ST EUNAN’S Under 16 manager Barry Meehan says his team will get an opportunity to test themselves against the best in Ulster when they take part in the Spirit of Paul McGirr tournament in Dromore this Saturday.
The champions from the nine counties are invited to partake and St Eunan’s have been paired against Clan na nGael from Armagh in the Preliminary Round.
The winners will take on the Fermanagh champions (their final hasn’t been played yet), and it should be an entertaining couple of weeks ahead.
St Eunan’s have some pedigree in the competition as they won it back in 2016.
Current senior players Conor O’Donnell Jnr, James Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, Padraig McGettigan, Kieran Tobin, and Oran Winston all played in a convincing 6-10 to 1-6 triumph over St Peter’s, Warrenpoint.
Meehan isn’t thinking about silverware at this juncture and he’s looking forward to seeing how his team measure up against the best in the province.
“It gives us an opportunity to test ourselves and see where we are at in comparison to other teams at that level in Ulster,” said Meehan, who manages the team with Brendan Kilcoyne and Eugene Duffy.
“I don’t know if a county championship was really on our radar at the start of the year.
“It was only when we started moving through it that we thought maybe there’s an opportunity here.
“We had a few defeats this year so they have learned along the way.
“That will stand them good stead and I don’t think they go into Ulster with any pre-conceived notions that they are way better than anyone else.
“On any given day if they don’t produce a performance, they could be caught.”
St Eunan’s won their county title with a fantastic 3-17 to 0-12 final victory over Gaoth Dobhair last month.
Sam Tourish was the star of the show as he scored 2-6 while Senan Kavanagh, Colm Óg Breathnach, Tom McElwaine, and Cathal Doherty are all influential players.
It hasn’t been a case of ‘Eunan’s steamrolling teams all season and they shipped a heavy defeat against Gaoth Dobhair in the group stages.
There have been knocks along the way but that has strengthened the resilience of the O’Donnell Park youngsters.
Meehan, pictured below, said: “We played Gaoth Dobhair early in the league and we hit them for a few goals early – it was sheer luck for a lot of them.
“We beat them that day, and we played them in a league semi-final when they were missing quite a lot of players because of a soccer tournament in Spain at the time.
“We won that just about, and I don’t know if we went down to that championship game thinking we were going to win handy enough but they taught us a lesson.
“It was more to do with how well Gaoth Dobhair played than how we played.
“They were fantastic and I said that to Martin Coll and Mervyn (O’Donnell) afterwards.
“They played a lovely brand of football and they cut us and we weren’t able to live with them.
“We had to re-set after that and it was an eye-opener to the boys that if they weren’t going to be on it on any given night, that was what would happen to them.
“In fairness from that day on they put the shoulder to the wheel.
“We were under pressure then because we had lost our first championship game to Glenswilly by a few points.
“We got a win over Ardara and then another over MacCumhaills and that took us into a quarter-final.
“So by chance more than anything, we started to build confidence. The win over Ardara was important because they had taught us a lesson in Convoy earlier in the year.
“They are learning along the way. The club never puts a lot of pressure on at 10s, 12s, or 14s to win championships. If they come, they come.
“This is the first year we have put any real emphasis on winning it so it was good that they got a bit silverware.”
It’s a great time for the St Eunan’s club with their senior hurlers in Ulster Intermediate semi-final action on Sunday, while the senior footballers have a big last four encounter with Scotstown the following week.
Their Under 16s will also be feeling the buzz but Meehan points out that they are accustomed to taking on sides from outside of Donegal.
“With young lads, it’s very different.
“They are used to playing teams in Ulster all the time with the schools with St Eunan’s College or Colaiste Ailigh.
“It’s not the same as at senior level when you’re trying to make inroads in Ulster.
“For lads of 15 or 16, it’s just another game and a chance to go an express themselves.
“As regards a run in Ulster, I don’t think that’s in their sights at all.
“Like all young fellas, it’s just about the next game.
“For some that will be Thursday or Friday. They are playing football every day of the week so they probably don’t think too much about it.”
Clan na Gael return to Dromore hoping to build on the experience gained in last year’s competition, when they bowed out at the semi-final stage. With the majority of the 2025 squad still available, there is little doubt that the Lurgan men will make the journey west believing they have what it takes to go all the way this time around.
A club with a proud tradition of Ulster success, Clan na Gael have found it difficult in recent years to reach the heights of previous generations.
However, this current crop undoubtedly possess the ability to bring provincial glory back to Lurgan, having already demonstrated its pedigree by capturing the All-Ireland Féile title in 2025.
Dominant in the Orchard County this season, a comprehensive victory over Killeavy at the Athletic Grounds secured a league and championship double for Clan na Gael.
Meehan says St Eunan’s won’t be spending too much time worrying about the threat of the Armagh side.
“We know absolutely nothing about them.
“It’s an opportunity for our lads to go and express themselves and see where they are at in comparison of other lads of a similar level from a different county.
“That’s really what it is and whatever happens, happens.
“If we go out and give a performance on Saturday and we come up short then so be it.
“The biggest thing you would hate is if you go in and don’t perform.
“Whatever happens, we will continue with their development over the winter months.
“Some of them are still underage next year and some of them will move on to minor.”
Verdict: St Eunan’s
