Down GAA Gaeltacht 2019 applications Forms.
Closing date is Thursday 25th April @5pm

All forms to be returned via email to: Irishculturalofficer.down@gaa.ie

FORM

The Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Minor Football Championship will begin on this Saturday when holders Muineachán welcome An Dún to Clones. Throw-in at St Tiernach's Park is 5pm.

For complete fixtures and ticketing information visit www.ulster.gaa.ie/ulsterchampionship2019/minor-football

Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Minor Football Championship 2019 Fixtures:

20-04-2019 (Sat)

Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Football Minor Championship Preliminary Round

(5.00pm, ET if necessary, Finish on the Day)

Monaghan V Down at Clones

27-04-2019 (Sat)

Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Football Minor Championship Round 1

(6.00pm, ET if necessary, Finish on the Day)

Cavan V Fermanagh at Kingspan Breffni

Armagh V Derry at the Athletic Grounds

Donegal V Tyrone at Pairc MacCumhaill

Antrim V Monaghan / Down at Corrigan Park / Pairc Esler

04-05-2019 (Sat)

Qualifiers R1

(Losers of (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) - should the winners of (a) lose in (e), they will be excluded from this Round)

                   V 2.                      (loser eliminated)

If a team drawn were at home in Round 1 they will be away in Qualifier Round 1 and vice versa.  If both teams drawn in this round were both at home or both away in previous games, the first team drawn out would have home advantage. 

11-05-2019 / 12-05-2019 (Sat / Sun):

Round 2 (Open Draw – 4 Winners of Round 1)

(1)                        V

(2)                        V

Qualifiers R2 (Remaining three losers not drawn in Qualifiers R1, plus Qualifier R1 winners)

3.                          V 4.                      (loser eliminated)

5.                          V 6.                      (loser eliminated)

18-05-2019 / 19-05-2019 (Sat / Sun):

Qualifiers R3

(Two Round 2 losers V two Qualifiers R2 winners)

(1)                        V                          (loser eliminated)

(2)                        V                          (loser eliminated)

21-06-2019 / 23-06-2019 (Fri - Sun):

Semi Finals

(Two Round 2 winners V two Qualifiers R3 winners)

(1)                         V                          (loser eliminated)

(2)                        V                          (loser eliminated)

13-07-2019 / 14-07-2019 (Fri - Sun):

Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Football Minor Championship Final

• Division 3 (@ Abbey CBS) at 1.20pm
• Division 4 (@ Abbey CBS) at 1.40pm
• Division 1 (@ St Colman's) at 2.00pm
• Division 2 (@ St Colman's) at 2.20pm

Fixtures for the 2019 Christy Ring competition have been finalised with the dates and times confirmed for the group stage.

Saturday 11 May

Christy Ring Cup round 1

Down v Derry, Ballycran, 3pm

Sunday 12 May

Christy Ring Cup round 1
Roscommon v Kildare, Athleague, 12.45pm
Meath v London, Pairc Tailteann, 1pm
Donegal v Wicklow, Letterkenny, 2pm

Saturday 18 May

Christy Ring Cup round 2

London v Roscommon, Ruislip, 1pm
Derry v Donegal, Celtic Park, 3pm
Wicklow v Down, Aughrim, 3pm
Kildare v Meath, Newbridge, 3pm

Saturday 1 June
Christy Ring Cup round 3

London v Kildare, Ruislip, 1pm
Roscommon v Meath, Athleague, 1pm
Donegal v Down, Letterkenny, 3pm
Derry v Wicklow, Celtic Park, 3pm

Saturday 8/Sunday 9 June TBC

Christy Ring Cup semi-finals

Christy Ring Cup relegation play-off

Saturday 22 June

Christy Ring Cup final
To be played at Croke Park

ULSTER MINOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE SHIELD FINAL: Sligo 1-9 Down 1-8

A resurgent Sligo staged a late smash and grab act to take the Ulster minor football league Shield back to the Yeat's County at the expense of Down in this entertaining contest that was played in very windy and bitterly cold conditions in Clones on Saturday afternoon.

The score that clinched it for the Sligo lads was a goal deep into stoppage time as they laid siege to the Down citadel with Jack Lavin pulling on a loose ball that looked as if it might have been deflected into the net off a Down defender.

Down had the better of the opening exchanges and led by 1-2 to a point after five minutes, the goal by John McGovern in the fourth minute. He had a chance of a second goal from a penalty some nine minutes into the second half but his shot went over the bar.

Down led at half-time by 1-4 to 0-3 and they still held a four points lead entering the final quarter.

Sligo rallied strongly in that final quarter and three unanswered points inside three minutes from Lee Dignan, Owen Smith from a free and substitute Oisin Gorman brought the margin down to the minimum with four minutes remaining.

