Antrim Hurlers 1989

this group of players have to go down as the best Ulster team ever they never went away they stuck at it and got to the final , they were very unlucky to meet a Tipp team in flying form , but a lot of people seem to forget they beat a great offaly side to get to the final , now imagine trying to train and play hurling at such a high standard in the six counties back then in the height of the troubles and take into fact that they had no great opposition in ulster only for down this achievement is just huge , i doubt it will ever be bettered

What about Gaway's breakthrough in 75 ,during mass immigration..

read the post mullins i said ulsters greatest team

mullins wrote:What about Gaway's breakthrough in 75 ,during mass immigration..

Who TF was moving to Galway in 1975.....or any other year for that matter....

I think you need to expand it and say 1986 to 1991.

In 86 they scored 1-24 against Cork in the semi, bad goalkeeping cost them the game. In 87 they ran Kilkenny close until the last 10 minutes, and in 88 the Tipp game turned in 30 seconds when Barr rattled the Tipp cross bar, the ball was cleared the length of the field, and Fox goaled.

1991 was my proudest moment when we should have beaten Kilkenny. The usual pattern, we led for mush of the game, but near the end Kilkenny got level and went ahead. That year we came back, and leveled. Nip and tuck before Kilkenny got two memorable points to snatch victory.

Of course they were the worst Kilkenny team ever, Morrisey, DJ, two O'Connors, Pat O'Neill, John Power, God knows how this poorest team ever won the next two titles.

However antrim also made the final in 1943 having beaten Galway and Kilkenny to get there, and the same players beat Leinster in the railway cup before running a Christy Ring powered Munster close in the final. The Railway Cup was big then. That team featured Ulster's greatest ever GAA personality, Kevin Armstrong.

And all of this in isolation, which is the sad thing.

But I wonder what was happening in the 1940s in Antrim as the county had a great football team as well, and the camogs won 3 in a row.

Good thread nice to see recognition of this team from the south, great side i seen them in 90 v cork not a great day, 91 kilkenny heart break, even bigger a year later when the great down side of the early nineties chinned us in the ulster final, the blaneys great dual players, noel sands, noel keith, the coulters, branniffs, superb team, ran tip close in the semi im near sure, the 93 game v tipp was odd we dominated but didnt put the scores on the board and a maturing dj ripped us a new one, unfortunately antrim hurling fell wen many of the side retired at the same time in the mid 90s, took us years to recover probably until dinnys first stint 2002, cant go without mentioning derry of the late nineties early noughties, the collins, mckeevers, big geoffrey, downeys again great dual men.

Made a point of mentioning the down team and the derry team as they too feilded strong teams at tough times in the north, these are the counties which hold the majority of the unionist population and always did, yet they are the same counties who made good genuine effort at all GAA codes. Not a pop at the other counties but just a fact.

A bit harsh there NSG. Teams can come out of nowhere (even in Ulster) and become the greatest teams/players in history - in less than a decade ....

Relax lads - only wumming ......

The Down team of the early 90s had Antrim's best man in charge, the immortal Sean McGuinness. They reached the all Ireland semi, performed well against Cork, and did the same three years later.

They also relegated Kilkenny to Division 2 by winning a relegation play off at Nowlan Park. I doubt if Cody could match that!!!!

Once the powers decided to have a quarter final, and someone chose CLONES as a venue for Down V Tipp, Antrim appeared to lose interest. Derry had some fine players, and Ollie Collins would feature high up in my best ever i have seen at centre half forward, but I still believe that Dunloy would have beaten that Derry side. The same players were not "performing" for the county once the semi at Croke was taken away.

And it did require Dinny to change the mind set.

the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

patrique wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

So you are saying that a side who were losing to the defending champion's late in the game by the smallest of margins would have been considered worse than a team that got an absolute pummelling by a Tipp side playing in second gear....deary me

Jamsie only had two good seasons, that is news to me and pretty much every other hurling fan, especially as he picked up 4 all star awards.....Has any Antrim hurler ever won 4 all star awards

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

So you are saying that a side who were losing to the defending champion's late in the game by the smallest of margins would have been considered worse than a team that got an absolute pummelling by a Tipp side playing in second gear....deary me

Jamsie only had two good seasons, that is news to me and pretty much every other hurling fan, especially as he picked up 4 all star awards.....Has any Antrim hurler ever won 4 all star awards

That 1989 Tipperary team as they reached the end of the road were pummelling a team in Munster finals called......CXlare.

Tipp of course were over the hill then, but if you look at their 6 forwards from 89 and look at Clare's in 95, well not OONE Clare man would get his place.

And in 95 Offaly were lucky to beat Down in the semi.

Mind you, Down had the best keeper and full back in Ireland in those days.

patrique wrote:

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

So you are saying that a side who were losing to the defending champion's late in the game by the smallest of margins would have been considered worse than a team that got an absolute pummelling by a Tipp side playing in second gear....deary me

Jamsie only had two good seasons, that is news to me and pretty much every other hurling fan, especially as he picked up 4 all star awards.....Has any Antrim hurler ever won 4 all star awards

That 1989 Tipperary team as they reached the end of the road were pummelling a team in Munster finals called......CXlare.

Tipp of course were over the hill then, but if you look at their 6 forwards from 89 and look at Clare's in 95, well not OONE Clare man would get his place.

And in 95 Offaly were lucky to beat Down in the semi.

Mind you, Down had the best keeper and full back in Ireland in those days.

