Congrats to the Irish Masters team who retained the Paddy Gaffney Cup after a competitive and entering test against Australia on Saturday.

Down were represented by Clonduff's Kevin McGrath and Clann na Banna's Johnny Burns in the test game which was played in Denn GFC, Cavan. The Ireland Gaelic Masters (Over 40) team beat Australia 87 to 29.

Photo by @ Paul Walsh

Down GAA Club Championship: PRFC & RFC - 27th and 28th July 2019

Saturday, 27 July @ 5.00pm
Premier Reserve Football Championship
Downpatrick v Clonduff
Bredagh v Loughinisland
Rostrevor v Liatroim
Carryduff v Mayobridge
Burren v An Ríocht
Kilcoo v Warrenpoint
Castlewellan v Bryansford
 
Reserve Football Championship
Drumgath v Tullylish
Clann na Banna v St Johns
Longstone v Newry Shamrocks
 
 
Sunday, 28 July @ 6.30pm
Reserve Football Championship
Carryduff v Bredagh
Mayobridge v Drumaness
Annaclone v Liatroim

Down GAA 2019 Club Championship Regulations, as approved by Coiste Chontae yesterday evening

2019 Club Championship Regulations (PDF)

Down pulled victory from the jaws of defeat to set up a All-Ireland U-20 HC B final meeting with Kerry.

Down scraped over the challenge of Derry at Owenbeg on Saturday after coming back from a nine point arrears to win the semi-final 2-17 to 0-22.

During the months of July and August, Down GAA is hosting 46 Kellogg's Cul Camps across the county.

Last year over 6000 children attended the camps in Down and if numbers attending camps in the last three weeks is anything to go by, Down GAA will see another hike in overall attendance figures this year.

The Kellogg's Down GAA Cúl Camps are run over an 8 week period and provide boys and girls – between the ages of 5 and 13 – with an action-packed and fun-filled week of activity which revolves around maximising enjoyment and sustaining participant involvement in Gaelic Games.  Activities are player-centred with a Games Based approach with a strong emphasis being placed on personal development and well-being. Activities are organised in an age-appropriate manner with a view to: 

• Optimise learning
• Enhance friendships
• Improve physical & psychological Well-being
• Promote school and club links

The Camps take place between 10am and 2.30pm and costs of the camps (for children currently in P3 and above) are only £50.00 for 1st child, £45.00 for second child and £40.00 for the 3rd and subsequent children.  The price includes each child receiving Kellogg's GAA gear and backpack. For children attending a second camp, without gear, the cost £40.00.  Camps can be either booked directly with Clubs or via the online booking system: www.kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie/booking/online/

For Children currently in P1 and P2 all bookings for Nursery Camps (10am until 12.30pm) is via the Club and costs  £35.00 per child.

18 Camps have already been held in Aghaderg/Ballyvarly, An Riocht, Ardglass, Aughisnafin, Ballela, Ballyholland, Ballygalget, Clonduff, Dromara, Drumaness, Glasdrumman, Liatroim, Mayobridge, Portaferry, Rostrevor, Saul, Saval and Tullylish.

Next week (Monday 22nd July - Friday 25th July) sees another 6 camps taking place in Atticall, Bryansford, Clann na Banna, Darragh Cross, Kilclief and Loughinisland.

The following week (Monday 29th July - Friday 2nd August) camps will take place in Bright, Clonduff, Drumgath, Dundrum, St Michaels and Teconnaught.

During the week of Monday 5th August and Friday the 9th August Down GAA will be holding Camps in Burren, Ballykinlar, Ballycran, RGU Downpatrick and Castlewellan.

During the week of Monday 12th August and Friday the 16th August camps will be held in Warrenpoint, Glenn, Newry Shamrocks, Bredagh and St John Bosco.

During the last week of our camps (Monday 19th August and Friday the 23rd August) their is 5 camps being held in St Paul's, St John's, Carryduff, Annaclone and Ballymartin.

Dromara GAC picked up a highly commended trophy in the Open Space Improvement category at the inaugural Whitemountain Programme Awards.

The award was in recognition of the success of their recent work to make their grounds more family and environmentally friendly.

Dromara GAC Chairman, Declan McCann, commented: “As a club we’ve invested a lot of time and resources into making our grounds better for future generations.

“It’s great to receive this recognition from Whitemountain and to be able to bring a new trophy back to the club.”

The 32-man squad features two players from each of the 16 counties that compete in Masters football, including London. Managed by Jimmy Galligan (Cavan), Joe Leonard (Tyrone) and Anthony Carroll (Roscommon), the squad includes two Down men Kevin McGrath and Johnny Burns as well as a number of well-known former county seniors such as Kevin Fitzpatrick (Laois), Martin Flanagan and Alan 'Buddah' Mangan (Westmeath), Michael Moyles (Mayo) and Odhran O'Dwyer (Clare), who played in the senior International Rules series in 2003.

The countries will compete for the Paddy Gaffney Cup in memory of the late Paddy Gaffney. Paddy was a proud Denn GAA clubman and represented Ireland Masters in 2004 in Ireland and in April 2006 in Australia. He died from a heart attack in May 2006, and current Leitrim manager Terry Hyland donated the Paddy Gaffney Cup to the Masters in Paddy’s honour.

Since the Paddy Gaffney Cup has been played for, Ireland have won the series twice (October 2006 and 2016), and Australia have won it twice (2008 and 2009).

A novel twist to this year’s test is that two quarters will be played with the Australian footy, with the Gaelic football used in the other two quarters.
 
The Ireland squad is: Sean McDaid, Michael Ward (Donegal); Carl McGrane, Noel Casey (Kildare); Colin Gordon, Con O'Meara (Sligo); Alan Mangan, Martin Flanagan (Westmeath); Paul Gilleran, Terence Kelly (Roscommon); Pat Mulchrone, Michael Moyles (Mayo); Kevin Fitzpatrick, John Kealy (Laois); Chris Byrne, Keith Geraghty (London); Pat Cunningham, Paraic de Paor (Galway); Tony Convery, Laurence Higgins (Antrim); Kevin McGrath, Johnny Burns (Down); James O'Connor, Damian Flanagan (Dublin); Eamon McElroy, Eoin Gormley (Tyrone); JP McManus, Noel Reynolds (Leitrim/Longford); Jerome Kiernan, Mickey Brennan (Cavan); Odran O'Dwyer, Ronnie Slattery (Clare).