Antrim Hurling

[SeanSouth]

What's the likelihood of the ACHL going to a top 8 league next year?

I have heard the bottom 3 are going down, Sarsfields, Lamh Dhearg and Ballycran/Rossa? I have also heard that only Sarsfields are down, as usual it is all shrouded in mystery and nobody seems to know.

[johnneycool]

What's the likelihood of the ACHL going to a top 8 league next year?

I have heard the bottom 3 are going down, Sarsfields, Lamh Dhearg and Ballycran/Rossa? I have also heard that only Sarsfields are down, as usual it is all shrouded in mystery and nobody seems to know.

Rossa are two points behind Ballycran and both have all their games played according to the Antrim web site, so that'd mean Rossa going down. I really can't see that happening.

[SeanSouth]

What's the likelihood of the ACHL going to a top 8 league next year?

I have heard the bottom 3 are going down, Sarsfields, Lamh Dhearg and Ballycran/Rossa? I have also heard that only Sarsfields are down, as usual it is all shrouded in mystery and nobody seems to know.

Rossa are two points behind Ballycran and both have all their games played according to the Antrim web site, so that'd mean Rossa going down. I really can't see that happening.

There is more chance of hell freezing over than Rossa being relegated, even though the results dont lie.

[Glensman]

Meant to be a slick enough production

NORTH ANTRIM LAUNCHES THE "COACHING THE GOALKEEPER" DVD IN THE LEIGHMHOR HOUSE ON FRI 7TH @2PM. 29 November 2007 A DVD produced by the North Antrim Coaching and Development Committee to be used as a coaching aid for goalkeepers from underage to senior level. It is introduced by Shane Elliott and features Shamrocks keeper DD Quinn, Ruairi Ogs Goalie Ronan Kearney, and Ballygalget and Down number one Graham Clarke. The dvd is a very high quality production, shot in Casement Park over the summer, it will give coaches 25 different drills to pick and choose from to put together a session which can also be used for outfield players. It is accepted now in coaching circles that their is a need for specialised goalkeeping drills, this dvd gives club coaches access to this type of specialised information that was not previously available.

[SeanSouth]

Meant to be a slick enough production

NORTH ANTRIM LAUNCHES THE "COACHING THE GOALKEEPER" DVD IN THE LEIGHMHOR HOUSE ON FRI 7TH @2PM. 29 November 2007 A DVD produced by the North Antrim Coaching and Development Committee to be used as a coaching aid for goalkeepers from underage to senior level. It is introduced by Shane Elliott and features Shamrocks keeper DD Quinn, Ruairi Ogs Goalie Ronan Kearney, and Ballygalget and Down number one Graham Clarke. The dvd is a very high quality production, shot in Casement Park over the summer, it will give coaches 25 different drills to pick and choose from to put together a session which can also be used for outfield players. It is accepted now in coaching circles that their is a need for specialised goalkeeping drills, this dvd gives club coaches access to this type of specialised information that was not previously available.

Should we charge you for that plug?

[Glensman]

All money goes to the development of Antrim Hurling!

A bit gutted that Big Niall wasn't asked back to do a sector on it. Haven't seen it but it would have made me buy it for sure.

[NAG]

Thats a great idea and should be a useful coaching aid for coaches across the county.

Well done to all involved.

[podge]

What's the likelihood of the ACHL going to a top 8 league next year?

I have heard the bottom 3 are going down, Sarsfields, Lamh Dhearg and Ballycran/Rossa? I have also heard that only Sarsfields are down, as usual it is all shrouded in mystery and nobody seems to know.

No-one knows because it hasn;t been decided and in fact no proposals have been made yet.  How can you expect proposals to be finalised when until sunday we didn;t even know what clubs finished in the relegation zones in some leagues.  Clubs, CCC etc need a chance to see who  who they can really shaft or need to provide a life-line to before they agree changes.  Just because the likes of Cloughmills slogged their guts out all year to go through Div 3 unbeaten and win it doesn;t mean they will be promoted next year,they might still find themselves in Div 3.

There were a number of motions around leagues and championship at the convention on sunday but they were all deferred until the first county meeting next year to allow the CCC to present their thoughts.  There was discussion around a proposal to make league changes effective 1 year down the line but it didn't get much support at all...

[Glensman]

I agree with podge. Constant chopping an changing of the leagues devalue them.

Glenarm deserve the chance to pit themselves against the best in the county. Similarly Cloughmills deserve a go at Div 2.
Whoever gets relegated from Div 1 deserves it and though great to see Armoy winning the Junior Championship and going on to the All Ireland series they did not win 1 game in Div 2 and as such deserve to be in Div 3.

The arguments are there for cutting a few from Div 1 and then moving down the leagues to form 4 divisions but constantly tinkering with the leagues will not work.

Going up from Div 3 - there maybe was a slight gap between Cloughmills/St Agnes'/ St Theresa's/ Ballymena and the rest but the likes of Larne need to be playing those teams week in week out to improve. Likewise the bottom of Division 1 need to be given the opportunity to play the big guns.

[slow corner back]

Glensman, Armoy wont be going down as McDermotts failed to field for most of the season and will be going down in our place, if the leagues stay as they currently are. If Div 1 goes to 8 teams it is all up in the air. Personally I liked 8 teams in each league which we had about 10 years ago however I think it should be brought forward as a proposal for season 2009 and let everyone fight for the league positions this year.

[SeanSouth]

Will the outstanding fixtures in Division 1 be fulfilled, a few teams still have one more game to play. If they did go to an 8 team Division 1 they would have to be all played to finalise standings.

