MacRory Cup
| MacRory Cup | |
|---|---|
| Code | Gaelic football |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Region | Ulster (GAA) |
| Trophy | MacRory Cup |
| Title holders | St. Patrick's College, Maghera (15th title) |
| First winner | St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh |
| Most titles | St Colman's College, Newry (19 titles) |
| Sponsors | Danske Bank |
| TV partner(s) | BBC |
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college (school) gaelic football tournament in Ulster at senior "A" grade. Players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament (that is, be under eighteen at the start of the school year). The winners advance to the Hogan Cup, the All-Ireland colleges "A" senior football championship.
The competition and trophy are named after Joseph MacRory, then Bishop of Down and Connor, who donated the first cup in 1923.
The current holders are St. Patrick's College, Maghera winners of the final on 17 March 2016.
The final is held every year on St. Patrick's Day and is televised live on BBC Northern Ireland along with the Ulster Rugby Schools Cup final. The venue for the last number of years has been the Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Previous finals have been held in Coalisland and Casement Park.
Format
Current Format
The format was changed for the 2016-17 season. Fourteen teams compete in three groups - Groups A and B have five teams and Group C has four teams. The three group winners and the best group runner-up advance to the quarter-finals. The fifth-placed teams in groups A and B are eliminated. The remaining eight teams play-off in four matches with the four winners completing the quarter-final line-up. From the quarter-finals onwards all matches are knock-out.[1]
Previous Format
The competition began with a round-robin tournament consisting of two groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stages. Four playoff matches were held between the bottom four teams of Group A and Group B to complete the quarter final lineup.
List Of Titles By College
| Rank | Team | Titles | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Colman's College, Newry | 19 | 1949, 1950, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2010, 2011 |
| 2 | St. Patrick's College, Maghera | 15 | 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2016 |
| 3 | St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh | 14 | 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1953, 2000 |
| 4 | St. Patrick's College, Cavan | 12 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1943, 1948, 1951, 1955, 1961, 1962, 1972, 2015 |
| 5 | St. Macartan's College, Monaghan | 9 | 1925, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1940, 1942, 1952, 1956 |
| 6 | St. Michael's College, Enniskillen | 6 | 1973, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2012 |
| 7 | Abbey Christian Brothers Grammar School, Newry | 5 | 1954, 1959, 1964, 1987, 2006 |
| St. Patrick's Academy, Dungannon | 5 | 1991, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2009 | |
| 9 | Omagh Christian Brothers Grammar School | 4 | 1974, 2001, 2005, 2007 |
| 10 | St. Malachy's, Belfast | 2 | 1925, 1970 |
| St. Mary's Dundalk | 2 | 1938, 1941 | |
| St. Columb's, Derry | 2 | 1965, 1966 | |
| St Marys CBGS Belfast | 2 | 1971, 1986 |
List Of Finals By Year
- The number in brackets is the number of the title win eg. (15) is that school's 15th title
- Teams in bold went on to win the Hogan Cup in the same year
Longest Winning Streaks (Finals)
| Team | Streak | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh | 7 | 1923–1929 |
| St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh | 4 | 1944–1947 |
| St. Patrick's College, Maghera | 4 | 1982–1985 |
Notable Footballers
- Stephen O'Neill played for CBS Omagh
- Oisin McConville played for St Patrick's Grammar School Armagh
- Dermot McNicholl played in 5 MacRory Cup finals in the early 1980s with St. Patrick's College, Maghera
- Martin Clarke produced a number of memorable displays in 2005 and captained his school St Louis, Kilkeel in 2006.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ "New MacRory Cup format for 2016-7". 24 June 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ↑ BBC Sport (5 February 2003). "MacRory Cup Winners". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ↑ "MacRory Cup final: St Pat's 5-7 1-9 St Paul's". BBC Northern Ireland. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ↑ "MacRory Cup final: Cavan win battle of the Pats". Hogan Stand. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ↑ "MacRory Cup: St Patrick's Maghera 1-12 1-8 Omagh CBS". BBC Northern Ireland. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ↑ "O'Hara's clinical finish decisive for Maghera". Irish Independent. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ↑ BBC Report on 2012 final
- ↑ Steven McVeigh. "Mourne Spirit Triumphs as St Louis Lose out on MacRory Title". St Louis Grammar School.
External links
- Ulster Colleges GAA Organisers of MacRory Cup