“It was emotional” – Adams on Clonduff’s championship triumph

By Shaun Casey

JUST over a quarter of a century had passed since Clonduff last held the Frank O’Hare Cup, but Gearoid Adams’ men put an end to that long wait last Sunday afternoon.

They ended their 26-year famine with a four-point win over Burren on what was a hugely emotional day for Adams, his players and everyone involved with the entire club.

Ending any drought with a championship triumph will always prompt emotional scenes at the full-time whistle, but Clonduff’s story, and the role Adams has played, is particularly poignant.

Adams took over as manager in 2024 and in March of that year, the club lost Lorcán Branagan, who passed away in Sydney at just 26 years of age.

When Stephen McConville kicked the insurance score on Sunday, he pointed up to the sky. Clonduff had already retired Lorcan’s jersey – he wore number two – and his graveside was one of the first places the trophy visited on Sunday night.

“It’s been a tough journey for the community and a tough journey for the players. What happened to Lorcán, it had a massive impact on the whole community,” Adams described.

“We retired the number two jersey the year that Lorcán past. it was fitting that Stevie (McConville) and Charlie (Carr, joint captains) had that jersey when they lifted the Frank O’Hare trophy.

“I’m not really into social media but I was watching the clip where Stephen got the point at the end, and it was really nice that he was pointing up to the sky. Lorcán has been on our mind for a long time.”

Winning it for Lorcán, and bring the cup to him, was a big motivation for the Clonduff team.. “We knew, and this might sound a bit overconfident, that we were going to win it, and we knew we were going to go up to him and thank him.

“We called to see Lorcán on the way home as well, the graveyard is just above the pitch. All 50 of us went out and we thanked him.”

McConville’s final kick gave Clonduff a bit of breathing space and ultimately sealed the deal at the end as they went on to collect the title for the tenth time in their history.

“It’s been mad, in a total good way. It’s been emotional. You think you know a place, but when you see the outpouring or relief and emotion, it was far more than I thought it was going to be – and that’s from the final whistle to the homecoming.

“It was class. As a Belfast man, to actually see a parish celebrate properly, it was great. We went back into Clonduff on a bus, we went through the town, and the streets were lined with people.

“We went down to the clubhouse and there were loads of people and we had a bit of a thanksgiving outside in the rain. We got absolutely soaked while we danced and had a bit of craic.”

The Monday club has been and gone, followed by the Tuesday club, but things will soon have to get back on track as the Ulster Championship is just around the corner.

Clonduff are due to take on the Tyrone champions – the winner of the Sunday’s showdown between Edendork and Errigal Ciaran – in the preliminary round of the provincial championship.

It’s a fresh challenge and a new one for the club and the players, but one that Adams and his squad will relish. “We’ve got the Tyrone champions up first so there’s no easy, settling in period for us,” the former Antrim player and coached continued.

“We’re going to be playing a team that has come through the hardest championship in Ulster so we’re really looking forward to it.

“The shackles are off; we’re playing teams the last three years who you know inside out so this is the chance to play at a different level and it’s a different experience for the lads.

“I think we’re well suited to that type of football, we play a good game, and the boys play football the right way so we’re really looking forward to it.”