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84 Lavey beat Glenullin in Kilrea
87 glen beat screen
88 Swatragh won it, possibly beat Dungiven in final

That 84 result is actually the 1983 championship which was played on New Years day 1984 due to success of derry minors in 1983. Think result was 0-6 to 0-5 to Lavey, to stop Glenullin doing 3 in a row.

Ironically 10 years later, the 1993 senior championship was played on New Years day 1994 due to the success of Derry Seniosr in 1993. Again Lavey won this, beating Swatragh on a snow covered pitch in Glenullin.

Was it not boxing day that game was played ?  I rmember being at it on a Baltic day in Glenullin but am positive it was on Dec the 26th ?

Could be right, was Baltic i remember that anyway

84 Lavey beat Glenullin in Kilrea
87 glen beat screen
88 Swatragh won it, possibly beat Dungiven in final

That 84 result is actually the 1983 championship which was played on New Years day 1984 due to success of derry minors in 1983. Think result was 0-6 to 0-5 to Lavey, to stop Glenullin doing 3 in a row.

Ironically 10 years later, the 1993 senior championship was played on New Years day 1994 due to the success of Derry Seniosr in 1993. Again Lavey won this, beating Swatragh on a snow covered pitch in Glenullin.

Clubs strung along again and people wonder why there is such apathy around the Clubs towards the County setup.  The only way to turn things around was to give clubs a say but it has actually now alienated them more.  I don't expect anything less from a County board who goes down to congress and votes against motions opposite to the way clubs have instructed them to do.

Rory Gallagher - He will really get the fans flocking to watch his brand of football.

First part of what you say, I agree to a certain extent. However, some clubs would never be happy with the county setup no matter what so it's not as black and white as you say, IMO.

As for Gallagher, what ever you think of his "brand" of football, of the potentials listed, he has the most experience and been involved with an AI winning team.
I think it's funny that we get people trying to pick and choose the type of football we will play, for me the players you have and the type of football they are used to playing will dictate the type of football you play. If you don't have the attacking talent, you must make yourself hard to beat by playing defensively and countering.

How many club teams in Derry play an all out attack minded free flowing brand of football? And how many play defensively?
There's not many managers in Derry who don't play a defensive brand of football so I can't understand the comments deriding the brand of football Gallagher would bring. It would just be an extension of the club scene, IMO.

I take on board what you are saying about the forwards but i disagree.  You just have to go and look at the club football and you will see the high scoring games week in week out.  Very rare you see a team scoring under 10pts.

I also think we have the attacking talent in the county - already there such as Cassidy and ones coming through in the next year or two.  I honestly believe when they have went to the county they have had no proper coaching/instruction on how to complement each other.  Our county forwards have played like 6 individuals and that has happened for at least 5 years.  That will never work at county level. 

Clubs strung along again and people wonder why there is such apathy around the Clubs towards the County setup.  The only way to turn things around was to give clubs a say but it has actually now alienated them more.  I don't expect anything less from a County board who goes down to congress and votes against motions opposite to the way clubs have instructed them to do.

Rory Gallagher - He will really get the fans flocking to watch his brand of football.

People are talking like there were no games during the league break. From what I can see Dungiven seemed to play nearly week during this period. Sure it's not as high a level as senior league but it's still football every week.

I preferred the 16 team league too but was that not removed because some clubs didn't want to play games without co. men

Them games were a joke.  Was a torture for the few even watching them, doubt it was much better for ones playing in them.

Until there is an agreed country wide schedule/plan, nothing will work.  Ironically though, the man who set up this farce in Derry, is now part of this country wide planning committee.

[Unfortunately there is no evidence the current County Board, with all the same faces that have been there for years, are able to convince some of the top managers to takeover at Derry. So, in the end, a mediocre set up gets a mediocre manager.]

In fairness to Donnelly this is just a speculative story, with no direct quotes or sources. He can't be held responsible for this type of lazy journalism. If you read the article again, it could easily have been written by one man sitting in his kitchen under pressure to come up with something to fill part of the back page. Though Mountain Gael makes an important point - those appointing the next Derry manager need to show some ambition. The County is desperately in need of some inspiration. Unfortunately there is no evidence the current County Board, with all the same faces that have been there for years, are able to convince some of the top managers to takeover at Derry. So, in the end, a mediocre set up gets a mediocre manager.

Unfortunately it is the clubs that vote in these faces.

