Ulster SHC bow beyond Setanta’s wildest dreams admits veteran Kevin Campbell

It has taken Kevin Campbell 25 years to achieve something which was once beyond his wildest dreams when he first donned the green and black jersey of Setanta.

This Saturday, Kevin and his Setanta teammates will write a new chapter in the now famous Finn Valley club’s proud hurling history when they go toe to toe with Antrim champions St John’s in the Ulster Club SHC semi-final. The game is on Saturday at Owenbeg, throw-in 6pm.

It is not only a first outing in the Ulster SHC for Kevin and the current crop of Setanta players. It is also a first for the Crossroads-based club. And not only that, it is a first for a Donegal club.

“When I was growing up in the 1990s I never thought I would play in the Ulster Senior championship,” said the veteran Setanta man, now acting as the side’s goalkeeper.

“And for a good few years into my senior hurling playing days, it never even crossed my mind that we would one day play on the highest stage in Ulster Club hurling.

“We played in the Ulster Junior and Ulster Intermediate alright and we won two Junior championships in 2017 and 2022 and we won the Intermediate in 2023.

“But the Senior championship always seemed like a bridge too far. But the fact that we won the intermediate in ‘23, we have to play in the senior this season.

“It probably is a testament to the strides being made in Donegal hurling in the last few years. This year, for the first time ever, we have three Donegal teams competing in Ulster.

“We are obviously in the Senior championship, St Eunan’s played in the Intermediate championship and, unfortunately, they were beaten last weekend by a strong Carrickmore side from Tyrone.

“But Burt are through to the Ulster Junior final against Lavey from Derry and I think they have a great chance.”

A forward and leading marksman for both Setanta and Donegal for the most of his playing days, Kevin has played between the posts now for the last three seasons.

“After St Eunan's beat us in the 2021 final I stopped playing and took up the role of coach the following year and only came back in 2023 when we had no goalkeeper.

“We had two good keepers in Mark Kane and Ciaran Bellew. But due to business commitments Mark was able to commit.

“And, likewise, Ciaran was from Belfast and was living in Strabane when he was playing with us. But he moved to Derry to live so he was no longer available so they turned to me and I've been there since and I must say I’m enjoying it.”

St John’s, the Antrim champions, might only have won their first Antrim hurling championship in 52 years last month, but go into the weekend as overwhelming favourites.

They defeated Loughgiel Shamrocks by one-point, 2-16 to 1-18, in the Saffron decider three weeks ago and they defeated a fine Cushendall side in the semi-final after extra-time.

“I know when people look at Antrim and the Antrim championship, they think of Loughgiel, Cushendal and Dunloy as the more traditional hurling powers.

“But St John’s have been doing well at underage hurling over the last few years and they have been knocking on the door in recent years at senior level.

“They are a good side who won the championship the hard way by beating both Cushendal and Loughgiel on the way to the title.

“They have Ciaran and Conor Johnson, two current Antrim senior players and the goalkeeper Bobby Nugent used to play outfield for Antrim.

“They have a number of other players that are on the fringes of the Antrim senior team and I’d say they all played for Antrim up through underage”.

Setanta won their 18th Donegal championship when they defeated St Eunan’s 2-12 to 0-13, in Donnell Park. And Campbell marked a quarter of a century in a senior Setanta shirt with his eighth Donegal Celtic Cross.

“I played my first senior championship game in 2000, I was only 14 and in fact I played my first senior game the year before, in a league game against St Eunan’s, in O’Donnell Park.

“I remember two weeks after that game heading off with the U-14 Féile team to play in the All-Ireland Féile in Down!”

The Donegal final was, of course, played at the end of August and now almost three months later the Donegal standard bearers will face their Antrim counterparts for a place in the Ulster Club SHC final.

“The wait has been a killer and is far too long,” insisted the veteran keeper. “By the time Saturday comes it will be over 11 weeks since the Donegal county final. And we are playing a team that only played their final three weeks ago.

“We have prepared as best we can. But we are under no illusion about the challenge we face on Saturday.

“It is all about the performance for us. It is all about putting in a performance and if we get the result it will be brilliant.

“But even if we don’t get the result it is still important to get the performance and to give a good account of ourselves and Donegal hurling. “