[Baile an tuaigh]

just came across this interesting piece while browsing the internet. The song gives a referance to Hurling so I thought some of you might enjoy it

The Song Airde Cuan
The song Airde Cuan (sometimes also given as "Árd Tí Cuan" or "Ardí Cuain") is regarded as one of the finest songs in Irish Gaelic. It is an emigrant song about a place near Cushendun, on the North side of Glendun. On this map it lies between Bunavoher and Clady Bridge on the Glendun Road. The song was made by John McCambridge (Seán Mac Ambróis) a native of Mullarts between Cushendun and Cushendall (at the bottom of the map). Recent research has shown that he belonged to a failrly affluent Presbyterian family and ended up working first in tanning leather at Broughshane and later in the timber import business in Larne. He married into the wealthy Dixon family, who house at Dunmurry, Belfast is now part of a public park (Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park). John had a passionate interest in the Irish Language which was spoken by most of the natives in the Glens in the mid-19th Century when he composed this. He writes from the perspective of a Glensman who has moved over to Ayrshire, Scotland, from where he can still see the hills of Antrim, and he longs for his home in Glendun, in Airde Cuan.

Áirde Cuain

Dá mbeinn féin in Airde Cuain,
in aice an tsléibhe úd atá i bhfad uaim
B'annamh liom gan dul ar cuairt
go Gleann na gCuach de Domhnaigh

Cúrfa:
Agus och, och, Éire uilig is ó,
Éire lionn dubh agus ó
Is é mo chroí atá trom is bronach.


Is iomaí Nollaig a bhí mé féin
i mBun Abhann Doinne is mé gan chéill
ag iomáint ar an Trá Bhán
is mo chamán bán i mo dhorn liom

Cúrfa

Nach tuirseach mise anseo liom féin
nach n-airím guth coiligh, londubh nó traon,
gealbhán, smólach, naoscach féin
is chan aithním féin an Domhnach.

Cúrfa

Is é seo an choraíocht atá buan
is ar an tsaol seo go gcuirfeadh sé cluain
Mheallfadh sé an chaora ón uan
agus mheall sé uaimse an óige.

Cúrfa

Muna mbeadh agam féin ach coite is rámh
le go n-iomróinn ar an tsnámh
ag dúil le Dia go sroichfinn slán
is go bhfaighinnse bás in Éirinn.

Cúrfa
  I wish I was in Airde Cuan,
Beside yon mountain that is so far from me
I would love to go on a vist to
to the Cuckoo Glen (Glendun) on Sunday

Chorus:
And och, och, all Ireland, ó
Ireland, sadness and ó
My heart is heavy and sad.


Many's a Christmas I myself was
In Cushendun without a care
Playing hurling on the white beach
My white hurley stick in my hand.

Chorus

Aren't I weary here alone by myself?
Where I don't hear cry of c**k, blackbird or corncrake,
Sparrow, thrush or even the snipe,
And I can't tell which day is Sunday.

Chorus

This is an endless struggle,
And it makes life an illusion.
It separates the sheep from the lambs
and it separates me from my youth.

Chorus

If I only had a boat and an oar
to row over the waves
hoping to God to arrive safely
And so to die in Ireland.

Chorus


The English is a rough translation of the Irish. Someone may come up with a more poetic translation....if so I will be happy to post it instead. You can hear Caitlin McElheran of Cushendund singing this song in rhe original Irish by clicking HERE.

This page last modified 5 January 2005 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/sean_quinn/music/airdcuan.mp3

[podge]

Glensman, Armoy wont be going down as McDermotts failed to field for most of the season and will be going down in our place, if the leagues stay as they currently are. If Div 1 goes to 8 teams it is all up in the air. Personally I liked 8 teams in each league which we had about 10 years ago however I think it should be brought forward as a proposal for season 2009 and let everyone fight for the league positions this year.

I admire your optomism slow.  I stated on here before that, in the circumstances i.e mc dermotts withdrawing, that armoy should be allowed to stay in div 2.   all things being equal, no team in Div 3 will be unduly punished.

But whats to stop the CCC/any club proposing say a 10 team div 1 and 10 in div 2.  or 8 team div 1 and 8 team div 2. surely something like that could put armoy down?

and  (nothing personal against glen rovers) but even worse than armoy going down in either of those scenarios  is that c'mills could be denied the chance to go up.

I have no idea what will happen and thats what 'grinds my gears'.   the hurling leagues are over weeks ago and we still don;t know who's up, who';s down etc. we should have stuck to the rules as laid out at the start of the year. i am not against change but it should be considered at the correct time.

the CCC could dream anything up.  and to add to the insult, it will voted on by the clubs, 25% of whom are probably football only clubs who have little care for or knowledge of hurling so are probably going to push anything through. 

and we heard on sunday how antrim senior hurlers were shafted when the new liam mc carthy rules were passed, partly because the 20 counties who were unaffected by it had a say in it and didn;t care either way..

...pot and kettle me thinks...


p.s slow, are you's still training away?

[slow corner back]

still training podge, mainly indoor stuff weights etc, we play again in January. If they change the league structures then everything is up in the air and we will have to play where we are put as will everyone else. If they have eight teams league we will be in Div3 but alongside rasharkin, ahoghill, Tir Na Og, cloughmills etc which would be an OK league for us. As I said i dont mind an eight team league but I think it should be brought in for 2009 and everyone plays for places in 2008.

[SeanSouth]

There was a post on the official Antrim site regarding the makeup of 2008 leagues,as usual you get the "nothing to do with us" non answer. I sometimes wonder what purpose that guestbook serves.