Coiste Chontae an Dúin and the family that is Down GAA are saddened to learn of the death of Annita Crawford, wife of our former County Chairperson Benedict (Benny),  we offer our deepest sympathy to her husband Benny, children, Conall, Nyree and Alison, her son in law and daughter in law and grandchildren Tilly, Alex and Ben.

We offer our condolences to the entire Crawford and Faloona family circle, on the death of a much loved, wife, mother and grandmother.

There was a packed weekend of championship action from Thursday to Monday across the Parador Lodge Junior and Intermediate football championships as well as the Morgan Fuels senior football championship.

The action got underway on Thursday evening with a win for Carryduff over Bredagh at senior level while Clann Na Banna saw off a late comeback inspired by two goals from Newry Bosco to eventually secure a two point win at intermediate level.

There were wins for Glasdrumman, Dromara, East Belfast and a second consecutive championship win for St Michaels in the group stage of the Junior championship on Friday night. At senior level, 13 man Glenn managed to engineer a way through against Castlewellan and Liatroim recorded a notable win in extra time against RGU Downpatrick.

Saturday saw masses of action too. An Riocht overcame neighbours, Atticall, in a score fest, the game ending 4-14 - 5-6 while St John’s beat Newry Shamrocks and Rostrevor eventually won through against a gallant Teconnaught.

Loughinisland and Burren had 7 and 6 point wins against Saul and Mayobridge respectively.

The pace didn’t slow on Sunday with Tullylish and Darragh Cross building momentum with intermediate victories as Warrenpoint beat Longstone well at senior level and Bryansford made it straight to the quarter finals after a thriller against Ballyholland that saw them emerge on the right end of a 0-18 - 0-17 scoreline after extra time.

Things came to a conclusion on Monday night as Drumgath and Saval had reason to celebrate with intermediate wins against Ballymartin and Annaclone while the final senior game of the weekend saw defending champions Kilcoo get past neighbours Clonduff.

And there will be lots more to come this weekend with the Round 3 games set to take place across the weekend from Friday to Monday with five matches live on DownGAATV.

Coiste Chontae an Dúin and the family that is Down GAA are saddened to learn of the death of Paddy McEvoy. 

Paddy was a founder member of Carryduff and then came to live in Downpatrick, where he became involved with RGU being Club secretary in their Championship winning year of 1978 and then also being the author of The Russell Chronicles a history of Gaelic Games in Downpatrick, which was published in 1984.

Paddy was to the fore as GAA Correspondent of the Mourne Observer, where he provided a wonderful coverage of Gaelic Games over the decades, Paddy put his heart and soul into the coverage of Gaelic Games, for the readers of the Mourne Observer he brought Club and County matches to life, with an honest assessment of the games and gentle manner that gained him the trust and respect of players, managers and supporters. 

Paddy was also active in the production of County publications like Score, the Official Magazine of Down GAA, which produced in the late 70s and early 80s, County Yearbooks and Match Programmes, a man who was always willing to give of his time to promote the Association that he loved.

We offer our sympathy to his his wife, Rose, his children,  Siobhan, Roisin, Eamonn and Connall, his sons in laws and daughters in law,  his grandchildren Aedan, Teahan, Colm, Niamh and Anna at this sad time. To the Gaels of RGU Downpatrick and Carryduff we also offer our condolences on the loss of a man who always had the GAA at heart.

Congratulations to the winners in the August 2024 Club Draw!

Winners of Special Club Draw - £200

19AR159 - Pat Rodgers - An Riocht 

24GN001 - Collette Burden - Glasdrumman

16SA043 - Garrett Hughes - Saval

24TT064 - Conn Murnin - Teconnaught

Winners of Monthly Draw - £1000

24CF263 - Michelle Murphy - Carryduff

24GN020 - Paul Thompson - Glasdrumman

24OL353 - Tomas Heavin - RGU Downpatrick

24BC042 - Paul O’Prey - Ballycran

24CPN040 - Colin McGivern - CPN Warrenpoint

Coiste Chontae an Dúin and the family that is Down GAA are saddened to learn of the death of Eamon McKay, Goalkeeper on our All Ireland Winning Teams of 1960 and 61. We offer our deepest sympathy to his wife Edna, his sons and daughters, Karen, Steven, Shirley and Edwin, Sons in Law  Barry and  Paul, daughters in law Naoise and Cathy, his grandchildren Conac, Kieran, Peter, Catriona, Tara, Finn, Ciaran and Niall. To the Gaels of Dundrum, we also offer our condolences on the passing of a man who gave great service to the Club as a Player, Team Manager and President.

