Éire Óg craving the final step

By Michael McMullan

DERMOT Begley is enjoying the buildup to Sunday’s Ulster Intermediate decider and feels any of the eight teams involved were genuine contenders.

Now there are only two left standing and the Tyrone champions will face Lisbellaw with the hope of winning a first title.

It’s their fourth final, losing to current senior finalists St John’s who were rebuilding in 2010, Creggan five years later and were edged out by Setanta in 2023.

The prize is a title, a pathway to the All-Ireland series and a crack at the Ulster Senior Championship next season.

“We’d be delighted, it would be a great next step for our club,” he said if they were lucky enough to make that step in Clones on Sunday.

“You’re probably looking at Setanta now,” he said of their progress. “I’ve been envious of what they were doing.

“Fair enough, St John’s beat them but they put up a good show and if a couple of moments went their way in the first half it could have been a different game.

“Everyone wants to get up to that next level and Lisbellaw will be no different All the teams in intermediate this year would have been thinking about that.

“We’re still standing and Lisbellaw will be saying the same, but there’ll only be one after Sunday.”

It would cap an incredible season of hurling and camogie for the Carrickmore side with titles coming at all levels, with the camogs also landing the Ulster Junior B Championship after moving up from their Bridie McMenamins Shield success last year.

“I don’t think we’ve left many trophies behind us in Tyrone this year,” Begley added. “We had the minor double, the u-16s won the league and the u-14s won the double,” Begley said.

Their minor success in recent seasons has saw an influx of around 15 players coming into the senior group since they lost to Setanta in the 2023 Ulster Intermediate final. Begley knows it better than most, having coached them as minors.

“A couple of lads have come back from travelling and a couple of lads who’ve been in the squad in the last two or three years have really stepped up and earned a starting position.”

Every age group in the club is flush with numbers and it lends itself to playing games at training. Begley also points to the efforts with coaching in the club and having their own pitch and the impact that has on their push for success.

“It’s really good craic now, really enjoyable,” he said of life in the senior camp now.

“When the work has to be done, we get plenty of backing from the management but the guys get the work done.

“It’s good to play with a lot of the younger boys, players that I coached over the last few years.

“We’ve seen the talent coming through. It’s not to say that we have been waiting for the talent, but we’re glad that a lot of them are now playing senior for our club now.”