Sligo hurling folk want this progressive era to continue THE RISE OF SLIGO HURLING
County begins its AHL Division 3A campaign with a home game against Armagh
THERE are mainstream hurling counties who would salivate at the notion of winning back-to-back championships and a league title in consecutive seasons.
But we’re talking about Sligo, one of hurling’s outliers, a county that identifies itself as a Gaelic football stronghold.
For many, Sligo can be summed up as being about Rovers, Gaelic football, Yeats, Westlife and surfing. Hurling doesn’t get mentioned. Of course, Sligo is now the county of Olympians Mona McSharry and Chris O’Donnell as well as Dr Mike Ryan of the World Health Organisation. But Sligo’s hurling folk are undeterred. Spotlight or not, they are steadfast in their ambitions.
As a result of winning last year’s Allianz Hurling League Division 3B title, Sligo’s Senior hurlers have moved up a grade – Division 3A – and they’ve also another go at the Christy Ring Cup, having earned this status after claiming both the Lory Meagher Cup and the Nicky Rackard Cup. If Sligo saw Division 3B as competitive, Division 3A will demand even greater things of manager Padraig Mannion’s squad.
Sligo host Armagh this coming Saturday at Markievicz Park Armagh, of course, were Sligo’s opponents in the 2019 Nicky Rackard Cup final – a game Sligo won by a point.
A week after the Armagh tie, Sligo have Longford at home followed by away fixtures against Tyrone and Monaghan. Last Sunday Sligo had a bye in the first round. Armagh won 2-21 to 0-16 at home to Longford, with Tyrone beating Monaghan, 1-25 to 2-13, in Omagh.
These teams will be physically imposing. They will relish dogfights and battles at close quarters. In order to impose their brand of pacy hurling, Sligo must move the ball quickly and open up the pitch by switching play.
There is less time on the ball. The first touch has to be sharper, the decision making better and the shot accuracy closer to perfect. Although all this presents a substantial challenge, Mannion sees no reason why Sligo can’t target promotion. “We are looking to be playing Division Two hurling next year – hopefully things go to plan and that is the way it works out.”
The Ballygar native, who previously managed a Galway U-17 hurling team as well as Athleague in Roscommon, is relishing the new season.
Yes, the pre-season was shorter, yes the world as we know it has been changed utterly by Covid-19. For weeks, Sligo hurlers had to train individually at home. The manager was pleased to note that the players following the training programmes religiously. “I never thought I’d miss the road to Sligo – but it is nice to be back on it. All the players are mad for the season to start, mad to learn and mad to play, that is a manager’s dream to be honest.” “These lads are hungry, they want to keep going and keep improving,” he added. The squad already got a taste of disruption in 2020. Over seven months separated their fifth round Division 3B game (a win over Cavan) and the Division 3B final (a defeat of Leitrim). There was a managerial change, too, with Mannion
SLIGO hurling teams have featured in five national finals in the last four years, 2017-20, winning four of them. Two of these All-Ireland victories have taken place at Dublin’s Croke Park.
l2017: ANDREW O’NEILL CUP
SLIGO’S U-21 hurlers contest the Andrew O’Neill Cup final at Markievicz Park but miss out on a
GAA Hurling All-Ireland U-21 ‘C’ Championship title when losing by five points to sharper Donegal, 1-14 to 0-12. Sligo, managed by Declan Loughnane, undermine their title shot with 17 wides – 10 of these in the first-half. Kevins Banks is Sligo’s standout performer, with Joe McHugh shooting 0-5.
2018: LORY MEAGHER CUP
SLIGO win GAA Hurling’s fifth tier All-Ireland Senior Championship for the first time with a onepoint defeat of Lancashire, 4-15 to 2-26, at Croke Park. Full-forward Kevin Gilmartin bags a hattrick for the Keith Raymond-captained winners – Gilmartin’s third goal in added time seals a dramatic win. Sligo were also Lory Meagher Cup runners-up in 2015 and 2016, losing to Fermanagh and Louth respectively.
2018: MICHAEL FEERY CUP
SLIGO’S U-17 hurlers take the spoils in the Michael Feery Cup decider – the GAA Hurling Celtic Challenge Division Five final – with a seven-point defeat of Donegal, 3-12 to 2-8, at Tullamore’s O’Connor Park. Captained by Easkey’s Niall Kilcullen, free-taker Thomas Cawley bags 0-7. Sligo’s goalscorers in Offaly are Jim Davis, Fionn Connolly and Fergal O’Kelly-Lynch. Sligo are 3-4 to 1-5 ahead at half-time.
2019: NICKY RACKARD CUP
TWELVE months after their Lory Meagher Cup triumph, Sligo capture the Nicky Rackard Cup – the fourth tier trophy – at Croker. They overcome Armagh in a close encounter at Croker, 2-14 to 2-13, with matters settled by 1-1 in stoppage time. Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch landed a close-range goal and substitute Kieran Prior landed the winning point. Sligo were previously Nicky Rackard Cup champions in 2008.
2020: NHL DIVISION 3B
A CAMPAIGN interrupted by Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns has a silverware ending as Sligo win the Allianz Hurling League Division 3B final at Connacht GAA’s COE. Naomh Eoin ace Gerard O’Kelly-Lynch is Sligo’s star – he scores 3-4 as a late recovery from Sligo gets them over the line against gritty Leitrim. Despite notching 19 wides, Sligo win 3-17 to 2-16.
llllSLIGO’S AHL DIVISION 3A FIXTURES
Saturday, May 22 (Markievicz Park, 3pm)
ROUND TWO: Sligo v Armagh (Markievicz Saturday, June 12
Park, 2pm) ROUND FOUR: Tyrone v Sligo (Healy Park 2pm) Saturday, May 29 Saturday, June 19
ROUND THREE: Sligo v Longford ROUND FIVE: Monaghan v Sligo (Grattan Park, 2pm)
appointed prior to the Leitrim showdown. He set the bar high by winning a title in his
first competitive fixture in charge but he credits the work of the previous manager, Monaghan man Daithí Hand, for having the team in the right place to seize the day.
For this campaign, veteran Mark Burke has stepped down from the panel, but the bulk of last year’s squad is on board again. Injury is also keeping Kevin Gilmartin sidelined and it is likely he could miss all of the Division 3A schedule. A number of promising teenagers have been added to the group, including Fionn Moylan and Thomas Cawley, who helped Easkey win the 2020 Sligo Senior Hurling Championship.
Niall Feehily again captains the team and Finnian Cawley is vice-captain.