Scór na nÓg in Down returned with a bang in 2024 with almost 200 youngsters from across the county taking to the stage, across all disciplines, excluding Tráth na gCeist!

The standard of entertainment was truly amazing with youngsters on stage from ages 6 to 16 across the three venues – Glasdrumman, Dromara and Mayobridge. Many thanks to the host clubs for continuing to support the Cultural side of our heritage. A special word to thanks to all the competitors, their clubs, mentors and parents for helping prepare the children – it isn’t about winning on your first performance. It’s about showcasing what you have and knowing what to build upon; it’s about representing your community, making friends within your club community and with those from other clubs; and visiting other clubs you may never have been to before!

These young children didn’t seem to have any nerves and performed with aplomb – unfortunately, only two competitors from each discipline at each of the venues could proceed to the County Finals. We would encourage those who didn’t make it this time to keep honing their talents – it’s not easy to compete against others who are eight or nine years older. The important thing to remember is that those 15/16-year-olds probably started off five, six or seven years ago! Practice makes perfect!

The County Final will take place in Atticall Community Centre on Saturday 9th November and the clubs competing for the County titles are:

Ceilí Dancing – Atticall, Kilcoo, Ballycran, Darragh Cross, Clonduff, Mayobridge Football, Mayobridge Camogie

Solo Singing – Mae Cranney (Mayobridge Football), Muireann O’Reilly Drumgath), Aodhan Breen (Darragh Cross), Michael Scally (Liatroim), Elisha Rooney (Mayobridge Camogie), Aoife Grant (Glasdrumman)

Recitation – Daithí Rooney (Drumgath Football), Emily McGrath (Cumann Peadar Naofa), Beibhin Watson (Ballycran), Louisa Gribben (Clonduff), Ella Meehan (Drumgath Ladies), Maria Morgan (Atticall)

Ballad Group – Ballygalget, Cumann Peadar Naofa Football, Cumann Peadar Naofa Ladies, Clonduff, Mayobridge, St Paul’s

Novelty Act – Carryduff, Rostrevor, Ballymartin, Dromara, Cumann Peadar Naofa

Instrumental Music – St Paul’s, Carryduff, Cumann Peadar Naofa Football, Cumann Peadar Naofa Hurling, Cumann Peadar Naofa Ladies, Mayobridge

Set Dancing – Clonduff, Mayobridge

The eighth discipline in Scór is Tráth na gCeist (Quiz) and will take place in November.

Many thanks to all involved in organising and running Scór in Down, including the adjudicators – without you our children would just not have these wonderful opportunities!

The four squads have been announced for this weekend’s Allianz GAA Football Inter Provincial Series at Croke Park.

Daniel Guinness (Carryduff), Pat Havern (Saval) & Odhran Murdock (Burren) have been selected to play in the series.

Friday night will see Connacht face Leinster at 6pm followed by the meeting of Ulster and Munster at 8pm. On Saturday the opening match sees the two beaten teams from Friday night meeting at 5.30pm followed by the clash of the two Friday night winners at 7.30pm.

The backdrop to the event is the trialing of the seven core enhancements put forward by the Football Review Committee and the subject of a special congress at the end of November.

Tickets are available from GAA.ie. Friday night’s games will be shown live on TG4 and Saturday’s games will be shown live on RTÉ.

