Armagh GAA

For more details of Armagh GAA see Armagh Senior Football Championship or Armagh Senior Hurling Championship

Armagh GAA

Irish:	Ard Mhacha
Province:	Ulster
Nickname(s):	The Orchard County
County colours:	Orange and White
Ground(s):	Athletic Grounds, Armagh
Dominant sport:	Gaelic football
Competitions
NFL:	Division 1
NHL:	Division 3A
Football Championship:	Sam Maguire Cup
Hurling Championship:	Nicky Rackard Cup
Ladies' Gaelic football:	Brendan Martin Cup
Camogie:	Nancy Murray Cup
Standard kit

The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) (Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh. The county board is also responsible for the Armagh inter-county teams

Gaelic football

Previous Armagh Senior football manager Peter McDonnell (right) with Antrim manager Liam Bradley (left) at the launch of the 2009 Dr. McKenna Cup

History

Armagh has a long tradition of football stretching back to the 19th century when they became only the second team to win the Ulster SFC in 1890. In the early years of the GAA, a club who won their county championship followed on to represent their county and would also wear their county colours. Armagh Harps represented Armagh in the Ulster Final, beating Tyrone (Cookstown's Owen Roes), but losing to All-Ireland Champions Cork (Middleton) in the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

These were the days of 21 players in a team. Many of those first Harps players—Harps 1890—was Joseph Donnelly, James McGerizen, Patrick Knipe, Hugh O'Neill, Thomas Allen (Capt.), Patrick Molloy, Jack Mullan, James Deegan, Jack Fitzpatrick, James Lennon, John Vallely, Henry Thomas, William Thomas, Ned Mallon, James & Barney Corr, William Slevin, Owen McKenna, John Mulholland, Hugh Carberry, Charles O'Neill and William J. Mckernon, grandfather of a later Harps stalwart Buddy McArdle.

Despite early success at provincial level, national success at junior and minor level and All-Ireland final appearances in 1953 and 1977, having won the 2009 minor All-Ireland Championship, their first for 60 years when the 1949 team won by a 2-point victory, and also having lost the 1957 All-Ireland Minor Championship to Meath, it took until 2002 for Armagh to win their first and only All-Ireland Senior Football Championship under manager Joe Kernan.

After a disappointing 2009 campaign which resulted in Armagh being defeated by Tyrone and Manager, Peter McDonnell stepped down as Armagh manager. Armagh's current manager is Paddy O'Rouke, who is from Armagh's rivals, County Down. In his first year as Armagh manager, Paddy O'Rourke won the Division 2 NFL title and will now play in division 1 for 2011.

Honours

All-Ireland Senior Football Championships: 1

Year	Squad	Scoreline
2002	B Tierney, E McNulty, J McNulty, F Bellew, A O'Rourke, K McGeeney, A McCann, P McGrane, J Toal, P McKeever, J McEntee, O McConville, S McDonnell, R Clarke, D Marsden. Subs: B O'Hagan for McEntee, T McEntee for McKeever.	Armagh 1-12 Kerry 0-14

(Runners Up 1953, 1977, 2003)

All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championships: 1

Year	Squad	Scoreline
2004	G Wilson, G Smyth, F Moriarty, A Mallon, A Kernan, C McKeever, B McDonald, M Mackin, G Swift, G Loughran, S Kernan, P Toal, M McNamee, R Austin, B Mallon. Subs - P Duffy, B Toner, J Murtagh, M Moore, S O'Neill.	Armagh 2-08 Mayo 1-09

All-Ireland Minor Football Championships: 2

Year	Squad	Scoreline
1949	L McCorry, E McCann, J Brattan, J McKnight, F Kernan, B O’Neill, T McConville, E Mee, S Collins, T Connolly, S Blaney, J Cunningham, S Smith, PJ McKeever, B McGrane. Sub - M McKnight for S Collins.	Armagh 1-07 Kerry 1-05

