January joy awaits Derry kingpins Glen this afternoon if they overcome Kilmacud Crokes in the All-Ireland final, and it's a month that has been very kind to them in the past, and of the utmost importance.
When it comes to circling important dates on the Ulster GAA calendar, the first of them all, 1 January, requires heavy ink as new provincial minor club champions are traditionally crowned in Belfast.
Enda Gormley, perhaps the Glen club's most famous name, knows that more than most.
The Ulster Minor Football Championship has become one of the jewels up north as big crowds flock to the St Paul’s club in the lead up to Christmas with a New Year’s Day final providing a reassuringly accurate barometer for senior success ever since the tournament's inception in 1982.
Of the 26 clubs to lift the Jimmy McConville Cup, 19 have won a senior county title within the next decade. Derry outfit Lavey have a number of years left to stretch that to 20 after their 2019 success.
With that in mind, Glen’s first-ever Derry senior title in 2021 was a case of 'when, not if' given their incredible four-year domination of the tournament between 2011 and 2014. Senior title two and a first-ever Ulster Senior crown in 2022 only added weight to the ruggedness of the foundation blocks provided at St Paul’s.
Four consecutive titles at underage level is a pretty special achievement given the ever-changing nature of teams due to age restrictions, but they came again and again with a trio of Armagh clubs - Armagh Harps, Silverbridge and Killeavy - and Southern Gaels, a Cavan amalgamation of Gowna and Lacken, defeated in the finals.
The Player of the Match awards in those games went to Danny Tallon and Emmett Bradley, their two stars in the All-Ireland
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