Conal Cunning still chasing Casement dream as Slaughtneil await

Dunloy attacker Conal Cunning hopes that the opportunity to represent his club and county at a newly developed Casement Park is drawing closer after it was recently included in the stadia shortlist for the joint Irish and UK bid to host Euro 2028.

The Belfast venue has been hit by a series of setbacks and delays since games stopped in 2013 for the planned redevelopment, but there was good news for Ulster GAA in May 2022 as the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents' Association lost their appeal to overturn planning permission granted in 2021.

Ulster GAA’s Stephen McGeehan, who has been involved in the project throughout, told the Irish News earlier this month that work would begin on the ground in 2023 with a view to games restarting in 2025.

"Our ambition at the moment with the design being finalized, the business case being approved, the funding position being settled, is that we will start on site towards the back end of 2023," McGeehan said.

That’s music to the ears of 'Coby’ who was speaking at an AIB GAA provincial club championship media day ahead of their Ulster Hurling final against Slaughtneil at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday.

"When you were younger you went to Casement to watch matches and it was a great place to watch county finals," he said.

"I do see that there is progress, hopefully in the twilight of my career I’m going to get to play at it someday because from what I can see of it, it looks like it’s going to be an unreal stadium.

"The last four or five years we've been in an Ulster final, semi-finals, but we’ve been beaten by Slaughtneil."

"Antrim hurling needs that. Corrigan [Park] is a great venue, I love the stand and all, but to have a big stadium like that, for Antrim hurling, for what it would do for