The official competition launch and draw for the 2017 Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup recently took place at the Fitzwilliam Hotel, Belfast.
The event was attended by a very strong line up of players, management & officials from the twelve competing teams, as well as a large number of media personnel. The event was streamed live to the Ulster GAA Facebook page in partnership with the team at Linwoods Armagh TV.
The draw was conducted by Ulster GAA President Michael Hasson and Terry McCrudden, Head of Branches East, Retail NI, on behalf of competition sponsors Bank of Ireland.
The fixtures are:
Section A – Queen’s University Belfast – Down – Armagh – Derry
Section B – St Mary’s University College, Belfast – Antrim – Fermanagh – Monaghan
Section C – Ulster University – Tyrone – Cavan – Donegal
8th Jan (Sun): Round 1:
Section A:
Down V QUB at RGU Downpatrick
Derry V Armagh at Owenbeg
Section B:
Antrim V St Mary’s at Corrigan Park
Monaghan V Fermanagh at Clones
Section C:
Cavan V Tyrone at Kingspan Breffni Park
Donegal V Ulster University at Pairc MacCumhaill
15th Jan (Sun): Round 2:
Section A:
Down V Derry at Pairc Esler
Armagh V QUB at Athletic Grounds
Section B:
Antrim V Monaghan at Corrigan Park
Fermanagh V St Mary’s at Brewster Park
Section C:
Donegal V Cavan at Pairc MacCumhaill
Tyrone V Ulster University at Healy Park
18th Jan (Wed): Round 3:
Section A:
Derry V QUB at Owenbeg
Armagh V Down at Athletic Grounds
Section B:
Fermanagh V Antrim at Brewster Park
Monaghan V St Mary’s at Inniskeen
Section C:
Cavan V Ulster University at Kingspan Breffni Park
Tyrone V Donegal at Healy Park
22nd Jan (Sun): Semi Finals:
(1) Section C Winner V Best Runner Up
(2) Section B Winner V Section A Winner
28th Jan (Sat): Final:
Speaking at the launch, Ulster GAA President Michael Hasson said:
“The Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup throws in with Round 1 fixtures on Sunday 8th January with four additional rounds of games over the following twenty days until the final on Saturday 28th January.
Although the competition takes place very soon in the New Year, the large attendances in recent seasons have shown that our supporters cannot wait to see their teams back on the field of play.
With the competition entering its 90th year, I would like to again thank our sponsors Bank of Ireland for their continued support at this and all levels throughout the Province and we look forward to working with them to deliver a very successful 2017 competition’’
Terry McCrudden, Bank of Ireland, Head of Branches, East Retail NI. said:
“We are delighted to be part of the Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup. The competition is a great opportunity for people to come together and for teams to show their skills.
Bank of Ireland is proud to support a range of sporting events across Northern Ireland to encourage competitive spirits among young people throughout our community.”
Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup Competition Tickets
Ulster GAA are again selling a limited number of competition tickets for the 2017 Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup.
This will permit access to Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3 games involving your team, both semi-finals and the final for just £20/€25… that’s a potential saving of over 60%!
For more information, or to purchase competition tickets, visit here.
By Majella Boyd Wed 7th Dec