Hurlers head towards the championship

Shaun Casey takes a look at how Ulster’s hurlers are faring ahead of their championships

Antrim

Manager: Davy Fitzgerald

Captains: Paddy Burke and Nigel Elliott

THERE were some chastening moments for Davy Fitzgerald and the Antrim hurlers during the league but they compiled enough points to secure their place in Division 1B for another season. Wins over relegated Westmeath and Laois were the most important days out for the Saffrons, while they also earned a share of the spoils against Carlow, but it was the hefty defeats to the likes of Dublin, Offaly and Waterford that caught the most headlines. Clare legend Fitzgerald, who guided his county to an All-Ireland title in 2013, is still in his first season with the Antrim men and may still be finding his feet, but he’ll be eyeing up a big Leinster Championship campaign, which kicks off with a tough away day against his former team Wexford, who he won a Leinster title with back in 2019. There are certainly no easy games when it comes to the business end of the season and retaining their position in the provincial competition will be top of Antrim’s to-do list. After the Wexford encounter, Fitzgerald’s side will host kingpins Kilkenny before taking on Galway, Dublin and Offaly to see out the group stage phase.

Armagh

Manager: Karl McKeegan

Captain: Barry Shortt

HAVING survived by the skin of their teeth in Division Three, relying on results elsewhere to save their bacon following their final day loss to London, Armagh will be relieved to put the league campaign behind them. The two teams they beat, Cavan and Sligo, ended up dropping out of the division, and Armagh did put in a couple of notable performances, but have yet to string together an entire 70-minute display. They begin their championship campaign with the recently promoted Fermanagh, who will join the Orchard County in Division Three next season, and face a series of tough challenges in the Nickey Rackard Cup. Home advantage will be huge, although Karl McKeegan’s side suffered three defeats on home turf throughout the league. Armagh host Mayo and Louth while they are on the road for their ties against Fermanagh, Roscommon and Sligo. The two Connacht opponents are probably the two front runners, but Armagh will see all five of their contests as very winnable. They have failed to deliver in terms of the championship in recent years and haven’t reached the decider since 2019, so they will be keen to put in a big campaign.

Cavan

Manager: Ollie Bellew

Captain: Shane Briody

CAVAN possibly feel hard done by in the fact they suffered relegation to Division Four on the final day of the league campaign, even though they weren’t in action. They had fulfilled all their fixtures before the last round but hadn’t accumulated enough points to stay up and instead slid through the trap door. Cavan hurling has been on the rise over the past few seasons under manager Ollie Bellew and heading into the championship, they’ll hope to take inspiration from their local Ulster neighbours and deliver a Lory Meagher Cup title. The last two winners of the competition have been Monaghan and Fermanagh, so the Breffni Blues can make it an Ulster hattrick this season, but there’s a long way to go before they start thinking that far forward just yet. They travel to Warwickshire for the first round before hosting Monaghan and Lancashire. Cavan are then off to Longford before finishing the campaign with a home clash with Leitrim. Those are five very winnable games for Bellew’s team, although they’ll hope to have sharpshooter Liam O’Brien back after he missed their final game of the league against Armagh.

Derry

Manager: Johnny McGarvey

Captain: Cormac O’Doherty

WHEN it came to the bit, Derry showed real determination and resolve to deliver on the big day and maintain their position in Division Two. It was a winner takes all battle with Donegal in the final round of the league and Derry came up trumps and passed that particular test with flying colours. Now, Johnny McGarvey’s side will turn all their attention towards the championship and the Oakleaf County will hope to be one of the top contenders for the Christy Ring Cup this year, a trophy they have never won before despite appearing in three of the last four deciders. Final defeats to Kildare (2024), Meath (2023) and Offaly (2021) have been tough pills to swallow but Derry have gotten right back on the horse and will once again aim to go one step further in 2025. They will have stiff competition of course, but with skipper Cormac O’Doherty back to full fitness, they’ll hope they can push on. Derry face a rematch against Donegal to get their campaign up and running before a weekend in London. Home games against Meath and Wicklow are split by a short trip to Tyrone and Derry will be keen to fly out of the traps.