Oisin Savage gave Down some breathing space with a point from a free two minutes into stoppage time, but there was late drama as Sligo clinched it with that late goal.

Sligo finished the game with fourteen players after the dismissal of Ciaran McKeown on a second yellow card nine minutes into the second half.

Sligo: J Teape, S Muldowney, J Lavin 1-0, C Mulligan 0-1, L Casserley. C McKeown, C Finn, J Heaney, O McDonagh, L Dignan 0-2, P Smith 0-3 (2f), J Davitt. C Matthews 0-1, G Duffy, D Walshe. Subs: O Gorman 0-2 for C Matthews.

Down: A Furlong, P McCarthy, S Donegan, D McMullen, R Campbell, J Gray, R Magill, O Murdock, P McAvoy, S McCusker, J McGovern 1-2 (0-1pen), P Clancy, O Savage 0-5 (3f), C McLoughlin, M Hynes. Subs: O Cunningham for P McAvoy, N Sloane for D McMullen, E Swail for P Clancy, C Laird for S McCusker.

Referee: C Dorrian (Donegal).

The annual Ulster GAA Cúchulainn Cup took place at the Meadowbank Sports Arena, Magherafelt on Wednesday 10th April with Banbridge High School, St Patrick’s College, and Newbridge Integrated College taking part in teh girls Competation.

The Cúchulainn Initiative aims to afford young people from different backgrounds the opportunity to engage with one another, and to educate people not traditionally involved with the GAA more about the Association.

Taking part in the boys’ competition for the first time were Lisburn, with Antrim, Enniskillen and the 2018 winners Ballymoney returning once again. In the girls’ competition 2018 winners Belfast participated alongside Banbridge, Foyle and following in the footsteps of their male counterparts, Ballymoney entered a girls team for the first time.

In preparation for the Cúchulainn Cup Blitz, schools were given “GAA Taster Sessions” in which pupils who had never played Gaelic games, or had very little interaction in the Games were taught the basic skills of Gaelic Football and Hurling.

Taster Sessions were provided in 15 schools with over 500 Year 11 boys and girls getting an opportunity to sample what the GAA has to offer.

In addition, “Getting to Know the GAA” presentations were delivered to participating schools which helped to promote greater understanding and respect for other cultures; a key aim of the Cúchulainn Initiative.

After a very enjoyable day of games there was double delight for the town of Ballymoney with success in both the boys and girls competitions.

Ulster GAA President Oliver Galligan thanked the schools and teachers for their enthusiasm in becoming involved and thanked the players for the great spirit in which the games were played, commenting:

“The Cúchulainn Cup continues to be a very worthwhile project, as evidenced by the many happy faces, skill, and great interaction between teams seen at this year’s Cúchulainn Cup Blitz.”

Participating Schools

Boys Competition
Antrim: Parkhall College and Crumlin Integrated
Ballymoney: Dalriada School and Our Lady of Lourdes School
Enniskillen: Erne Integrated College and St Joseph’s College
Lisburn: Fort Hill Integrated College and St Patrick’s Lisburn

Girls Competition
Ballymoney: Dalriada School and Our Lady of Lourdes School
Banbridge: Banbridge High School, St Patrick’s College, and Newbridge Integrated College
Belfast: Lagan College and Priory Integrated College
Foyle: St Mary’s College, Derry and Oakgrove Integrated College

The GAA has announced its list of official charities for the year ahead.

Five charities from around the country and representing a range of different causes were selected by the Association to be charity partners for this year.

The charities were unveiled at a special photo call at Croke Park earlier today. The charities are:

• Western Alzheimers
• Down Syndrome Ireland
• Marie Keating Foundation
• Enable Ireland
• Focus Ireland

Each of the designated charities will receive a €20,000 donation from the GAA.

This is part of an on-going GAA initiative stretching back to 2008 that has seen the GAA select a number of specific charitable organisations and foundations each year in a bid to assist them in raising awareness around their work and also championing their fund-raising efforts throughout the coming year.

Seán Ó hÓráin, Uachtarán CLG, said: "We are delighted to be here to support five very diverse but all equally noble and significant organisations and declare them to be official GAA charities for 2019.

“This year we will have reached the €1.2m mark for official charity donations since 2008 through this Croke Park initiative and have now helped 45 different charities. We are delighted to have been able to provide some assistance to so many worthy causes in that time.

“In addition to this donation, the official charities will be the beneficiaries of the money raised by charity events undertaken by the staff at Croke Park this year such as the annual staff charity cycle which heads from Croke Park to Carrick-on- Shannon on April 26.

“The GAA is about communities and people working for them. Our network of clubs is also responsible for raising huge sums of invaluable support for a whole host of charities at home and abroad through their own local initiatives - and I pay tribute to their generosity.

“I look forward to working with and assisting the five official GAA charities for 2019.”