Colman’s meet holders Maghera in Danske Bank MacRory Cup

Record winners St Colman’s Newry to meet holders St Patrick’s Maghera in Danske Bank MacRory Cup group

Holy Trinity Cookstown have dropped down to the MacLarnon Cup, to be replaced by Patrician High Carrickmacross.

HOLDERS St Patrick’s Maghera came out of the Danske Bank MacRory Cup in Group D at yesterday morning’s draw for the 102nd version of the competition in the Tyrone Centre of Excellence in Garvaghy.

Also in Group D are Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup holders Patrician Carrickmacross, record winners St Colman’s Newry and St Patrick’s Cavan who won the last of their 12 titles in 2015.

Maghera won their 17th title with a comeback victory over first time finalists Abbey Vocational from Donegal town in Celtic Park Derry on the second weekend of February this year before going on to beat St Colman’s Claremorris in the Masita Hogan Cup decider on St Patrick’s Day.

Six of the players who featured in that Croke Park decider are again available for selection: Pádraig O’Kane, Rian Collins, Niall McNicholl, Darragh O’Neill, Dara Doherty, Odhrán Doherty.

A number of those are dual players and, as with previous draws, their school was placed in a group of four as the MacRory Cup will throw-in the week before the Halloween break while the south Derry school is participating in the Danske Bank Mageean Cup.

Last year there was a record 18 teams in the competition and that has remained the case for 2025-26 with Holy Trinity Cookstown dropping down to the MacLarnon Cup to be replaced by Patrician High Carrickmacross.

The other group of four teams is Group A where the two Donegal teams that met in last year’s semi-final, Abbey Vocational and Southwest Donegal, are lined up with Our Lady’s Castleblayney and St Michael’s Enniskillen, the latter the only previous winner of the competition in this group. The last of Enniskillen’s seven titles came in 2019 when they went on to collect a first Hogan title.

2022-23 back to back Hogan Cup winners Omagh CBS are in Group B along with St Ronan’s Lurgan, St Paul’s Bessbrook, St Patrick’s Armagh and Abbey CBS Newry.

The five teams in Group C are St Macartan’s Monaghan, St Joseph’s Donaghmore, St Mary’s Magherafelt, St Patrick’s Academy and the Derry city amalgamation of several schools, Cathair Dhoire.

The Academy are hoping that they can progress the team that collected the Danske Bank Rannafast Cup two years ago with an 0-16 to 2-6 victory over Armagh in Eglish to a first MacRory title for the school since successive titles in 2008-09, when Niall Morgan was in goals.

The 2009 Academy team beat Omagh CBS in a Tyrone derby final and Omagh, with success in last year’s Rannafast final and one or two players still remaining from the back-to-back winning Hogan Cup teams of 2023-24, could well be in the mix again for this year’s crown.

The MacRory Cup group games will take place between 20th October and the end of November with preliminary quarter-finals taking place during the first week of December.

Eight teams will then progress to the quarter-finals in early January and the final will be on 5th February 2026.

Group A
Our Lady’s Castleblayney
Southwest Donegal
Abbey Vocational Donegal
St Michael’s Enniskillen

Group B
St Ronan’s Lurgan
St Paul’s Bessbrook
Omagh CBS
St Patrick’s Armagh
Abbey CBS Newry

Group C
St Macartan’s Monaghan
St Joseph’s Donaghmore
St Mary’s Magherafelt
Cathair Dhoire
St Patrick’s Academy

Group D
St Patrick’s Maghera
Patrician Carrickmacross
St Colman’s Newry
St Patrick’s Cavan

By Séamas McAleenan Published in The Irish News September 10, 2025