Donegal

Manager: Michael McCann

Captain: Conor Gartland

FOR all the excellent work Michael McCann has done for Donegal over the last few years, including their historic victory over Kerry earlier on in the season, the league finished on a sour note as the Tir Chonaill men were relegated from Division Two. They suffered a hefty hammering on the final day of the campaign against Derry which saw them tumble out of the division, although they had certainly shown they were good enough to compete at that level. McCann has gotten a bit of time to lift his troops and refocus the minds as a fresh competition is just around the corner with the Christy Ring Cup kicking off soon. They can gain instant revenge against the Oakleafers, and will be plotting their downfall in the opening round of the championship. Donegal will host Wicklow before travelling to Tyrone, who they suffered relegation alongside. London will come to Donegal while McCann’s men travel to Meath on the final day and they will be hopeful that they can pick up enough points throughout the group stages to reach the knockout phase and possibly contest a first-ever Christy Ring Cup decider.

Down

Manager: Ronan Sheehan

Captain: Caolan Taggart and Eoghan Sands

DOWN hurling has been on the rise for the past number of seasons under the watchful eye of Ronan Sheehan, but the Mourne men reached new heights in 2025. Five consecutive victories at the start of their Division Two campaign saw Down’s ascension to top tier hurling confirmed and while there was the slip up against Meath in the final round, that didn’t really cause much concern. Not only will they ply their trade in Division 1B next year and test themselves against the best in the country, but Down are going up as league champions. Their dramatic league final victory over Kildare was the perfect way to sign off on a memorable campaign and, in terms of championship preparations, it has been ideal. Now, their attentions will fully turn towards the Joe McDonagh Cup as they aim to claim that title for the very first time. It’s a tough competition this year, with Laois, Westmeath, Kerry, Carlow and Kildare all vying for the crown as well but with all the confidence and momentum from the league behind them, Down are in a brilliant position.

Fermanagh

Manager: Joe Baldwin

Captain: Ryan Bogue

AT the start of the season, Fermanagh would have set out their stall that the main aim for the league was to gain promotion from Division Four and they’ve ticked the first box on their 2025 to-do list. Joe Baldwin’s men contested the league final and came up short against Louth but enjoyed a good campaign, which started and finished with defeats to the Wee County, but they did pick up five successive victories in between times. With the league now in the rearview mirror, it’s all about the championship and Fermanagh will be pleased to be back competing in the Nickey Rackard Cup. They finished the 2024 season on the steps of the Hogan Stand having claimed Lory Meagher Cup glory, beating Longford in the final by five points, but now they face the challenge of a higher grade. They kickstart their championship journey with a home tie versus Armagh while Joe Baldwin’s men will also face tough tests against Louth, Sligo, Roscommon and Mayo. There are certainly no easy games in the Nickey Rackard Cup but the Erne County will embrace the step up in quality and will be keen to give a good account of themselves.

Monaghan

Manager: Arthur Hughes

Captains: Hugh Byrne and Aaron Kenny

2025 has proven a difficult season so far for Arthur Hughes and his Monaghan men as they really struggled to pick up points in Division Four of the league. From their six games, the Farney men picked up just two points, thanks to their round four victory over Warwickshire, and finished at the bottom of the table. They hit three goals that day against Warwickshire but raising green flags has been a major issue this year as they only claimed another two goals, both coming against Longford in the final round when neither team had anything left to play for. Monaghan are back competing at Lory Meagher Cup level, two years after they claimed the crown at Croke Park in one of the best, most historic days ever in Monaghan hurling history. This team would love to repeat that glory this season but it certainly won’t be straightforward given the amount of quality in the Lory Meagher Cup competition. Monaghan take on Leitrim in the opening round match before facing off against Ulster foes Cavan. They will then finish their campaign against Warwickshire, Lancashire and Longford, three teams they’ll be familiar with from the league this year.

Tyrone

Manager: Stephen McGarry

Captain: Fionn Devlin

TYRONE unfortunately suffered relegation from Division Two in the league and will be playing their hurling in Division Three this time next season. They finished at the bottom of an incredibly difficult Division Two, with six losses from their six encounters. There were a few trimmings along the way against the likes of the promoted sides Down and Kildare but the Red Hands were fairly competitive in a lot of their other contests. Stephen McGarry’s men are in the Christy Ring Cup for the third season in a row and will hope to secure their status in a trickly looking championship. Tyrone earned two victories in the competition last season which was enough to keep them afloat and improved on their 2023 record of one win. They will face tough opposition once again this year and they get their championship campaign up and running with two tricky away day trips to Leinster counties Wicklow and Meath. Tyrone’s first home game of the Christy Ring Cup will come in round three when they face Donegal, who were relegated from Division Two alongside them. Derry come to Omagh in round four while Tyrone will finish the group stages in London.