Dr McKenna Cup
Encyclopedia
The Dr McKenna cup is a gaelic football
competition played between counties
and universities in the province of Ulster
. It is the secondary gaelic football competition based in Ulster behind the Ulster Senior Football Championship
, and the fourth most important inter-county competition in which Ulster counties take part, behind the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
, the Ulster Championship and the National Football League
.
The 2010 edition of the competition is known for sponsorship reasons as The Barrett Sports Lighting McKenna Cup
Since 2007 the McKenna Cup has been sponsored by the Gaelic Life newspaper. The competition was once a prestigious one, but in recent year's the focus of the competition has changed; it has been used by some county teams as a pre-season "warm up" competition.
Some managers use it as an opportunity to try out new and young panelists, to see if they will be part of the manager's plans for the National League and Championship. The addition of university teams has also changed the nature of the competition, but the generally high recent standard of Ulster football, combined with the variety in motivation has led to a less prestigious, but nonetheless intriguing competition.
The cup was donated to the Ulster Council in 1924 by the Most Rev. Dr. McKenna with the first tournament being played in 1927.
When Bishop Patrick McKenna
, Bishop of Clogher presented the McKenna Cup to the Ulster Council in 1925, he was one of only a small group willing at that time to be publicly associated with the GAA in Ulster. Ireland in the 1920s was slowly emerging from war, unrest and change.
When the Ulster Council sought donors for trophies there wasn’t a queue to their door with offers. From 1923 the council were actively looking for a donor for their senior championship and in 1925 the treasurer of the council proposed the establishment of a second competition to prepare teams for the championship.
Two loyal GAA stalwarts came to the council’s rescue in 1925. JF O Hanlon, owner of the Anglo-Celt
newspaper presented a trophy to BC Fay, secretary of the Council. It was decided to use the trophy for the Ulster senior championship and it was first presented to Cavan who won the 1925 Ulster championship. Treasurer O’ Duffy was successful in securing a trophy from the bishop of Clogher and the new cup was presented to Council in 1925 although it was not until 1927 that the competition got underway.
The inaugural competition was won by Antrim
, defeating Cavan
in the final. Monaghan are the most successful team in the tournament with 13 wins. Fermanagh
, with four wins, are the least successful of the county teams. The McKenna Cup is, to date, Fermanagh's only inter-county title.
The competition was not staged in 2001 and 2002, but was resurrected in 2003.
. 2009 saw Queens University Belfast become the first university side to reach the McKenna Cup final.
The competition is a group-based tournament of twelve teams, with three groups of four. Each group includes a University team, and three inter-county teams. Each team plays three matches, with two points acquired for a win, one for a draw, and no points for a loss. The winners of each group, plus the best runner-up, qualify for the semi-finals, and the winners of the semi-finals play each other in the Final in Belfast
, in February.
In spite of this, the university teams seemed to have a slight advantage, causing several upsets early in the competition.
Until the early 2000s, the competition was purely an intercounty competition, but the Ulster counties allowed the two main Universities in Ulster, Queen's University
,and the University of Ulster
and St Mary's University College (a college of Queen's University). The stipulation of this was that University teams will get first choice for any player who is eligible to play for both the University team and the county team.
The University teams have, naturally, emerged as among the weaker teams, but are by no means the 'whipping boys' of the competition, having beaten teams such as Antrim
in 2007, and the added experience against playing teams of such a high standard is expected to be beneficial to the University teams in the principle Gaelic football competition for Irish universities, the Sigerson Cup
. This initiative seems to be bearing fruit, given that the 2007 Sigerson Cup final was contested by Queen's University and University of Ulster - historically, universities in the south of Ireland have dominated.
channel, TG4
. This, along with the fact that attendances are in the region of 20,000 for the later matches, suggests that the tournament is held in higher esteem than its counterparts in other provinces, such as the O'Byrne Cup
.
claimed it was the players own decision to choose to play for the county team over their University. Tyrone were docked two points as a punishment, but this did not effect their progression into the semi-final stage.
Although Tyrone won the final, beating Donegal
by 2-09 to 0-05, Tyrone were stripped of their title for fielding the ineligible University players in the match. The players had not been listed on the official team sheet, which was another breach of the rules. However, Tyrone's victory was reinstated upon appeal.
The counties-
The universities-
on Wednesday 11 November 2008. The competition will start on the weekend of 3 and 4 January 2009. In addition to weekend matches, some games will be played midweek, so the competition is completed before the start of the 2009 National League in early February. Television broadcaster TG4
has pledged to screen a minimum of four live games from the competition. The winners of Group B will play the winners of Group C in the semi-finals, while the Group A winners will face the best runners-up up of the three groups.
