Ulster hopes

Ulster hopes

5 November 2025

DOWN champions Kilcoo will take the first step in their quest for Ulster glory when they travel to face Tyrone’s top side, Loughmacrory, in Omagh on Saturday.

The Magpies claimed a seventh consecutive county title when they beat Carryduff in this year’s final, taking their Frank O’Hare Cup tally to 23 and reigning supreme for the 13th time in 14 years.

While they have not enjoyed the same dominance on the provincial front, their two Ulster triumphs, from 2019 and 2021, still live fresh in the memory.

Under the guidance of then-manager Karl Lacey, they came to within one step of a third success last season, falling at the final hurdle with defeat to another Tyrone team, Errigal Ciarán, in the decider.

Kilcoo missed out by just a single point that day, losing 1-8 to 0-10 at the Box-It Athletic Grounds, Armagh, but they were always second best in truth. 

Chasing redemption, Martin Corey’s men face a different prospect this year, with Errigal notably absent from the competition, and they will certainly fancy their chances. 

That is because six of the other seven teams, Loughmacrory, Kingscourt Stars (Cavan), Erne Gaels (Fermanagh), Naomh Conaill (Donegal), Madden (Armagh) and Newbridge (Derry), have never tasted provincial success.

In fact, Loughmacrory and Madden have no previous Ulster experience, having qualified with their maiden county titles this year.

The Kings of Monaghan, Scotstown, are the other side that could view themselves as favourites, riding the wave of a 24th county triumph, their 10th in 13 years, and targeting a fifth Seamus McFerran Cup — silverware they last held all the way back in 1989.

Add Scotstown’s 36-year wait to the fact that Kilcoo beat them by a landslide in last season’s semi-finals, landing a gargantuan haul of 5-11, and it would be fair to say the Magpies have the edge.

However, before they worry about who could be their biggest threat, Corey’s side will first have to navigate their way past the new Tyrone champs. 

Although Kilcoo could look to the Lough as the first victims on their road to the Ulster throne, nothing is guaranteed in the realms of knockout football.

After all, you do not win a county championship with grit, determination and an element of luck — something Down’s premier side knows all too well.

Many expected them to cruise through the competition, but they were close to getting caught on a few snags along the way, narrowly escaping upsets against both Loughinisland and Clonduff — something they will be keen to avoid on the provincial stage.

Instead, they will hope to emulate their performance against Carryduff in the final, where they looked back to their usual selves and won by a healthy margin of six points.

Kilcoo will embark upon their Ulster Senior Championship campaign at Healy Park, Omagh, at 7.15pm this Saturday.