Eamon McKay made his Championship debut for Down in 1957 when a poor Down display saw us exit the Championship in Round One with a heavy defeat to Donegal, it was a long journey home for Down players, management and supporters, but there was hope and hope had come in the display that day in Ballyshannon, of a Goalkeeper from Dundrum, Eamon McKay and in preparing for the Lagan Cup Campaign of that year,  the selectors put their faith in the man from Dundrum.

 Eamon McKay was an ever present for Down from then until he would retire in 1962, and when we look at the newspaper reports of that era, we read more often than not that "Eamon Mckay was sound in goal".

Eamon would win an Ulster Senior Medal in 1959 when he would keep a clean sheet against a mighty Cavan attack, he had built a great relationship with the men in front of him George Lavery, Leo Murphy and Pat Rice, and with a point bank save in that Ulster Final, Eamon ensured that Down were Ulster Champions for the first time and on their way to Croke Park. Galway would end the dream in 1959 but Eamon would like his colleagues, greater days ahead.

History will show that Down defeated Kerry by 2-10 to 0-8 in the All Ireland Final of 1960, yet the story of 1960, tells us of a Goalkeeper who kept three clean sheets in the three major finals that year in  Croke Park, a clean sheet as Down won a first National League once again defeating Cavan on a score line of 0-12 to 0-9 and then a clean sheet in the All Ireland Football Final as on more than one occasion,  Eamon McKay denied the great Mick O Connell a score, followed with a clean sheet against New York,  in the St Brendan Cup Final, an achievement not matched by many.

 This was no mean feat for this was an era when the Goalkeeper was on occasions bundled into the net, ball and all, Eamon McKay held no fear, he was brave, he was courageous and he gave of his very best for Down on every occasion.

The 1961 campaign would once again see Eamon man the goals for Down and in the final v Offaly he would once again keep a cool head, when the pressure was great and Offaly were threatening to dominate proceedings, Eamon McKay showed that along with his colleagues that they were a set of men apart from any other that had graced Croke Park, Sam Maguire returned to the Mournes and Eamon McKay had once again been to the fore. 1961 would also see Eamon represent Ulster in the Railway Cup and in 1962, he would add a second National League Medal to his  collection as he gave a brilliant display as Down defeated Dublin in the Final. 1962 would see Eamon line out again in the Ulster Final v Cavan in Casement Park as Down went in search of a fourth Ulster title in a row, it was a day when nothing went right for Down and for Eamon in particular, when he went off injured in the first half of the game in what was to be his last championship appearance for Down.

Throughout Ireland people can name that Down team of 1960 without hesitation and its is fitting that they should start with the name of Eamon McKay, for he was the number one of that era, he was the man who often stood between defeat and victory, he produced heroics when they were needed, but more often than not, he was just solid, he did his job, he kept the goal clear, he was steady, brave and courageous, he was humble, a man who never sought the limelight, but a man who played a key role in ensuring that the men of 1960 and 61, would rightly take their places in the annals of the great's of Gaelic Games. 

We in Down GAA were honoured and privileged to have Eamon McKay amongst our ranks and we can only say thank you for the memories that you gave us and the difference that you made to the lives of so many,  in a golden era for Down Football.

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Coiste Chontae an Dúin and the family that is Down GAA  are saddened to learn of the death of Paddy Morgan, President of Kilcoo GAC and a former member of the County Committee and the East Down Committee. We offer our deepest sympathy to his brothers James, Gerry, Peter, John, Roger and Dan, his sisters in law, Ann, Patricia, Mary, Lily, Mary and Marian, his nephews and nieces and the entire Morgan Family circle. To the Gaels of Kilcoo we offer our sympathies too on the passing of a man who was an iconic figure in the history of the Club.

Paddy Morgan gave outstanding service to his Club and to the GAA for over six decades, he was Club Secretary for 36 years, from 1968 through to 2004 and then became the County Board Rep up to 2010, when he deservedly took up the role as Club President. Paddy was also a former vice chair of the East Down Committee and served the Committee for a total of 14 years, 13 of which were unbroken service.