Year	Squad	Scoreline
2009	S O’Reilly, K Downey, R Finegan, K Nugent, D McKenna, N Rowland, J Morgan, P Carragher (0-1), J Donnelly, R Grugan (0-1, 0-1f), A Murnin (0-1), C King, R Tasker (0-3), E McVerry (0-3, 0-1f), G McParland. Sub - C McCafferty for R Finnegan ’53, T McAlinden (0-1) for E McVerry ’54.	Armagh 0-10 Mayo 0-07

All-Ireland Junior Football Championships: 1

Year	Squad	Scoreline
1926	C Morgan, H Cumiskey, Gene Hanratty, J Vallely, Joe Harney, J Maguire, Owen Connolly, J Corrigan, F McAvinchey, F Toner, P Fearon, J Kernan, H Arthurs, J Donaghy, J McCusker. Sub - J McEntee for F McAvinchey.	Armagh 4-11 Dublin 0-04

National Football Leagues: 2

• Ulster Senior Football Championships: 14
  • 1890, 1902, 1950, 1953, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

• Ulster Under-21 Football Championships: 3
  • 1998, 2004, 2007

• Ulster Minor Football Championships: 11
  • 1930, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1992, 1994, 2005, 2009

• Ulster Junior Football Championships: 6
  • 1925, 1926, 1935, 1948, 1951, 1985

• Dr. McKenna Cup Championships: 9
  • 1929, 1931, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1986, 1990, 1994
• Dr Lagan Cups:
  • 1954, 1955, 1956

All-Stars

Armagh have a total of 23 All-Stars

• 1972: P Moriarty
• 1977: J. Kernan, J Smyth, P Moriarty
• 1980: C McKinstry
• 1982: J. Kernan
• 1993: G. Houlahan,
• 1999: K McGeeney, D Marsden
• 2000: K McGeeney, O. McConville
• 2002: E McNulty, A O'Rourke, K. McGeeney, P. McGrane, S.McDonnell, O. McConville.
• 2003: F. Bellew, S.McDonnell
• 2005: A. Mallon, P. McGrane, S.McDonnell
• 2006: R.Clarke
• 2008: R.Clarke

Armagh Gaelic Football Squad

Year	Squad	Scoreline
2005	P Hearty; A Mallon, F Bellew, P McCormack 0-1; A Kernan 0-1, K McGeeney, C McKeever; J Toal, P McGrane; M O'Rourke, J McEntee 0-1, O McConville 0-2; S McDonnell 0-10, R Clarke 0-2, B Mallon 0-4. Subs - P McKeever 1-0, A McCann, J McNulty, P Loughran, A O'Rourke.	Armagh 1-21 Wexford 1-14
Number	Player	Position	Local Club
1	Paul Hearty	Goalkeeper	Crossmaglen Rangers
2	Andy Mallon	Right Full Back	Pearse Óg
3	Brendan Donaghy	Full Back	Clonmore
4	Barry Shannon	Left Full Back	Dromintee
5	Paul Duffy	Right Half Back	Pearse Óg
6	Ciaran McKeever	Centre Back	St.Patrick's
7	Finnian Moriarty	Left Half Back	Wolfe Tone's
8	Kieran Toner	Midfield	Granemore
9	James Lavery	Midfield	Maghery
10	Charlie Vernon	Right Half Forward	Armagh Harps
11	Aaron Kernan	Centre Forward	Crossmaglen Rangers
12	Gareth Swift	Left Half Forward	Armagh Harps
13	Stephen McDonnell	Right Full Forward	Killeavey
14	Ronan Clarke	Full Forward	Pearse Óg
15	Brian Mallon	Left Full Forward	Tír Na nÓg
Substitutes
16	Philip McEvoy	Goalkeeper	Dromintee
17	Ryan Henderson	Full Forward	Clann Eireann
18	Martin Ferris	Half Back	Carrickcruppin
19	Stefan Forker	Full Forward	Maghery
20	Jason O'Neill	Half Forward	Granemore
21	Micheal McNamee	Half Forward	Crossmaglen Rangers
22	Malachy Mackin	Midfield	St.Patrick's
23	Tony Kernan	Full Forward	Crossmaglen Rangers
24	Darnell Parkinson	Full Back	Pearse Óg
25	Paul Kernan	Half Back	Crossmaglen Rangers
26	Ronan Austin	Midfield	Clan na Gael
27	Martin O'Rourke	Half Forward	Dromintee
28	Colm Watters	Half Forward	Culloville
29	Kevin Dyas	Half Back	Dromintee
30	Jamie Clarke	Full Forward	Crossmaglen Rangers
31	Joe Feeney	Half Forward	Madden
32	Vincie Martin	Full Back	Dromintee
33	Paul Magee	Half Back	Sarsfields
34	Brian McCone	Full Forward	Ballymacnab