1 Niall Morgan, Tyrone
2 Diarmuid Baker, Derry
3 Mark Bradley, Tyrone
4 Paddy Burns, Armagh
5 Aidan Clarke, Tyrone
6 Oisin Conaty, Armagh
7 Padraig Faulkner, Cavan
8 Aidan Forker, Armagh
9 Niall Grimley, Armagh
10 Daniel Guinness, Down
11 Pat Havern, Down
12 Marc Jordan, Antrim
13 Conn Kilpatrick, Tyrone
14 Barry McBennett, Monaghan
15 Ronan McCaffrey, Fermanagh
16 Sean McNally, Fermanagh
17 Darren McCurry, Tyrone
18 Eoin McElholm, Tyrone
19 Joe McElroy, Armagh
20 Eoin McEvoy, Derry
21 Kieran McGeary, Tyrone
22 Peter McGrane, Armagh
23 Ross McQuillan, Armagh
24 Odhran Murdock, Down
25 Daire O Baoill, Donegal
26 Rian O Neill, Armagh
27 Oisin O Neill, Armagh
28 Gerry Smith, Cavan
29 Ciaran Thompson, Donegal
30 Niall Toner, Derry
31 Frank Burns, Tyrone
32 Mick Byrne, Antrim
33 Joe Finnegan, Antrim
34 Jason Irwin, Monaghan
35 Jason McLoughlin, Cavan
36 Fionan O’Brien, Fermanagh

Coach Education Event will take place at 10am on Saturday 30^th November in St Joseph's Boys High School Newry. This is the 15^th consecutive year of our this now nationally renowned event and this year is perceivably one of the best line-ups that there has been. The cost on the day is £20 and all proceeds go towards the development and growth of Gaelic Games within St Joseph's Boys High School Newry

The stellar line-up includes some of the smartest coaching brains in Ireland and a wealth of experience coaching at all levels of our game. 

Damian McErlain  (Derry Ulster & All Ireland Winning Minor Manager 2023/24) 

"Challenges Coaching Young Players" (Indoor)

James Horan (Former Mayo Senior Football Manager)

"Behaviours associated with a High Performance Environment" (Indoor)

Kieran McGeary (Tyrone Senior Footballer)

"Transitioning with Pace & Purpose" (Outdoor)

To book your place email stevepoacher@hotmail.com or 07779780919

We were saddened to learn of the death of Hugh Cahill. Hugh was a former officer of Down GAA and the father of our current County Treasurer Diarmuid. We all have good memories of him - a Monaghan man by birth, he came first to Newry where he won a Minor Football Championship medal with Newry Shamrocks. When he moved to live in Cranfield, having retired from the retail shoe business in Newry, he immersed himself in the work of club and county; with An Ríocht, the South Down Committee and the County Committee.

Having been elected to the South Down Committee initially, Hugh soon took on a number of roles at County Committee level, serving as County Registrar, County Safety Officer, Comhairle Programme Coordinator and then finally as County Development Officer. In each of the roles, Hugh made a huge contribution, and as a member of Coiste Bainistíochta, his knowledge of business and his wise counsel was a great asset.

As County Development Officer, Hugh had a meticulous approach to the role. He sought to protect the clubs and to see them develop within the ethos of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. He single handedly ensured that all club trustees were in order during his time in office, all done to ensure that club structures were compliant. Hugh might not have known it at the time, but his approach was what we now have come to know as good governance. He was conscious of audit and risk again before it became part of the GAA mantra.

Each summer, Hugh undertook the grounds inspections with his great friend Dan McCartan. This was a chance to see how our clubs were progressing with their facilities and to identify areas where Hugh, as County Development Officer, could help to make a difference for their members and their community. The visits were much more than that - the route of the journey around our 48 clubs was planned to perfection. It also had a social aspect, as Hugh and Dan were greeted in all clubs and got to spend time renewing old friendships and were treated to the best of home bakes in many places, with the promise always to return again next year. The Ground Inspections would sometimes extend into a second week, for as we know Hugh loved to chat, and time was never a worry for these two great men in this role.

Hugh had a great desire to nurture new talent for Down GAA and the Association as a whole. He saw the Comhairle Programme as an opportunity to attract and develop new administrators, and it is testimony to his good work that several of our senior officers are graduates of the Comhairle Programme where Hugh upskilled them as facilitators. He saw the benefits for our youth in involvement in the GAA. He had a great rapport with our youth and always maintained a genuine interest in how our young people were doing; always a word of encouragement or the sharing of a life experience, and all in the best interests of people young and old.