Paddy Morgan was a man who made things happen in Kilcoo, a man who made a difference, if he saw something that needed to be done, then he did it, it was all for the good of Gaelic Games in Kilcoo and if that meant taking on a number of tasks in any given role then Paddy just got on with it. He knew the hard days and the hard work that was needed to keep Kilcoo going forward and he was a man prepared to fully put his shoulder to the wheel. He and others like him had made their own sacrifices that a new generation would reap the benefits, it was never about personal gain for Paddy, it was about the pride he took in seeing Kilcoo winning, no occasion more so than in 2009 and a first Down title in 72 Years. Provincial and All Ireland success would follow in recent times and Paddy was delighted to see the Andy Merrigan Cup rest in Kilcoo, it was the stuff he only could have dreamed off for he had seen the wheel turn the full circle and his beloved Kilcoo rise to take their place amongst the top Clubs in the land. 

Those days of pitch marking, of gathering a team, driving a bus, umpiring and refereeing,  of raising funds in hard times had all been worth it, for Paddy Morgan, Kilcoo and its football was a labour of love. 

We in the GAA have been privileged to have had men like Paddy Morgan in our ranks, they are the men who by their actions helped make us the people and the Association that we are today 140 years later. All we can say as we remember Paddy is thank you, for the work that you did, the service that you gave and the difference that you made all in the name of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. 

Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam

SPECIAL CLUB DRAW
4 Monthly Prizes of £200.00
Club 1 24DC037 Lisa Quinn Darragh Cross
Club 2 24KO073 Siobhan McEvoy Kilcoo
Club 3 21SJ088 Aidan McKenny St Johns
Club 4 24TH194 Mickey Toman Tullylish

MONTHLY DRAW
5 Monthly Prizes of £1000.00 July 2024 Draw 004
Winner 1 24SA021 Elizabeth Digney Saval
Winner 2 24TT175 Sinead McMullan Teconnaught
Winner 3 24TH178 Martin McAnarney Tullylish
Winner 4 24DA059 Dromara GAC Dromara
Winner 5 24KF029 Gavin Milligan Kilclief

Congratulations to the winners in the July 2024 Draw

Recap and reaction as Down lift the Tailteann Cup after gritty two-point win over Laois

Mark Barry's stunning late goal set up grandstand finish, but the Mournemen held firm to secure Sam Maguire Cup football for next season 

Tailteann Cup final: Down 0-14 Laois 2-6

By Paddy Tierney  

Down have secured Sam Maguire Cup football following a gritty two-point win over Laois in Saturday’s Tailteann Cup final at Croke Park.

The Mournemen were the better team for the majority of the game, but goals in either half, including a stunning late strike from Mark Barry, kept the O’Moore County in contention.

Laois were hit for four goals inside the opening 16 minutes of last season’s semi-final clash between the teams and, while they didn’t concede a goal in the first half, they were three points down inside the first four minutes.

Liam Kerr, Pat Havern and Shealan Johnston were on target early on before Mary Barry settled the Laois nerves with a well-worked score.

Laois hit their first goal somewhat against the run of play as James Kelly’s ball over the top put Brian Byrne through on goal. Down goalkeeper John O’Hare came off his line to fist the ball away from Byrne, but his clearance fell to Seamus Lacey who tucked the ball into the left-hand corner of the net.

Down rallied and outscored Laois 0-5 to 0-2 for the remainder of the half with Odhran Murdock landing two classy points from play as the Mournemen led 0-8 to 1-3 at the break.

Justin McNulty’s half-time teamtalk appeared to work the oracle as Laois hit three unanswered points on the restart via Conor Heffernan, Barry (free) and Paul Kingston (free).

Conor Laverty rolled the nice and introduced Caolan Mooney and Danny Magill early in the second half and the pair had a great impact with Magill kicking two points within minutes of being introduced. He also had a hand in Murdock’s third point as Down regained the advantage.

Further scores from Mooney, Pat Haverrn and Peter Fegan put Down into a five-point lead late on and the result seemed beyond doubt.

However, there was a final twist as Laois plundered their second goal. James Kelly’s long-ball in was punched clear once more and Barry collected the ball 25 metres from goal and rifled the ball into the top corner of the net to set up a grandstand finish.

Barry missed a chance to draw within one moments later and Laois couldn’t fashion another goal chance and Down held on to claim the Tailteann Cup and, with it, a place in the All-Ireland series next summer.

Down scorers: Odhran Murdock 0-3, Pat Havern 0-3 (0-1f), Danny Magill 0-2, Peter Fegan 0-1, Shealan Johnston 0-1, Jonny Flynn 0-1, Ryan Johston 0-1, Liam Kerr 0-1, Caolan Mooney 0-1.

Laois scorers: Mark Barry 1-2 (0-1f), Seamus Lacey 1-0, Killian Roche 0-1 (0-1f), Conor Heffernan 0-1, Evan O’Carroll 0-1, Paul Kingston 0-1 (0-1f).