Antrim Hurling

[SaffronSports]

There's a lot of amalgamations throughout Antrim nowadays so I'm sure there will be more amalgamations representing us in this over the years.

I think u12 - u16 you maybe only have Glenarm, Loughgiel, Dunloy, Naomh Eanna, Ballycastle that aren't an amalgamation outside the city. I know there's a load of amalgamations within Belfast but there's probably a few clubs that stand alone there.

[imtommygunn]

North Antrim has had quite a few amalgamations over the years. St Brendan's was it? Glenshesk were one at a point. Pretty sure there was an omerbane at a stage.

Armoy, cushendun , cloughmills struggle all the time for underage numbers but then at times glenravel and glenarm would too. You would see ones from these clubs play for some of the bigger ones though.

[SaffronSports]

North Antrim has had quite a few amalgamations over the years. St Brendan's was it? Glenshesk were one at a point. Pretty sure there was an omerbane at a stage.

Armoy, cushendun , cloughmills struggle all the time for underage numbers but then at times glenravel and glenarm would too. You would see ones from these clubs play for some of the bigger ones though.

Armoy, Cushendun, Cloughmills and I think Carey are all currently part of the Naomh Padraig amalgamation.

Glenravel are with Glenariffe at certain age groups. Glenarm are doing okay on their own for now from u16 down but ultimately a lot of small communities aren't growing and numbers in local schools are mainly down so it's always going to be a challenge.

[imtommygunn]

Yeah it's just the nature of rural communities really. Forgot about Naomh padraig.

Still waiting for the dervock, portrush, ballymoney combination 

(Ballymoney did have football at one point mind you).

[SaffronSports]

Yeah it's just the nature of rural communities really. Forgot about Naomh padraig.

Still waiting for the dervock, portrush, ballymoney combination 

(Ballymoney did have football at one point mind you).

TBF my mate lives up that road and his kids go to Coleraine. 🙈

[LC]

Yeah it's just the nature of rural communities really. Forgot about Naomh padraig.

Still waiting for the dervock, portrush, ballymoney combination 

(Ballymoney did have football at one point mind you).

Maybe get a team gathered up in Portballintrae / Bushmills / Mossside....already have an idea of the colour of their jersey and crest.

[Saffron71]

North Antrim has had quite a few amalgamations over the years. St Brendan's was it? Glenshesk were one at a point. Pretty sure there was an omerbane at a stage.

Armoy, cushendun , cloughmills struggle all the time for underage numbers but then at times glenravel and glenarm would too. You would see ones from these clubs play for some of the bigger ones though.

A number of these clubs are really gonna struggle in the coming years.  Both primary schools in Carey and Cloughmills have been shut down in recent years.  Very hard to see where any club gets their numbers from if they have no primary school aligned with them.

[imtommygunn]

Where do kids go to primary school? Do they just have to go to ballycastle and loughgiel / Dunloy?

[marty34]

Would Ballymoney not have a good few nationalists around the place?

There's bound to be a few primary schools in the immediate area as there is/was a secondary school in Ballymoney.

What club do the lads in the town play for?

[marty34]

North Antrim has had quite a few amalgamations over the years. St Brendan's was it? Glenshesk were one at a point. Pretty sure there was an omerbane at a stage.

Armoy, cushendun , cloughmills struggle all the time for underage numbers but then at times glenravel and glenarm would too. You would see ones from these clubs play for some of the bigger ones though.

A number of these clubs are really gonna struggle in the coming years.  Both primary schools in Carey and Cloughmills have been shut down in recent years.  Very hard to see where any club gets their numbers from if they have no primary school aligned with them.

I'd say that clubs will have to merge at senior level if they want to keep going.

That's the way it's going with wee rural clubs down the country.

Clubs mightn't like it but it's the only way to go to keep going.  Plus they'll be stronger and develop quicker.

[Saffron71]

Where do kids go to primary school? Do they just have to go to ballycastle and loughgiel / Dunloy?

Yea the Carey kids go to one of the three Ballycastle schools.  They seem to have a bit of a community link with the Integrated school.  The Cloughmills kids would go to either Dunloy, Loughgeil or Corkey so I suppose it's much harder for them to develop a community link in those schools as they're already aligned with Dunloy or Loughgeil.  Numbers in Armoy and Cushendun primary schools still seem to be strong enough for their size.

[Milltown Row2]

Obviously at senior level it's only permitted for single clubs to partake in Ulster competitions rather than clubs at minor level being an amalgamation/combined

[SaffronSports]

I wouldn't think it should be as big an issue at senior level as you can have lads at 18 and 40 playing together so there's likely to be the numbers to field. Juvenile is very different where you need 15+ at a much closer age range to field and not all these small communities have that now.

Even things like the boy/girl split can be a factor. I know in a local primary school there's a heavy split in favour of boys in the top half of the school but down the school the ratio is better for the girls.

[johnnycool]

Glenariffe/Glenravel got past Bredagh today to set up an Ulster final with Lavey on Tuesday.

Lads played well enough first half but weren't at their best in the second but kept their noses ahead to win by 2 in the end.

Bredagh will or should be gutted by this loss.

That's three years this group of very talented lads have failed to get over the line in this competition.

Hopefully for the betterment of Down hurling they stick at it and row in with the U20's.

[SaffronSports]

Glenariffe/Glenravel got past Bredagh today to set up an Ulster final with Lavey on Tuesday.

Lads played well enough first half but weren't at their best in the second but kept their noses ahead to win by 2 in the end.

Bredagh will or should be gutted by this loss.

That's three years this group of very talented lads have failed to get over the line in this competition.

Hopefully for the betterment of Down hurling they stick at it and row in with the U20's.

Tbh it always looked like Glenariffe had enough. Anytime Bredagh got within touching distance, they put together a run of scores to take it away from them.