The Cavan county hurling team represents Cavan in hurling and is governed by Cavan GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Lory Meagher Cup and the National Hurling League.
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| Sport: | Hurling | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish: | An Cabhán[1] | ||
| Nickname(s): | The Breffni men The Breffni Blues | ||
| County board: | Cavan GAA | ||
| Manager: | Ollie Bellew | ||
| Captain: | Matthew Hynes | ||
| Home venue(s): | Breffni Park, Cavan[1] | ||
| Recent competitive record | |||
| Current All-Ireland status: | Lory Meagher Cup Group stage in 2022 | ||
| Current NHL Division: | 3B | ||
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Cavan's home ground is Breffni Park, Cavan. The team's manager is Ollie Bellew.
History edit
1908–2011 edit
Cavan represented Ulster in the semi-final of the 1908 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, but lost the delayed Ulster final to Derry. Cavan reached the Ulster final six times, but never won the competition. Cavan won the Ulster Junior Hurling Championship in 1983 and 1985, as well as Division 4 of the National Hurling League in 1983.
After an extended period of poor results, on 26 April 2011, Cavan announced that they would withdraw from Senior hurling for the foreseeable future, citing poor attendance at training and lack of numbers.[2][3] This left Cavan as the only county in Ireland without a senior hurling team. In the next few years, the county board focused on developing hurling at underage level.[4][5]
2017–present edit
After six years without fielding a team, Cavan played in the Lory Meagher Cup in 2017.[6][7] Cavan re-entered the National Hurling League in 2018, competing in Division 3B.
Cavan reached the final of the Lory Meagher Cup for the first time in 2021 after a win over Louth.[8] The final took place in Croke Park on 31 July 2021, with Cavan facing Fermanagh.[9] Fermanagh won the match by 3–26 to 1–17.[10] Cavan topped the Division 3B table in 2023, reaching the final for the first time. Cavan claimed their first silverware since the reformation of the team, with a 0–17 to 0–16 win over Leitrim.[11]
Current panel edit
Team as per Cavan vs Leitrim in the NHL Division 3B Final, 1 April 2023
Current management team edit
Managerial history edit
| Name | Origin | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Dinny Cahill | Tipperary | 2017 |
| Michael Carr | Galway | 2018–19 |
| Ollie Bellew | Antrim | 2020–21 |
| Neil Cole | Meath | 2022 |
| Ollie Bellew (2) | Antrim | 2023– |
Honours edit
National edit
- Lory Meagher Cup
Runners-up (1): 2021
- National Hurling League Division 3B
Winners (1): 2023
- National Hurling League Division 4
- Winners (1): 1983
Provincial edit
- Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
- Runners-up (6): 1908, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1935, 1936
- Ulster Junior Hurling Championship
- Winners (2): 1983, 1985
- Runners-up (2): 1988, 1994
References edit
- ^ a b "Cavan — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ Reilly, Terry (26 April 2011). "Cavan pull out of senior hurling action for five years". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Cavan hurlers withdraw". Irish Independent. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ McCarney, Damian (25 January 2013). "Starting from scratch: Cavan hurling's silent revolution". The Anglo Celt. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Duffy, Emma (30 April 2017). "The one county that were without a senior hurling team: Cavan reignite the flame". The42.ie. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Duffy, Emma (18 April 2017). "The only county without a senior hurling team are making a comeback on Saturday". The42.ie. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ "Return of Senior Hurling Team". Cavan GAA. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (24 July 2021). "Hurlers off to Croker after magnificent comeback against Louth". The Anglo-Celt. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Duffy, Emma (31 July 2021). "A six-year layoff to making history in Croke Park - Cavan chase hurling glory". The42.ie. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (31 July 2021). "Lory Meagher Cup Final: Keenan stars for Fermanagh". Gaelic Athletic Association. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (1 April 2023). "Allianz HL D3B Final: Cavan pip Letrim". Gaelic Athletic Association. Retrieved 1 April 2023.