Ulster’s first-time NFL winners

Shaun Casey looks back on Ulster county’s maiden Division One successes

Armagh
Armagh’s one and only National League title came 20 years ago during a golden period of success for the Orchard County. Following on from their historic All-Ireland win in 2002, Armagh backed it up with a first ever NFL title in 2005, beating Wexford in the final at Croke Park by seven points. Joe Kernan’s men only recorded one defeat throughout the entire campaign, to Wexford on the opening day, and beat Mayo in the semi-final. 2003 Player of the Year Steven McDonnell kicked 0-10 in the decider and also set up Paddy McKeever’s goal. 2005 was Armagh’s fourth appearance in the final, but their first time getting their hands on the title.

Cavan
Cavan were the dominant force in Ulster for the best part of five decades during the ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s and collected 27 of their 40 provincial titles during those 50 years. They made it count on the national stage as well of course, reaching 11 All-Ireland finals and winning five of them. On the National League front at that time, the Breffni Blues just weren’t as successful but they did claim their first and, to date, only top tier crown during the 1947-48 campaign, beating Cork in the final after a replay, 5-9 to 2-8. They did reach the showpiece on a few other occasions, but that was the only time they took home the prize.

Derry
The reigning Division One champions (for another few days at least) first won the competition way back in the 1946-1947 season when they defeated Clare in the final by four points, 2-9 to 2-5. The Oakleafers contested another three finals before eventually winning the trophy again in the ‘90s, where they more than made up for those past defeats. Not only did the Sam Maguire make its way to Derry during that decade, but they also won the National League four times, in 1991-92, ’94-95, ’95-96 and 1999-2000. Since then, Derry have reached a further four top-tier deciders and claimed the trophy twice, in 2008 and last season, in their memorable showdown with Dublin.

Donegal
The Tir Chonaill County have one National League title to their name and that triumph came back in 2007. They completed the league phase with an unbeaten run of seven games, winning six of those outings, before defeating Kildare by two points in the semi-final to reach the showpiece for the first time since 1996. They faced Mayo in the final at Croke Park and six points shared equally between Colm McFadden and Brian Roper helped propel them to a 0-13 to 0-10 victory. Plenty of the stars of that team would go on to lift the Sam Maguire Cup under the guidance of Jim McGuinness a couple of years later, with the likes of McFadden, Karl Lacey, Neil McGee, Paul Durcan, Neil Gallagher, Eamon McGee and Rory Kavanagh all getting their hands on Celtic Crosses.

Down
1959-60 was the first time Down lifted the National League crown and that inspired further success later on that season as they collected the Sam Maguire for the very first time in 1960 and were the first team to bring the trophy across the border. The Mourne men reached the top tier decider again in 1961-62 and saw off Dublin with one point to spare, 2-5 to 1-7. The 1967-68 season saw the men in red and black claim the National League crown once again, beating Kildare by three in the final and like the start of the decade, that led to All-Ireland success further down the line as they picked up a third All-Ireland title that season. Down were crowned league winners in 1982-1983 again, and that was the last time they held the honour.

Monaghan
Monaghan reached back-to-back National League finals in 1984-85 and 1985-86, their only two appearances in the Division One decider, and picked up the victory in their first attempt. They overcame their Ulster neighbours Armagh in the 1984-85 decider with five points to spare, 1-11 to 0-9. They came back the following season to contest the showpiece once again but this time around the Farney County ended up on the wrong side of the result, losing to Laois by the minimum of margins in the end, 2-6 to 2-5. In 1985 they went on to capture the Anglo Celt Cup and backed it up three years later by capturing the title again.

Tyrone
The turn of the millennium marked a significant rise in Tyrone fortunes and they have dined at the very top table ever since. They first tasted national success in 2002, hammering Mayo in the league semi-final before beating Cavan in the decider, to lift the Division One crown for the very first time. Tyrone backed it up again the following year as they retained their title and Mickey Harte’s men went on to claim Ulster and All-Ireland glory later that year, earning Sam for the very first time. Tyrone were crowned All-Ireland champions in 2005 and 2008 again before claiming a fourth in 2021.