Shaun Casey looks at the market leaders when it comes to the Ulster Senior Club Championship

Cushendall (12)

NO club has racked up more Ulster hurling titles than Cushendall and they sit at the top of the roll of honour with 12. The Ruairí Óg men were first crowned provincial winners way back in 1981 and last got their hands on the Four Seasons Cup as recently as 2023, when they defeated Sleacht Néill in the decider. Cushendall have only ever won back-to-back Ulster titles once in their history and that was in 1991 and 1992.

Dunloy (11)

THE ‘90s and the ‘00s were special times for Dunloy as they collected 10 of their 11 Ulster Championship crowns across those two decades. The Ulster title first visited the Cuchullain’s club in 1990 while they won four in-a-row during the noughties (2000-2003). Their tenth success arrived in 2009 and incredibly, they had to wait until 2022 to a retur to the summit and were once again crowned kings of the province.

Loughgiel (8)

THE Shamrocks are top dogs in Antrim going by the roll of honour in the Saffron County and Loughgiel also ruled the province for a period in the early noughties. They won four Antrim titles on the trot in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and backed those successes up by not only going all the way in Ulster, but they also climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand in 2012 for the second time ever, backing up their All-Ireland triumph in 1983.

Ballycastle (6)

NEXT year, it will have been 40 years since Ballycastle last earned the title of kings of Ulster but during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the Antrim club were the team to beat. They won all six of their provincial titles during a golden nine-year period and were the most successful team in Ulster during that time-frame. They won three in-a-row after their first victory, 1978, 1979 and 1980, then three in four years followed in 1983, 1984 and 1986.

Sleacht Néill (5)

SLEACHT Néill ended a 13-year wait for a Derry county title in 2013 and since then, they’ve gone on to become one of the big hitters on the Ulster hurling scene. Provincial success wasn’t instant of course, but they leaped that hurdle in 2016 and went on to retain their title the following year. Further Ulster crowns followed in 2019, 2021 and 2024 and this weekend, they’re hoping to go back-to-back once again and defend their throne.

O’Donovan Rossa (4)

O’DONOVAN Rossa have reached five Ulster finals in their history and on four occasions they came home happy. Their first provincial triumph landed in 1972, and they reached the final again in ’76 but came up short against Ballycran, losing by the narrowest of margins. They bounced back 12 months later however to capture the crown for a second time and further Ulster titles arrived at the Antrim club in 1988 and 2004.

Ballycran (3)

BALLYCRAN won two Ulster titles in the space of three years during the ‘70s and earned the title again in the ‘90s. After losing the Ulster final in 1972 to O’Donovan Rossa, they came back in ’74 to earn the title and gained revenge over Rossa in ’76. Six Ulster final defeats followed until they were eventually crowned champions once again in 1993. Since then, the Down representatives have been on a losing streak once more, losing all five of their most recent appearances in the decider.

Ballygalget (3)

BALLYGALGET won their first Ulster title way back in 1975 and had to endure a 23-year wait for a second crown to arrive in 1998. The wait for a third wasn’t just as long as they won Ulster again in 2005. The Down men have experienced the losing side of Ulster final day as well of course as they’ve reached the final another nine times and headed home empty-handed, the most recent of those being in 2017.

St John’s (1)

ST John’s are aiming to end a 52-year wait for a second Ulster crown. If they are successful this weekend, it’ll be the longest gap a team has ever waited between their last and most recent title. Saturday will also be only a second ever appearance in an Ulster final for St John’s, who will look to extend their winning streak in the decider and add to their triumph of 1973.

Portaferry (1)

PORTAFERRY have been knocking on the Ulster door ferociously in the last few years but haven’t been able to add to their one title. That crown came back in 2014, the only one of their ten Ulster decider appearances that proved successful. The Down team reached the showpiece last season and put in a strong performance but just came up short in the end to lose out to Sleacht Néill by three points.