DANSKE Bank Mageean Cup and Masita All-Ireland Paddy Buggy Cup champions Cross and Passion Ballycastle will begin the defence of their titles with group games against two Derry schools, St Patrick’s Maghera and Gaelcholáiste Dhoire.
That was the outcome of the Danske Bank Mageean Cup draw at the launch of the Ulster schools’ GAA programme for 2025-26 at the Tyrone Centre of Excellence at Garvaghy today.
In Group A last year’s beaten finalists St Killian’s Garron Tower are aiming for a fourth successive final appearance.
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They lost the 2022 final to St Louis Ballymena while St Mary’s CBGS are record holders of the trophy, although the last of those 28 titles came back in 2017.
Since the last of St Mary’s titles there have been no fewer than seven different champions as the competition has become ultra-competitive. However it is still a disappointment that the number of teams entered this season has dropped to six.
Amalgamated teams have been left out since An Dún won the 2018 title while 2021 champions St Patrick’s Downpatrick had already dropped down to the Danske Bank Casement Cup two years after their success.
This year Our Lady’s & St Patrick’s Knock have opted to re-group at Casement Cup level leaving Gaelcholáiste Dhoire as the only team in the competition that hasn’t previously won it.
St Patrick’s Maghera won the Danske Bank Foresters’ Cup two seasons ago. In that team Maghera featured a number of dual players who helped the school to the Hogan back in March around the same time Cross & Passion Ballycastle were succeeding them as Foresters’ Cup champions.
The pair would still be seen as competition favourites along with whichever team tops Group A and therefore get a free ticket into the semi-finals.
The opening group games are in a fortnight with the three rounds completed before the Halloween break. The quarter-finals are scheduled for the first week of November with the semi-finals taking place a fortnight later and the 74th competition ends with a final at the Dub on Friday 5th December.
Danske Bank Mageean Cup
Group A
St Mary’s CBGS Belfast
St Killian’s Garron Tower
St Louis Ballymena
Group B
Cross and Passion Ballycastle
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire
St Patrick’s Maghera