There are a lot of very good people on the County Board who are giving many voluntary hours and its hardly fair to lambast them like this.  The Clubs are not nominating people because the Clubs don't want  to loose their most dedicated people.... in general all over Ireland there is a shortage of volunteers.  This year has saw a few changes ( people that haven't been there for years at all ......and you have the audacity to write about lazy journalism !!!!! )

Clubs do nominate people. Other people were nominated last year and probably will be next year but I don't imagine much will change. 2 new names last year, one enforced from the 5 year rule for a new secretary and one for the reintroduced assistant secretary role although I stand corrected.
As it is the clubs, from their own club and committee instruction that vote at convention there should be no reason for anyone to complain once they are voted in.

What happens if a county delegate goes to congress and votes against the way clubs have instructed him to?

In fairness to Donnelly this is just a speculative story, with no direct quotes or sources. He can't be held responsible for this type of lazy journalism. If you read the article again, it could easily have been written by one man sitting in his kitchen under pressure to come up with something to fill part of the back page. Though Mountain Gael makes an important point - those appointing the next Derry manager need to show some ambition. The County is desperately in need of some inspiration. Unfortunately there is no evidence the current County Board, with all the same faces that have been there for years, are able to convince some of the top managers to takeover at Derry. So, in the end, a mediocre set up gets a mediocre manager.

To show ambition you need money.  The county board has neither.  It will be a good club manager who wont cost a fortune and wont demand a backroom team where you need to hire an extra bus to transport to matches.

[Derry treasurer resigns amid financial worries for Oak Leaf board]

Derry treasurer resigns amid financial worries for Oak Leaf board


DERRY county board treasurer Michael Hasson has resigned amid the county reportedly suffering from financial difficulties.

The Banagher clubman, who had served a previous five-year stint in the role, stood down at the weekend.

He had stepped in when he was approached after the failure to appoint a treasurer at the 2018 convention.

Hasson took over after the role's previous incumbent, Liam Peoples, declined to run for the position again after two years in the job. Previous incumbent, Pat Brennan, had also cut short his term.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Hasson, Peoples or Brennan. All had struggled to arrest the growing spending demands, and several sources have described the role as "impossible".


It's understood that Hasson's decision to resign was partly due to work commitments.

A meeting had been arranged in recent weeks between county board officials and officers in Croke Park to discuss the situation, but that meeting was cancelled. The reason for the cancellation is unclear.

The Irish News understands that the Oak Leaf county board has suffered from repeated cash flow issues during the summer over a period of several years.

It's believed that there have been recent issues over payments of players' expenses, although all payments are now up-to-date.




The bill for the county teams is believed to be on course to hit £600,000 for this year, up from £484,000 in 2018.

While the county board's accounts from 2018 showed a surplus of £78,695, the net cash inflow showed a drop of just over £164,000 between 2017 and 2018.

The county's net cash flow decreased by £93,590 in 2018, leaving their cash reserves at just £3,659 - down from £97,249 the previous year.

Several members last year left a finance committee that had been in place for almost a decade to offer advice and assistance to the county board.

Current outgoings are believed to be in the region of £65,000 to £70,000 per month, of which a portion is contributed directly by the county's fundraising wing, Club Derry, to service the outstanding bank debt for the development of Owenbeg, which is in line to be completely paid off in 2020.

The county runs from the point of its National League dividend being paid, usually in May, until the start of the club championships in September largely off its reserves, with no meaningful income during that period.

Derry's dividend from Division Four of the football league and 2B of the hurling series are expected to be smaller again this year than the 2018 figure of £45,152 paid by Croke Park.

That issue has been exacerbated in recent years by the county's return to a straight knockout club championship.

That has in part led to cash flow problems, with further issues this year.

In response to a series of questions, including whether there are any plans to levy clubs, a spokesperson for Derry GAA said: "Any assertion that Derry GAA is in financial difficulties is simply untrue.

"Our accounts are published annually and tabled at the AGM with all transactions detailed.

"Our treasurer stepped down for personal reasons. Any attempt to portray that there is a wider issue is inaccurate and uninformed."

Up 116k in one year to run county teams.  How that happen?

There's the football over for 11 weeks now - pure crap

A great win for the Quigan yesterday.i don't want to talk us up again but we're cruising along nicely. Glen have started well.  Bellaghy getting closer to the drop.

Yea very happy with the win after sub standard performances v the bridge and forgelen. Division 1b very tight, most games within a few points and everyone beating everyone else, good viewing! Senior division games likewise. How many points to stay up do yous think?

7pts definitely keep you up in seniors anyway

that's correct. I am talking about the clubs contributing those players at the same time, not in isolation. Thought that was obvious.

Don't quite get you're logic.

We need the best players from the top teams to have a good county team Eg Slaughtneil Coleraine Lavey Glen Magherafelt etc. At the minute we have a right few from these clubs bar Coleraine.

