Green shoots emerging in barren Fermanagh hurling landscape

Ten years ago today, Lisbellaw claimed the Fermanagh hurling title following a comprehensive 4-14 to 0-10 win over Lisnaskea in Enniskillen.

25 August, 2013 shouldn't have been a landmark date, but it is in Ulster hurling circles as it was the last time a senior championship match took place in the Erne County.

Before that final a decade ago, Lisnaskea player Mark Curran stated: "We’re rebuilding at the moment and next year we’re aiming to give it a rattle."

That rebuild never materialised though, with the side withdrawing ahead of the 2014 season. With no other adult team to fill the void, Lisbellaw were nominated as champions for the provincial stage, as they have been for every season since.

The impact has had many ramifications for the St Patrick’s side. Having won an intermediate provincial title in 2012, they were set for five years testing themselves against the very best in Ulster but they were always coming in severely undercooked.

When Sean Corrigan lifted the trophy in 2013, little did he realise that he would be the last person to perform such an honour. Indeed, the free-scoring forward hasn’t played a hurling championship game inside county boundaries since that day.

"Even though it ended up down as low as two teams, which in itself is obviously not a great thing, it still meant there was a championship final, a day where hurling got centre stage," Corrigan said.

"Any year that we won the final, it gave us momentum to take into the Ulster club campaigns and gave the season a bit more structure."

"Lisbellaw had just won an Ulster Intermediate title in 2012. The rule at the time kept us at senior for five years, so our first championship game of the year was against the likes of Sleacht Néill, Portaferry, Ballygalget,