Co. Sligo ended a 14-year wait for All-Ireland glory when Gerry McManus’ side claimed their first Fred Daly Trophy victory since 2012 following a brilliant performance against Galgorm Castle at Moate.
Kanturk claimed the Girls’ Inter-Club title with a combined total of 71 Stableford points, while Ballina won the Boys’ Inter-Club with a 121-point haul, and Clontarf defeated Monkstown to claim the Boys’ Foursomes pennant.
After winning in 2007 and again in 2012, Co. Sligo claimed a third Fred Daly Trophy, with Mark Muldoon sealing the 3-2 victory with a 1up win over Jack McKee on the 18th green.
Muldoon’s win came after Patrick Tuffy had claimed the first point of the afternoon with a 6&4 victory, before James Park’s 4&2 success put the Rosses Point side on the verge of a third Fred Daly Trophy.
“Fred Daly is close to my heart,” said McManus.
“I captained the first team that won the Fred Daly in 2007. It’s a special occasion to win the Fred Daly and it’s particularly special for the departure of our good friend Terry Brady.”
“We had three tough matches. It’s never a walkover for anybody and it’s great to see so many good young golfers in the country.”
“I was proud to see our boys perform well under extreme pressure, but they delivered.”
“We have nine players here, all of them have played Fred Daly this year so we have a good panel of players. I’m particularly proud of that.”
Co. Sligo had earlier battled past Belvoir Park in their semi-final on Wednesday morning, securing a 3-2 victory to book their place in the decider, while Galgorm Castle advanced after defeating Killarney 3.5-1.5.
In the Girls’ Inter-Club, Kanturk emerged victorious in a tight contest, edging Belvoir Park by a single point to claim the title.
Hannah O’Connell, Ava Buckley and Beth Buckley combined to secure the coveted green pennant for the Cork side.
“They are great girls, I’m thrilled with them and so happy to bring it to Cork,” said team captain Eimear Savage.
“We did this in 2019 with other girls and it was amazing but this is absolutely amazing to come home with the cup.”
In the Boys’ Inter-Club, Ballina finished four points clear of Cliftonville in another closely run contest. Richard Doherty’s side returned to the final having finished fifth when qualifying in 2023, but this time there was to be no denying the Mayo club.
Michael John Mercer, Corey Teer, Aidan Murphy, Oisin Corbett and Ben Osborne combined for a 121-point total to claim another All-Ireland title for Mayo.
“We’re really delighted,” said Doherty.
“We set ourselves a target in terms of scoring, but the guys actually came in over what we had hoped and fortunately it was enough to get the job done.”
“They’ve all played from when they were really young and today is a culmination of all that. All the preparation, all the competitions, all the days when it didn’t go for us and it did finally today.”
In the Boys’ Foursomes, Clontarf came through another nip and tuck battle with Monkstown to secure a one-hole victory. Despite defeat for Brian Heary and Luke Conway, Henry Cronin and Lorcan O’Connor produced a superb performance in the top match, winning 4up to hand the Dublin club the All-Ireland crown.
“We’ve had our fair share of bad luck in this competition, so we’re thrilled to get over the line this time,” said team captain David Hennessey.
“It’s a great day. We won a bronze medal in the Boys’ Inter-Club and to cap it off with the Boys’ Foursomes was a fantastic achievement.”
“We have to celebrate success, it doesn’t happen very often. You lose a lot more than you win.”
View the results here
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