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
competition played between counties
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
and universities in the province of Ulster
Ulster GAA
The Ulster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in Armagh City....
. It is the secondary gaelic football competition based in Ulster behind the Ulster Senior Football Championship
Ulster Senior Football Championship
For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
, and the fourth most important inter-county competition in which Ulster counties take part, behind the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
, the Ulster Championship and the National Football League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
.
The 2010 edition of the competition is known for sponsorship reasons as The Barrett Sports Lighting McKenna Cup
Since 2007 the McKenna Cup has been sponsored by the Gaelic Life newspaper. The competition was once a prestigious one, but in recent year's the focus of the competition has changed; it has been used by some county teams as a pre-season "warm up" competition.
Some managers use it as an opportunity to try out new and young panelists, to see if they will be part of the manager's plans for the National League and Championship. The addition of university teams has also changed the nature of the competition, but the generally high recent standard of Ulster football, combined with the variety in motivation has led to a less prestigious, but nonetheless intriguing competition.
Origins of the Dr. McKenna Cup
When Bishop Patrick McKenna
Bishop Patrick McKenna
The Most Rev. Dr. Patrick McKenna was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Clogher in Ireland.Born at Moybridge in the parish of Errigal Truagh,County Monaghan, he studied at St. Macartan's College, Monaghan and Maynooth College. He was a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Clogher, Ireland, ordained in 1894...
, Bishop of Clogher presented the McKenna Cup to the Ulster Council in 1925, he was one of only a small group willing at that time to be publicly associated with the GAA in Ulster. Ireland in the 1920s was slowly emerging from war, unrest and change.
When the Ulster Council sought donors for trophies there wasn’t a queue to their door with offers. From 1923 the council were actively looking for a donor for their senior championship and in 1925 the treasurer of the council proposed the establishment of a second competition to prepare teams for the championship.
Two loyal GAA stalwarts came to the council’s rescue in 1925. JF O Hanlon, owner of the Anglo-Celt
Anglo-Celt
The Anglo-Celt is a weekly local newspaper published every Thursday in Swellan, Cavan, Ireland, founded in 1846. It exclusively contains local news about Cavan and surroundings. The news coverage of the paper is mainly based on the paper's local county of Cavan...
newspaper presented a trophy to BC Fay, secretary of the Council. It was decided to use the trophy for the Ulster senior championship and it was first presented to Cavan who won the 1925 Ulster championship. Treasurer O’ Duffy was successful in securing a trophy from the bishop of Clogher and the new cup was presented to Council in 1925 although it was not until 1927 that the competition got underway.
The inaugural competition was won by Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
, defeating Cavan
Cavan GAA
The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan...
in the final. Monaghan are the most successful team in the tournament with 13 wins. Fermanagh
Fermanagh GAA
The Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:...
, with four wins, are the least successful of the county teams. The McKenna Cup is, to date, Fermanagh's only inter-county title.
The competition was not staged in 2001 and 2002, but was resurrected in 2003.
Current Champions
The 2011 champions are DerryDerry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
. 2009 saw Queens University Belfast become the first university side to reach the McKenna Cup final.
Format for the 2009 edition
Casement Park
Casement Park is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, home to the Antrim football and hurling teams...
, in February.
Summary of the 2008 edition
In 2008, the competition was compacted entirely into the month of January. This led to several considerations for all participants, because the students in the university teams had exams in January, while the county teams, who would not have played together for up to six months, had to play three matches in a week.In spite of this, the university teams seemed to have a slight advantage, causing several upsets early in the competition.
The Addition of the Universities
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
,and the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
and St Mary's University College (a college of Queen's University). The stipulation of this was that University teams will get first choice for any player who is eligible to play for both the University team and the county team.
The University teams have, naturally, emerged as among the weaker teams, but are by no means the 'whipping boys' of the competition, having beaten teams such as Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
in 2007, and the added experience against playing teams of such a high standard is expected to be beneficial to the University teams in the principle Gaelic football competition for Irish universities, the Sigerson Cup
Sigerson Cup
The Sigerson Cup is the top division of Higher Education Gaelic football in Ireland, It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association...
. This initiative seems to be bearing fruit, given that the 2007 Sigerson Cup final was contested by Queen's University and University of Ulster - historically, universities in the south of Ireland have dominated.
Recent developments
From 2007, the games were broadcast live on Irish languageIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
channel, TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
. This, along with the fact that attendances are in the region of 20,000 for the later matches, suggests that the tournament is held in higher esteem than its counterparts in other provinces, such as the O'Byrne Cup
O'Byrne Cup
The O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. Participants include the twelve county teams and four colleges. The O'Byrne Cup 2011 champions are Kildare, who beat Louth in the final by...
.
