Review of the year in Down: More to come from Mourne men

Mourne men on the rise

RONAN Sheehan has done an absolutely fantastic job with Down hurlers, and while the championship didn’t go to plan for them, 2025 was still a year they will reflect on fondly. Next season, they will compete against the elite of hurling as they earned promotion to Division 1B, having won five of their six league encounters before producing a magnificent second half showing to defeat Kildare in the final. Tom McGrattan, who would later suffer the dreaded ACL injury, hit 2-5 and top-scored on the day, while Tim Prenter and Marc Fisher raised green flags as well in their impressive 4-22 to 3-18 victory. Unfortunately, the wheels came off in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the Mourne men suffered a couple of tough defeats. They had to wait until round four to pick up their first points, and that home win over Kerry turned out to be absolutely crucial. It meant they finished above the Kingdom in the table, securing their place in the second-tier competition next season, with Kerry dropping down to Christy Ring level in 2026.

Mur to come from Odhrán

FOR keen viewers of Down club and underage football, Odhrán Murdock’s potential has long been known. But in 2025, the big Burren midfielder showcased his talents on the national stage and gained attention from all over the country. He was outstanding in so many games in the red and black this season, particularly against Galway in the All-Ireland playoff tie at Páirc Esler and is a real scoring force from the middle of the park.

Down had a fairly good championship campaign, although they could be back plying their trade in the Tailteann Cup next season, having been relegated to Division Three of the league.

However, in their meetings with Monaghan and the Tribesmen, and parts of their performance versus Donegal in Ulster, Conor Laverty’s men, driven on by the powerful Murdock, proved they can dine at the top table and given the age profile of the team, they’re not going away any time soon.

Back to the drawing board for Kilcoo

NO one can ever doubt Kilcoo’s consistency and they remain the top dogs in the Mourne County, picking up a history-making seventh county title on the bounce this year. When it comes to Ulster, they are still one of the best teams competing in the competition, but haven’t been able to get over the line since their All-Ireland winning season of 2021. The Magpies have contested three of the last four provincial deciders, but came up short on all three occasions. Glen were six points better off in 2022, Errigal Ciaran shaded the 2024 encounter by the minimum of margins, while Scotstown needed extra time to come out on top in 2025. Kilcoo are undoubtedly good enough to mix it with the best that Ulster has to offer, and they’ll be keen to get their hands back on the Seamus McFerran Cup in 2026.

Ladies look to improve in 2026

IT was a difficult season for the Down ladies, but they showed enough encouraging signs in 2025 to suggest they can push on again next year. They finished their Division Three league campaign in the middle of the table, just three points shy of a promotion place, and won four of their seven league outings.

Come the championship, they reached the Ulster Intermediate decider with a semi-final victory over Tyrone after extra time. An Eimear Fitzpatrick point at the death was ultimately the difference between the two sides, but the defending champions came up against a Cavan side that were much too strong on the day and cantered to a handsome 6-10 to 1-8 triumph.

Their championship charge really flagged on the All-Ireland stage as they lost both their group games, with Westmeath and Tyrone gaining the upper hand. Down did finish on a positive note, defeating Offaly in the relegation playoff to retain their intermediate status.

Clonduff add another crown

CLONDUFF are still the top dogs in Down having picked up an 11th senior title, with their first coming way back in 2007.

Incredibly, Fionnuala Carr, her sister Sara Louise and Paula O’Hagan have played on all of those winning teams. Clonduff were crowned 2025 championship winners following their four-point victory over Portaferry in the final.

Fionnuala Carr rattled off a goal after just seven minutes of play and finished as the top scorer on the field with 1-7. O’Hagan grabbed 0-5 of her own while Niamh McConville (0-2) and Ceallagh Byrne (0-1) also got on the scoresheet as they ran out 1-15 to 1-11 victors.

Having lost the Ulster semi-final last season to eventual winners Loughgiel, the Down ladies had a bye straight into the provincial showpiece this time around but unfortunately couldn’t turn the tables on the Shamrocks, and they lost out by seven points in the end as the Antrim side won their fourth Ulster title on the trot.