By Peter McGrath jnr
THE 2025 GAA season is almost upon us. It dawns with a great sense of anticipation and, this year, a great element of the unknown.
The raft of rule changes have been designed to revitalise the game and they will surely take some getting used to.
There could be carnage at club level in some cases, but a new season is about hope, positivity and belief.
In all of those things there is an element of reflection too as teams will cast their minds to their forefathers, sides who achieved great glories in the past.
Ten years ago in 2015, Kilcoo embarked on what would become their period of dominance in Down, a victory over Castlewellan in the county final (3-10 – 0-11) secured a fourth consecutive title for the Magpies.
They would go on to win six in a row before surrendering one to Burren, but they quickly regrouped and have again embarked on an incredible run of six successive Frank O’Hare Cup triumphs.
Loughinisland and Glasdrumman won the Intermediate and Junior championships respectively.
At county level it was a disappointing year for Down with a one-point loss to Derry in the Ulster Championship followed by a qualifier defeat on the road at Wexford.
Twenty years ago, in 2005, to mark Elvis Presley’s 70th birthday, all eighteen of his UK number-one singles were re-released.
Past glories were also rekindled in the Mourne county as both minors and U-21s reached All Ireland finals.
The older of those age groups fell to Galway in a thriller on a remarkable scoreline of 6-5 – 4-6 but things had a happier ending for the minors who secured the title.
The Mourne lads beat holders Tyrone in the Ulster quarter final going all the way to the decider where they brushed past Mayo 1-15 – 0-8 on September 25th, winning a fourth ever minor All Ireland.
Read the full piece in the current issue of the Mourne Observer.