Tyrone ineligibility crisis of 2007
Tyrone caused controversy in 2007 when they fielded four players who had already been selected by University teams. The official rule is that Universities have first choice on players, so in effect, they were fielding ineligible players. Tyrone manager, Mickey HarteMickey Harte
Michael "Mickey" Harte is the current manager of Tyrone Gaelic football team. He has led the team to three All-Ireland titles, three Ulster titles, one National League, and four Dr...
claimed it was the players own decision to choose to play for the county team over their University. Tyrone were docked two points as a punishment, but this did not effect their progression into the semi-final stage.
Although Tyrone won the final, beating Donegal
Donegal GAA
The Donegal County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Donegal GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Donegal. The county board is also responsible for the Donegal inter-county teams.Gaelic football is strongest in the...
by 2-09 to 0-05, Tyrone were stripped of their title for fielding the ineligible University players in the match. The players had not been listed on the official team sheet, which was another breach of the rules. However, Tyrone's victory was reinstated upon appeal.
Competing teams in 2008
- AntrimAntrim GAAThe Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
- ArmaghArmagh GAAThe Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
- CavanCavan GAAThe Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan...
- DerryDerry GAAThe Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
- DonegalDonegal GAAThe Donegal County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Donegal GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Donegal. The county board is also responsible for the Donegal inter-county teams.Gaelic football is strongest in the...
- DownDown GAAThe Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
- FermanaghFermanagh GAAThe Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:...
- MonaghanMonaghan GAAThe Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
- TyroneTyrone GAAThe Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
The universities-
- Queen's University of BelfastQueen's University of BelfastQueen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
- St Mary's University College
- University of UlsterUniversity of UlsterThe University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
, JordanstownJordanstownJordanstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough....
2009 competition
The draw for the 2009 McKenna Cup was made in the Armagh City Hotel, ArmaghArmagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
on Wednesday 11 November 2008. The competition will start on the weekend of 3 and 4 January 2009. In addition to weekend matches, some games will be played midweek, so the competition is completed before the start of the 2009 National League in early February. Television broadcaster TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
has pledged to screen a minimum of four live games from the competition. The winners of Group B will play the winners of Group C in the semi-finals, while the Group A winners will face the best runners-up up of the three groups.
Draw
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
| University of Ulster University of Ulster The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland... , Jordanstown Jordanstown Jordanstown is the name of a townland and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area called Newtownabbey and the wider Newtownabbey Borough.... (UUJ) |
St Mary's University College | Queen's University of Belfast Queen's University of Belfast Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB... |
| Fermanagh Fermanagh GAA The Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:... |
Tyrone Tyrone GAA The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams.... |
Armagh Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh... |
| Derry Derry GAA The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry... |
Monaghan Monaghan GAA The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the... |
Antrim Antrim GAA The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams... |
| Donegal Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Donegal GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Donegal. The county board is also responsible for the Donegal inter-county teams.Gaelic football is strongest in the... |
Down Down GAA The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down... |
Cavan Cavan GAA The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan... |
Roll of honour
| Team | Winning Years |
|---|---|
| Monaghan Monaghan GAA The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the... (13 wins) |
1928, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1948, 1952, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1995, 2003 |
| Down Down GAA The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down... (11) |
1944, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1972, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2008 |
| Cavan Cavan GAA The Cavan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Cavan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cavan... (11) |
1936, 1940, 1943, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1962, 1968, 1988, 2000 |
| Derry Derry GAA The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry... (11) |
1947, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1993, 1999, 2011 |
| Tyrone Tyrone GAA The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams.... (9) |
1957, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1984, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Armagh Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh... (8) |
1929, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1986, 1990 |
| Donegal Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Donegal GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Donegal. The county board is also responsible for the Donegal inter-county teams.Gaelic football is strongest in the... (8) |
1963, 1965, 1967, 1975, 1985, 1991, 2009, 2010 |
| Antrim Antrim GAA The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams... (6) |
1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1981 |
| Fermanagh Fermanagh GAA The Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:... (4) |
1930, 1933, 1977, 1997 |
See also
- O'Byrne CupO'Byrne CupThe O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. Participants include the twelve county teams and four colleges. The O'Byrne Cup 2011 champions are Kildare, who beat Louth in the final by...
- Dr Lagan CupDr Lagan CupThe Dr Lagan Cup was inter-county Gaelic football competition in the province of Ulster. The competition was discontinued in 1967 when Donegal won the competition. The Lagan Cup was the trophy for a Senior Football League limited to five Ulster counties at a time unlike the Dr McKenna Cup which was...
- Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipUlster Senior Football ChampionshipFor information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
- Sigerson CupSigerson CupThe Sigerson Cup is the top division of Higher Education Gaelic football in Ireland, It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association...