Population growth and a new indoor arena - Killygarry on rise in Cavan

"It's one of those David v Goliath situations."

The words of Killygarry chairperson Anselm Lovett ahead of Sunday's Cavan SFC final against Gowna.

Lovett, however, does not see it as a lost cause for the underdog on the periphery of Cavan town. It's something Killygarry have been building towards; lots of hard work has gone in at juvenile and underage level to produce a senior team that now stands 70 minutes away from lifting the Oliver Plunkett Cup for the very first time.

Killygarry's last and only appearance in the decider was in 1971, five years after the club's formation.

Timing is everything.

"Beaten in 1971 by the Crosserlough team that did seven in a row from 1966 to '72," Lovett told RTÉ Sport, with a tinge of regret.

Failure to get over the line again in 2022 would be disappointing, but Killygarry are putting in solid foundations to ensure that senior success is imminent.

"Gowna have been vying with Killygarry for supremacy in underage for the last few years and now it looks as it will be the same at senior level for the next few years," predicts Anglo Celt journalist Paul Fitzpatrick.

Killygarry have benefitted from what Fitzpatrick calls "a demographic shift" in that people are moving out of Cavan town, with other clubs like Butlersbridge also seeing numbers grow because of this movement.

"Killygarry were traditionally a small club; they're not any more. Their minors are also in the final on Sunday and then you look at the recent success for their Under-13 and U15 squads in winning finals and getting to finals. They have three national schools to pick from; a huge amount of coaching is going on and they've built an indoor arena.

"Their women's team got to a senior final this year. They are doing lots of things well."

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