Why do we need players from Glenullin? Nothing against Glenullin but if naming them then why not name the likes of Greenlough/Newbridge and other div 1B clubs.

Need players from Dungiven.  Good Derry teams always had 2 or 3 starters from there in the past.  Dont honestly know what has happened them in the past 10 or so years.  They have good young players starting to come through now to their seniors.  Maybe things will change.

what a load of shite this is! why should it matter how many dungiven men are on the panel because of years gone by. Derry need their best players available whether its 10 players from slaughtneil or 3 players from ardmore. if we are picking players from dungiven  or any other club because of years gone by we may just live in the 90s and re watch games on VCR.

You obviously don't get the point and im not going to educate you with a post like that.

Could you educate me instead please?

Dungiven down through the years always had 2-3 top quality players in a Derry team .  That conveyor belt stopped for some reason.  For Derry to get back to being a force we need Big clubs like Dungiven to start producing them caliber of players again.  As i said they have some good young players coming into the senior team so that may be starting to change.

that's correct. I am talking about the clubs contributing those players at the same time, not in isolation. Thought that was obvious.

Don't quite get you're logic.

We need the best players from the top teams to have a good county team Eg Slaughtneil Coleraine Lavey Glen Magherafelt etc. At the minute we have a right few from these clubs bar Coleraine.

Why do we need players from Glenullin? Nothing against Glenullin but if naming them then why not name the likes of Greenlough/Newbridge and other div 1B clubs.

Need players from Dungiven.  Good Derry teams always had 2 or 3 starters from there in the past.  Dont honestly know what has happened them in the past 10 or so years.  They have good young players starting to come through now to their seniors.  Maybe things will change.

what a load of shite this is! why should it matter how many dungiven men are on the panel because of years gone by. Derry need their best players available whether its 10 players from slaughtneil or 3 players from ardmore. if we are picking players from dungiven  or any other club because of years gone by we may just live in the 90s and re watch games on VCR.

You obviously don't get the point and im not going to educate you with a post like that.

that's correct. I am talking about the clubs contributing those players at the same time, not in isolation. Thought that was obvious.

Don't quite get you're logic.

We need the best players from the top teams to have a good county team Eg Slaughtneil Coleraine Lavey Glen Magherafelt etc. At the minute we have a right few from these clubs bar Coleraine.

Why do we need players from Glenullin? Nothing against Glenullin but if naming them then why not name the likes of Greenlough/Newbridge and other div 1B clubs.

Need players from Dungiven.  Good Derry teams always had 2 or 3 starters from there in the past.  Dont honestly know what has happened them in the past 10 or so years.  They have good young players starting to come through now to their seniors.  Maybe things will change.

Mickey Moran appointed Kilcoo manager with Conlieth Gilligan as trainer. Is there a Paul Devlin involved too? Where's he from?

😳 uncle Phil - is Devlin not from Screen?

A 'Screenite indeed. Did Glen not approach Micky Moran to replace Enda Gormley? Micky would need a full time accountant at this rate

Apparently he was asked to take his own club and declined. Also a few Sneil ones I was talking to this morning not to impressed, considering the behaviour of Kilcoo towards Sneil in those Ulster championship games.

Id find it hard to believe his own club asked him.  Never know though, when the thought of winning a Championship is on the mind.

Wins for both Coleraine and Banagher in Ulster. Good to see. Best of luck to Limavady later today too.

Big win for "na cúnna"! Congrats.

Power seems to be in North Derry. All the noise seems to come from the usual suspects in south Derry. All that coaching paying off. Great to see.

Certainly is. South Derry 13  - 3 North Derry - Last years top League

Sorry to hear that Derry have just lost that least three, if not four, of their leading players for the 2019 County season. Apparently, on average, almost all of the counties, except the top four or five, lost at least eight of their match day squads last year.

However in Derry's case it was much worse than that as in addition to a variety of player based decisions Management magnified the problem by not picking at least four players who should have been certainties on the panel and then prevented  two others from playing in the whole league programme when they heard that these two players would be travelling during the summer.

The commitment for modern day players is just too much when there is little hope of any success.This all leads to an urgent need for the introduction of a proper tiered,properly marketed championship structure where all counties can have a more realistic chance of some meaningful silverware.

Hopefully management will see the error of their ways last year and ensure that all of the remaining best players in the County are picked and available for all competitive matches in 2019.

Some good points.  Though i would go back to straight knockout. 
The Backdoor only suits the bigger counties, in that they can take the risk of putting mammoth efforts in every year and dont really run the risk of being knocked out over two games.  In a 1 off game everyone has a fighting chance. Few big scalps every year, big teams might rethink their approach and players their own buy in.  I know this will never happen mind, given the money the GAA pocket.