Liam Glackin of Cross & Passion College Ballycastle, Antrim, ahead of his team's Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools B Hurling Final against Calasanctius College, Galway, during the Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Finals Captains Call at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Close observers of post-primary schools hurling will know there’s a very talented generation of young Antrim hurlers emerging onto the scene.
Last year a Joseph McLaughlin inspired St. Killian’s College team were very impressive winners of the Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Paddy Buggy Cup (Senior B Hurling).
This year Cross and Passion College, Ballycastle, will hope to make it back-to-back All-Ireland titles for Antrim schools in the same competition when they place Calasanctius College Oranmore.
It’s no huge surprise to see the Ballycastle school make it this far.
Last year they gave St. Killian’s their hardest match of their All-Ireland winning campaign in the Ulster Final, and this year they were able to once again call upon nine of the same starting XV that started that match.
They gained a measure of revenge by beating St. Killian’s in this year’s Ulster Final, and followed that up with a very impressive All-Ireland semi-final victory over Munster champions Clonmel CBS High School.
If an Antrim team could win the Paddy Buggy Cup for the second year in succession, it would be a great testament to the significant development work that’s going on at all levels in the county.
“We’re based in a fairly unique area in the glens of Antrim and we've a strong hurling tradition,” says Cross & Passion College Ballycastle manager, Joe Cassidy.
“We're feeding off strong traditional hurling clubs like Loughiel, Dunloy, and Ballycastle.
“It's a close-knit community and everyone lives and breathes hurling. There's no football, there's no soccer. It's literally just hurling and we're very proud of our tradition, both hurling and camogie in this school.
“We'll have the whole of north Antrim behind us on Saturday.”
The Cross & Passion, Ballycastle senior hurlers.
Nine of the Ballycastle panel were members of the Antrim U20 team that convincingly beat Down in the Ulster U20 Hurling Championship Final last weekend, which is another testament to the quality in their ranks.
If, just a week later, they could add an All-Ireland title to those provincial honours it would be a real boon for Antrim hurling.
“It would mean everything for these young lads,” says Cassidy. "We pride ourselves on the academic side of the school which is hugely important but a lot of young lads who come to our school do so because they want to play hurling.
“They know the opportunities that they're going to get and for these lads this is their All-Ireland Final.
“I would be fairly confident that a number of these lads will have big club careers with Dunloy, Loughiel, and Ballycastle, and I'd also be fairly confident a few of them will have big careers with Antrim moving forward.”
Saturday, March 15
Masita GAA Post Primary Schools Paddy Buggy Cup (Senior B Hurling)
Calasanctius College Oranmore v Cross & Passion College Ballycastle, Ballyshannon, 2pm.
You can watch a live stream of the match here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfmPUyE0zc8