Hugh was also a trusted member of the Ulster Council Monday Club, where he would travel with Danny Murphy to assist with counting duties, before we had come to the era of cashless gates. Games of the weekend were discussed and the work was done. On the journey to and from, Hugh, Danny and their team would put to right the worlds of Down and Ulster GAA.

In all of his work, Hugh was supported by his wife Caitlin. They shared a wonderful life and they were very proud too of the achievements of Ciaran and Diarmuid. When Diarmuid joined Hugh on Coiste Bainistíochta, it was a proud moment and a rare thing to have a father and son at the top table in Down GAA. Hugh was a very happy man when the grandchildren came along. He was a huge part of their lives and he followed their progress in every aspect of their lives - and whether it be with St Johns or An Ríocht, he was delighted that they were participating in Gaelic Games.

We all could share a story or two of Hugh; he was a man who made a great contribution over many years to Down GAA. He had a love of our games, a great desire to help others, to see our clubs flourish and to see our young people be part of an Association that had been a huge part of his life, and from which he had obtained great enjoyment. Hugh Cahill might have been born in Monaghan, but he became one of our own. He was a Down man, a man who always gave of his best for the clubs of the county and who made a difference to many in his roles within Down GAA. For that we are most grateful.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

Congratulations to Caolan Taggart and Daithí Sands making the team for Ireland Hurling/Shinty Team.

The Hurling/Shinty International against Scotland will take place Saturday, October 26 at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare.

The team is being jointly managed by Terence ‘Sambo’ McNaughton (Antrim) and Michael Kavanagh (Kilkenny).

The game will be shown live on the official TG4 YouTube channel.

Hurling Shinty International - Ireland Senior Team:

Enda Rowland, Abbeyleix – Laois

Luca McCusker, Lisbellaw St. Patrick's - Fermanagh

Eoghan Cahill, Birr - Offaly

Caolan Taggart, Portaferry – Down

Eoin Cody, Ballyhale Shamrocks - Kilkenny

Ben Conneely, St Rynagh's - Offaly

Cian Darcy, Kilruane MacDonagh's - Longford

Cianan Fahy, Ardrahan - Galway

Martin Keoghan, Tullaroan - Kilkenny

Tomás Keyes, Camross - Laois

Dan Morrissey, Ahane - Limerick

Tom Morrissey, Ahane - Limerick

Killian Sampson, Shinrone - Offaly

Jason Sampson, Shinrone - Offaly

Daithí Sands, Portaferry - Down

James Toher, Trim - Meath

Gerard Walsh, O'Donovan Rossa - Antrim

Aidan McCarthy, Inagh-Kilnamona - Clare

Shane Meehan, Banner - Clare

Congratulations to our 5 players that have been named on the 2024 Tailteann Cup Team of the Year!

We have our Captain Pierce Laverty named in the number 2 poistion joined by Ryan McEvoy in full back. Also in the defense at left half back is Daniel Guinness. Odhran Murdock is named in midfield with Pat Havern named at number 15.

Congratulations to Pierce, Ryan, Daniel, Odhran and Pat!

Congratulations to Daithí Sands on his place on the 2024 Joe McDonagh Team of The Year!

This is Daithí's third time being named on the Joe McDonagh Cup Team of the Year, with the Portaferry Clubman having been named also in 2019 & 2022.

Daithí will make the trip to Dublin to accept his award on Friday 11th October.

Congratulations to Daithí on this remarkable achievement!

Be Better Hurling Programme

Saturday kicked off our U14 Be Better Hurling Programme in St Malachy's High School in Castlewellan and we were joined by Paul Sheehan, Danny Toner and Eoghan Sands.

60 young hurlers from the clubs of Down were put through their paces by some of our Down Senior Players along with members of the Senior Hurling Management.

This programme will continue over the next few weeks.