Offaly beat Down by 11 points, luck alright

Maybe a clare Forward from 1995 mightn't have gotten on that Tipp side but the same could nearly be said of the tipp backs from 1989, can't think of many of them who would have made the Clare 1-7....maybe Noel Sheehy instead of O'Halleron but that would be about it


Tipp never played Clare in the 1989 Munster championship, they beat Waterford in the 1989 final but you have already made many factually incorrect statements on this thread so it is no real surprise

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

So you are saying that a side who were losing to the defending champion's late in the game by the smallest of margins would have been considered worse than a team that got an absolute pummelling by a Tipp side playing in second gear....deary me

Jamsie only had two good seasons, that is news to me and pretty much every other hurling fan, especially as he picked up 4 all star awards.....Has any Antrim hurler ever won 4 all star awards

That 1989 Tipperary team as they reached the end of the road were pummelling a team in Munster finals called......CXlare.

Tipp of course were over the hill then, but if you look at their 6 forwards from 89 and look at Clare's in 95, well not OONE Clare man would get his place.

And in 95 Offaly were lucky to beat Down in the semi.

Mind you, Down had the best keeper and full back in Ireland in those days.

Offaly beat Down by 11 points, luck alright

Maybe a clare Forward from 1995 mightn't have gotten on that Tipp side but the same could nearly be said of the tipp backs from 1989, can't think of many of them who would have made the Clare 1-7....maybe Noel Sheehy instead of O'Halleron but that would be about it


Tipp never played Clare in the 1989 Munster championship, they beat Waterford in the 1989 final but you have already made many factually incorrect statements on this thread so it is no real surprise

It always helps if you can read.

I stated quite categorically that when that Tipp team were washed up, say 4 years later, they were pummeling teams.

1993 Tipperary 3-27 (36) Clare 2-12 (18)

They "pummeled" Antrim by 18 when they were young, fresh and hungry. Their next game in 93 Galway beat Tipp, before losing to Kilkenny by some distance.

So as I already stated, when that Tipp team were washed up, about 4th or 5th in Ireland, they were pummeling Clare in Munster final.

Not to much inaccurate about that, even the second time around.

patrique wrote:

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

The Puke wrote:

patrique wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

The Puke wrote:the worst team to ever contest an all ireland final.....

Pure shite there Puke ... have you not seen the Mayo footballers?

When one considers that in the 1994 league quarter Antrim werev hot favourites to beat Clare, I could suggest that the Clare team of 1995 who required a fortuitous last minute goal to beat an under achieving Offaly team on the day, might claim that honour.

They had Sean McMahon and..............yer man, the forward who had two good seasons....Jimmy...jamsie something.....

So you are saying that a side who were losing to the defending champion's late in the game by the smallest of margins would have been considered worse than a team that got an absolute pummelling by a Tipp side playing in second gear....deary me

Jamsie only had two good seasons, that is news to me and pretty much every other hurling fan, especially as he picked up 4 all star awards.....Has any Antrim hurler ever won 4 all star awards

That 1989 Tipperary team as they reached the end of the road were pummelling a team in Munster finals called......CXlare.

Tipp of course were over the hill then, but if you look at their 6 forwards from 89 and look at Clare's in 95, well not OONE Clare man would get his place.

And in 95 Offaly were lucky to beat Down in the semi.

Mind you, Down had the best keeper and full back in Ireland in those days.

Offaly beat Down by 11 points, luck alright

Maybe a clare Forward from 1995 mightn't have gotten on that Tipp side but the same could nearly be said of the tipp backs from 1989, can't think of many of them who would have made the Clare 1-7....maybe Noel Sheehy instead of O'Halleron but that would be about it


Tipp never played Clare in the 1989 Munster championship, they beat Waterford in the 1989 final but you have already made many factually incorrect statements on this thread so it is no real surprise

It always helps if you can read.

I stated quite categorically that when that Tipp team were washed up, say 4 years later, they were pummeling teams.

1993 Tipperary 3-27 (36) Clare 2-12 (18)

They "pummeled" Antrim by 18 when they were young, fresh and hungry. Their next game in 93 Galway beat Tipp, before losing to Kilkenny by some distance.

So as I already stated, when that Tipp team were washed up, about 4th or 5th in Ireland, they were pummeling Clare in Munster final.

Not to much inaccurate about that, even the second time around.

I stand corrected, still doesn't make up for the other inaccuracies you have tried to pass off as fact on this thread....Don't get what Tipp beating Clare in the 1993 Munster final has to do with my original point, don't think I ever stated anything aboyt the 1993 Clare side or their ability and the results of the 1994 and 1994 finals were very much watersheds in Clare hurling

In short I still stand by my original point that the Antrim team from 1989 were the worst team ever to contest an All Ireland Final, Limerick from 2007 being a close second

In short I still stand by my original point that the Antrim team from 1989 were the worst team ever to contest an All Ireland Final, Limerick from 2007 being a close second





Sad, very, very sad.

Dont talk nonsense puke, scorelines mean nothing and if they did what about waterford kk and the waterford team is still strong.

North Side Gael wrote:Dont talk nonsense puke, scorelines mean nothing and if they did what about waterford kk and the waterford team is still strong.

Puke is young, do not be too harsh. He/she measures things by All star awards.

Christy Ring NEVER won an all star.

Neither did Noel Keith, although Davy Fitz might have.

Having said that Davy Fitz was as good as me, if less volatile.

And I was good.

But not as good as Keith.