Hurling

Like most counties outside of the game's heartland of Munster and south Leinster hurling has, with the exception of border areas such as Keady, Derrynose and Middletown, tended to live in the shadow cast by Gaelic football in Armagh. However, in recent years the county hurlers have shown a marked improvement under the guidance of manager Mattie Lennon and his assistant Ger Rogan.

In 2006 Armagh won the NHL Division 3 championship, winning all their games in the group stages before beating Louth 3-10 to 1-11 in the final at Breffni Park in Cavan. The step up to Division 2 proved to be a difficult one for the men from the Orchard County. While the team failed to win any of their group games they were unfortunate to lose to Meath and also managed to come within a point of the 2006 Christy Ring Cup finalists Carlow. Heavier defeats were suffered at the hands of more established counties such as Derry and Laois.

In another sign of the progress being made with the small ball game in the county, Armagh returned to the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship in May 2007 for the first time in almost 60 years with a match against Derry. Despite putting in a strong performance the team lost out on the chance of a semi-final encounter with neighbours Down to an injury time score.

The advances made in the county over the past two years placed them as favourites in the Nicky Rackard Cup encounter on August 12 against Roscommon, however they lost this game by two points.

In 2010, Armagh won the Nicky Rackard Cup, beating London on a scoreline of 3-15 to 3-14 on 3 July in Croke Park. The Minor team won the Ulster Minor Hurling League Division One title and reached the Ulster Minor Hurling Championship Final. The Under 21 team also reached the Ulster U21 Championship Final.

2011 seen more progress when the seinor side reached the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship final for the first time since 1946 and made it to the Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship final for the second year in a row for the first time in their history.

Honours

• Nicky Rackard Cups: 1
  • 2010

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championships: None

• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championships: None

• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championships: None

• All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championships: 3
  • 1978, 1979, 2000

• National Hurling Leagues: 1
  • Division 3 Champions 2006

• Ulster Senior Hurling Championships: None

• Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championships: None

• Ulster Minor Hurling Championships: 1
  • 1975

Ulster Minor Hurling League Division One Winners: 2010

• Ulster Junior Hurling Championships: 6
  • 1949, 1965, 1973, 1990, 1991, 2000

Camogie

The high point in Armagh’s camogie history was an appearance in the National Camogie League final of 1995 against Cork, a year after they qualified for senior status having won the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship in 1994, the "Premier Junior" championship for the Kay Mills Cup in 1993. The bulk of that team had emerged from an under-16 squad who reached the All Ireland final of 1988.

Armagh won Division 2 of the National Camogie League four times, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 1994, and the Nancy Murray Cup in 2006. Armagh qualified for the All Ireland Minor B final of 2003 and won the Minor C championship in 2011.

Crossmaglen won the 2005 All Ireland junior club title. Keady Lámh Dhearg qualified for the finals in 2006 and 2007. Keady Lámh Dhearg and St Brenda's Ballymacnab have won divisional honours at Féile na nGael. Notable players include young player of the year for 2005 Colette McSorley.

Under Camogie’s National Development Plan 2010-2015, "Our Game, Our Passion", five new camogie clubs are to be established in the county by 2015.

Honours

• All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship 1994
• All-Ireland Junior Camogie Championship 1993.
• National Camogie LeagueDivision 2, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 1994,
• Nancy Murray Cup 2006.
• Minor C championship 2011

External links

• Armagh GAA site
• Armagh GAA Supporters Site
• Armagh on Hoganstand.com
• Titles won by Armagh teams
• Armagh 1977 Jersey from Retro GAA
• Club championship winners