumna the early initiative but the Antrim men hit back with two goals before
half-time to lead 2-3 to 1-5 at the interval. Portumna rallied at the start of
the second half to go two points clear, but then Dunloy took over and seven
points in a row turned the game in their favour. A Kevin Hayes goal seven
minutes from time gave the Galway side an unexpected boost but they could not
find the late equaliser needed as Dunloy made it to the final for the second
year in a row
2006/07 Semi-Final: Loughrea
1-11 Ruairi Óg, Cushendall 0-9
Loughrea booked their place in the All-Ireland club final
after this workmanlike display against Cushendall on a difficult pitch in
Mullingar. Johnny Maher, with 0-7, was Loughrea’s scorer in chief on a day
where the Galway side’s defence was well on top. Loughrea led 0-7 to 0-3 at
half-time, but Cushendall remained in contention throughout a tight second half
and only trailed by three points with two minutes of normal time remaining. It
was then that Loughrea put the game to bed when Vinny Maher took a return pass
from Kenneth Colleran to shoot the match winning goal. Loughrea would go on to
lose the final against Ballyhale Shamrocks.
2009/10 Semi-Final: Portumna
2-18 Dunloy 0-12
Reigning All-Ireland champions Portumna eased their way into
the All-Ireland final for the fourth time in five years after a comfortable win
over Dunloy in Parnell Park. The winners opening goal came from Ciaran Ryan
after twenty minutes, leaving Portumna 1-10 to 0-5 ahead at half-time. Dunloy
mounted a strong challenge in the third quarter to get within five points but
Portumna moved up a gear and a late goal from Joe Canning was the icing on the
cake as the Galway champions set up a final meeting with Ballyhale Shamrocks, a
game the Kilkenny side won by 1-19 to 0-17.
2012/13 Semi-Final: Loughgiel Shamrocks 3-18 St. Thomas’ 1-25 (Draw)
A last gasp free at the end of extra time from Loughgiel
captain Liam Watson salvaged a draw for the defending All-Ireland champions in
an absorbing semi-final against St. Thomas’s in Parnell Park. It was the newly crowned
Galway champions who had to rescue the game at the end of normal time when
Conor Cooney scored the most crucial point of his personal tally of 0-12. St.
Thomas’s seemed to have taken control in extra time when they led by four
points with five minutes to go, only for Watson to rescue the game for the
Antrim men with 1-1 late on.
St. Thomas’ 0-15 Loughgiel Shamrocks 0-7 (Replay)
St. Thomas’s made no mistake at the second time of asking in
Clones as they overpowered Loughgiel in a fascinating tactical battle. In a much
tighter affair than the free scoring drawn match, St. Thomas’s led 0-5 to 0-4
at half-time, and when Liam Watson levelled the match after the restart,
another close encounter seemed on the cards. Incredibly the Ulster men would
not score again for 26 minutes, as St. Thomas’s took control with a flurry of
points from Conor Cooney and Bernard Burke. In the end, St. Thomas’s were worthy
winners and they would go on to win their first All-Ireland title against
Kilcormac-Killoughey of Offaly.
2015/16 Semi-Final: Ruairi Óg, Cushendall 3-12 Sarsfields 1-6
Galway champions Sarsfields suffered a very disappointing
twelve point defeat in a surprisingly one sided semi-final in Navan against
Cushendall. It was the first time the Cushendall men had won an All-Ireland
semi-final in nine attempts as Sarsfields only managed two scores from play in
the entire game. The Antrim men got off to a dream start with a third minute
goal from a penalty, but Sarsfields only trailed by 1-4 to 0-5 at the break.
The second half turned into a nightmare for Sarsfields and despite a goal from
Joseph Cooney in the 41st minute, they were second best on the day
to a Cushendall side who themselves were no match for eventual champions Na
Piarsaigh in the final.
