St Pat’s push on in second half to clinch Mageean glory
January 15, 2026
Danske Bank Mageean Cup Final
St Patrick’s, Maghera 4-13 Cross & Passion, Ballycastle 1-12
A dominant second-half performance saw St Patrick’s, Maghera secure the Mageean Cup on Wednesday evening at the Dub Arena with a 4-13 to 1-12 victory over holders Cross & Passion, Ballycastle.
While the final scoreline suggests a comfortable win for the Derry school, the game was a contest of two distinct halves. Cross & Passion gave as good as they got in the opening period, taking a slender lead into the interval, but St Patrick’s took control after the break and with their half-back line and midfield totally dominant they pulled away for a 10-point victory.
First Half: Nothing to Separate the Sides
The game began at a frenetic pace, with St Patrick’s drawing first blood within 30 seconds through a Rian Collins point, bit Cross & Passion responded almost immediately, with Oisin McCallin converting a free after a foul on Emmet McKendry.
The opening quarter remained tight, with Cross & Passion holding a narrow 0-6 to 0-5 lead after 15 minutes. Oisin McCallin (frees) and Cadhan Crawford (from play) were instrumental for the Ballycastle side, while Rian Collins, Odhran Doherty, and Darragh O’Neill were central to Maghera’s efforts.
Maghera looked to have seized the initiative before the break when Odhran Doherty’s diagonal ball found Collins in the left corner and the Lavey flyer fired across goal into the bottom corner for a superbly taken goal. However, Cross & Passion showed resilience, hitting back with points to take a 0-10 to 1-6 lead at half-time.
Second Half: Maghera Take Control
St Patrick’s adopted a more direct approach in the second half, a tactic that paid immediate dividends. Early in the period, Rian Collins saw his shot saved by goalkeeper Ruairi McShane, but Fionn Cartin was on hand to finish the rebound to the net.
With the momentum firmly with the Derry side, Ultan McCloskey added a third goal ten minutes later with a high finish. While Paidi O’Kane managed to pull a goal back for Cross & Passion to keep their hopes alive, the Maghera defence held firm.
Fionn Cartin secured the title in the closing minutes, firing home his second goal of the night to confirm the victory for for the Maghera side and seal the school’s first title since 2017.
St Pat’s now through to the Paddy Buggy semi-final
The win puts the Derry side into the All Ireland semi-final of the Paddy Cup and on the evidence on show tonight there is no reason why they can’t go all the way. They face the Leinster champions in the semi-final in early March will fancy their chances of becoming the third Ulster team in a row to take the Paddy Buggy title.
Teams and Scorers
St Patrick’s, Maghera Scorers: R Collins 1-8 (0-5f, 1 ‘65’), F Cartin 2-0, U McCloskey 1-1, O Doherty 0-2, PJ Glover 0-1, S O’Kane 0-1. Team: D Collins, P Peoples, D O’Neill, O Burke, D McCloskey, O Doherty, C Gallagher, D McEldowney, N McNicholl, R Collins, P O’Kane, PJ Glover, U McCloskey, F Cartin, S O’Kane. Subs: R McGuckin for PJ Glover (50), D McKaigue for Burke (54), C McCloskey for U McCloskey (57).
Cross & Passion, Ballycastle Scorers: O McCallin 0-6 (frees), C Crawford 0-5, P O’Kane 1-1. Team: R McShane, E Johnston, L Smyth, A Gillan, O Donnelly, D Kinney, L Connolly, L McConville, O Connolly, C Johnston, O McCallin, L McGarry, E McKendry, C Crawford, P O’Kane. Subs: C McAuley for Connolly (50).
Referee: Mr. Darren McKeown (St Gall’s)
Published on The Saffron Gael
