WATCH: 2023 Hurler of the Year – Neil McManus


Cushendall hurler Neil McManus was named Hurler of the Year at Friday night’s Gaelic Life Ulster Club All-Stars in association with McKeever Sports. He was selected from the Hurling Team of the Year as having been the player who was an inspiration on the pitch and is a tremendous ambassador for Ulster Hurling. This category […]


McManus well aware of threat


By Shaun Casey TWENTY-FOUR hours after captaining his country to a victory over Scotland in the hurlingshinty hybrid international game at Páirc Esler, Newry, Neil McManus was back in the same venue eyeing up his next opponent. He attended the Down final between Portaferry and Ballycran, with his side Cushendall awaiting the winners. “It was […]


Ulster players named on Ireland squad for the Hurling/ Shinty international


By Michael McMullan FORMER Antrim player Neil McManus will captain the Ireland team for the Hurling/ Shinty international later this month. The squad with another man – Terence ‘Sambo’ McNaughton – on the management team will include Niall Garland from Lory Meaghar champions Monaghan and Down’s Caolan  Taggart and  Luca McCusker of  Fermanagh The game […]


Canavan and Tally among guests for St Louis talk night


By Michael McMullan LEADING GAA personalities will be in Ballymena later this month as St Louis Grammar school host ‘A Night with St. Louis’, a chat night featuring guests from across the GAA world. The event will be compered by former Dunloy and Antrim goalkeeper Shane Elliott, himself a past pupil of the school and a […]


Cushendall hoping to find feet at right time


By Michael McMullan CUSHENDALL’S focus is simple ahead of their Antrim semi-final clash with Ballycastle insists former Antrim star Neil McManus. It’s knock-out hurling and time to put in the best performance possible as the race for title number 15 takes another step on Saturday (Loughgiel, 2.30pm). McManus, who called time on a stellar county […]


Growing the Glens


By Niall Gartland RURAL depopulation. It’s a big, scary term and there are no easy fixes, but the close-knit community centred on Cushendall has taken a proactive and innovative approach to holding onto those who may be tempted to pick up sticks. Former Antrim hurling star Neil McManus is part of the ‘Grow the Glens’ […]


JOE BROLLY: Are you not entertained?


NEIL McManus retired this week. I was at St John’s for the Waterford and Cork games last season and was riveted. In the Waterford game, Neil missed a penalty with the last puck that would have won the game for Antrim. But what a game. What entertainment. In the Cork game, we basked in wonderful […]


McManus bows out after stellar Saffron career


NEIL McManus has hurled his last for Antrim after making the decision to call time on a stellar career in the saffron jersey. Speculation mounted after Antrim’s play-off win over Westmeath that it would be his last game and, in Wednesday’s in-depth feature interview with the Irish News, McManus confirmed his retirement from inter-county hurling. […]


It’s all or nothing for Antrim


By Shaun Casey FROM the outset, it was fairly obvious that Antrim and Westmeath’s fates were going to come down to the final day where the two sides meet head on, with the winner retaining their place in the Leinster Championship and the All-Ireland series. Westmeath fired a spanner into the works last weekend however […]


JOHNNY MCINTOSH: Road Trip


ANTRIM drew against Dublin last weekend in their first ever home outing in the Leinster Hurling Championship. It would’ve been an unbelievable start to the campaign if they’d won, but a draw is a really good yardstick of how far the Saffrons have come in the last number of years. A few years back, Dublin […]