Clogher stalwart McKenna savours a season from the heavens

By Niall Gartland

BARRY McKenna has given incredible service to Clogher down through the years, and for him the exploits of 2025 represent even more than the fulfillment of a dream.

A championship title in Tyrone was the overarching ambition, and he reached the Promised Land with their victory over Drumragh back in October.

Anybody who kept a close-eye on the Clogher dug-out in the closing moments of the contest will have seen how much it went to the long-standing Éire Óg midfielder.

Provincial football? Well it wasn’t even on the radar, so to win a championship double really is the stuff of dreams.

Speaking after their dramatic victory over Emyvale in Saturday’s Ulster Junior Championship final, McKenna said: “It’s just unbelievable. I’m nearly speechless – it’s just class for the club, my family and the whole community.

“We never thought this far. The Tyrone Championship was always on our mind, we never even thought about Ulster. It’s just a dream come true and that’s nearly all I can say about it.”

McKenna said that the buzz within the camp before the Emyvale game was reminiscent of how they felt before their date with destiny against Drumragh. That was a positive omen and they showed incredible character to overcome the pre-match favourites on a memorable day at Roslea.

“It was the same buzz going into the changing rooms before the Drumragh game. It definitely felt similar. It’s just brilliant and full credit to everyone – the boys on the pitch, the managers, and Leo (Meenan) and Mark (Donnelly) have been first-class.”

The match hung on a knife-edge heading into the final stages, but Clogher showed immense drive and determination to hold their nerve and engineer a winning score deep into stoppage time.

Marc McConnell turned over the ball, he dinked it across to Ciaran Bogue, and Conor Shields was on hand to steer over a winner that will never be forgotten in the club. McKenna believes the team’s fitness levels came to the fore when the game was in the melting pot.

“Emyvale came at us very hard very early on and racked up a lead.

“We kept it together, we don’t panic, and I think our fitness levels kicked in at the end, and thankfully it all worked out the right way.”

Next in the pipeline is the national stage and an All-Ireland quarter-final against London side Tara in early December with a date and venue to be confirmed.

McKenna commented: “There’s no point stopping now, we’ll just keep it going!”