Ulster GAA

Early history

The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in Hayes Hotel in Thurles County Tipperary on 1 November 1884 by Michael Cussack. With the support of patrons such as Land League leaders Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Davitt, as well as Archbishop Thomas Croke, the association quickly grew, with clubs being established in parishes across Ireland. The first Ulster club to affiliate to the national organisation was Ballyconnell in County Cavan in 1885 and over the next few years clubs and county boards were formed in Cavan, Monaghan, Armagh, Fermanagh and Derry.

The first Ulster Football Championship was held in 1888, which consisted of two games between Red Hand of Monaghan and Moch Finn’s of Cavan. The first game resulted in a draw on 19 August and Red Hand won the subsequent replay on 9 September. No championship was held the following year, but in 1890 Armagh defeated Antrim and then Tyrone to lift their first title. Neither Cavan nor Monaghan entered the competition. In 1891, Cavan regained their title, defeating Armagh after a replay, but this was the last Ulster Championship to be held until 1901.

The early association was beset with problems, owing to a litany of issues including rapid growth, the disapproval of Sunday games in Protestant areas and the distance between Ulster and the GAA’s headquarters in Munster. The association effectively failed to operate with only a handful of clubs operating in the middle of the 1890s.

By 1901, the association saw a revival, coupled with the growth of Conradh na Gaeilge in areas like Belfast. The first Ulster Council was established at a meeting in Armagh in 1903 with Belfast solicitor George Martin elected as the first President and MV O’Nolan (father of writer Flann O’Brien) as Vice-President and 20-year-old Derry draper Louis O’Kane as secretary.

County boards

• Antrim
• Armagh
• Cavan
• Derry
• Donegal
• Down
• Fermanagh
• Monaghan
• Tyrone

Football

Provincial team

The Ulster provincial football team represents the province of Ulster in Gaelic football. The team competes in the Railway Cup.

Players

Players from the following county teams represent Ulster: Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Tyrone.

Competitions

Inter-county

Club

All-time top scorers from Ulster county teams

As of 3 June 2008 according to the BBC.

;Notes:

• Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers.

All-time top goalscorers from Ulster county teams

As of 15 June 2008, according to the Sunday Tribune.

Notes:

• Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers.

Hurling

Provincial team

The Ulster provincial hurling team represents the province of Ulster in hurling. The team competes in the Railway Cup.

Players

Competitions

Inter-county

Ulster has always been the weakest of the provinces in hurling terms, possibly due to the difference between the hurling promulgated by the early Gaelic Athletic Association and the "commons" game played in Ulster. The Ulster hurling team have only won four Railway Cup semi-final games in their history (1945, 1992, 1993 and 1995), it, however, lost in each of those Railway Cup deciders.

There have been some successes over the years, mostly by Antrim teams:

• 1943: Antrim defeated Galway and Kilkenny, but lost to Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final
• 1982: Gerry Goodwin (Tyrone) won the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship
• 1983: Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim) won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
• 1989: Antrim defeated Offaly, and subsequently lost to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final
• 2010: Graham Clarke (Down) won the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship

Club

• Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Junior Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Under-21 Club Hurling Championship

"Team Ulster" in the Liam MacCarthy Cup

In 2020, a concept was discussed among players and managers, with a proposal that a combined "Team Ulster" would compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Grades

Camogie

Gael Linn Cup

The Ulster camogie team has twice won the premier representative competition in the women's team field sport of camogie, the Gael Linn Cup, in 1967 and 2007.

Gael Linn Trophy

The Ulster provincial junior camogie team won the Gael Linn Trophy on eight occasions: 1979, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

Honours

• Disability Sport NI's Inclusive Sport Award: 2021

References

References

1. (16 January 2025). "Michael Geoghegan is the new President of Ulster GAA".
2. "Management Committee".
3. (2010). "The Story of Gaelic Games in Ulster". Cardinal Ó Fiach Library.
4. (2010). "The History of Gaelic Games in Ulster". Carinal Ó Fiach Library.
5. (2010). "The Story of Gaelic Games in Ulster". Cardinal Ó Fiach Library.
6. (2008-06-03). "Ulster's hot-shots". BBC Online.
7. Shannon, Kieran. (2008-06-15). "When Sunday Comes - Stevie from Killeavy: Ulster's top predator". [[Sunday Tribune]].
8. Martin, John. (24 October 2008). "Ulster up against it". [[Gaelic Life]].
9. (29 May 2020). "Down manager calls for a combined Ulster hurling team". [[RTÉ Sport]].
10. (1 June 2020). "Video: eleven top hurling people discuss the Team Ulster proposal". [[Hogan Stand]].
11. (1 June 2020). "'We have to do something - we're standing still' - Players and managers support idea of Ulster hurling team". [[RTÉ Sport]].
12. (2 June 2020). "Video: Highlighting the merits or otherwise of a 'Team Ulster' hurling initiative". [[The Irish News]].
13. (26 January 2021). "Ulster GAA awarded Disability Sport NI's Inclusive Sport Award". Hogan Stand.