Donegal to get Ulster U-20 Hurling Shield Round 1 underway against Tyrone

Donegal get their 2025 Ulster U-20 Hurling Shield Round 1 campaign underway against neighbours Tyrone -knowing that already it is a must-win game - in Convoy on Saturday at 12 noon.

Armagh are the third team in the group before the All-Ireland B championship starts in March. And, although team boss Aidy Gaffey has lost the likes of senior star Peter Kelly from last year, he is happy that he has a strong squad capable of mounting a good challenge in this year’s campaign.

The 36-man squad will be reduced shortly but Gaffey has some strong players to boost his count’s challenge. Aidan McKinney, younger brother of Liam McKinney, is a key figure as are Daire Tully, Fionn Farren, David Horgan, Brendan Gaffey, Fionnain Gill, Cormac Hanlon, John Kealy, Kyron McColgan, Shane Ellison and Donal Farrelly. 

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“We have quite a few of last year’s panel available to and quite a few promising lads who are coming up from last year’s minor squad," the manager said. “We have a decent squad and are happy with the work the lads have been putting in, in recent weeks.”

“We play each other over the next few weeks and the top two meet in the final. Antrim, Derry and Down are in a higher group in the Ulster championship but we beat Derry last year which is very encouraging.”

But Gaffey is wary of a strong competitive Tyrone side that are backboned by players from Dungannon and Carrickmore-the two hurling strongholds in the O’Neill county.

“It is always very close between ourselves and Tyrone who will bring a strong challenge," he said. “They have a lot of gifted players and we played them three years ago in the Celtic Challenge and they beat us by a point in O’Donnell Park so there is nothing really between us. They have some quality players and Eunan’s played Carrickmore in an Ulster final, and we saw a bit of their quality in that match. But it is good to start off with a home venue and we are familiar with the pitch and a win would set us up nicely for the trip away to Armagh.

“We need the two points as if we lose, we will only be putting ourselves under pressure straight away in the competition. This is a Shield competition and then we will go into an All-Ireland B competition in March which is also a very good test for our players. We could be meeting the likes of Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon and Wicklow-and Derry could even be in it as well.”
“But for now we are focused on getting a result against Tyrone.”

Donegal U20 hurling extended panel 2025: Aidan McKinney, Burt; Brendan Gaffey, St Eunan’s; Colm Toner, Burt; Conor Murphy. Sean MacCumhaill's; Cormac Carr, Four Masters, Cormac Hanlon, Dungloe; Dáire Tully, Carndonagh; David Horgan, St Eunan's; Davitt Bradley Flynn, Sean MacCumhaills; Donal Farrelly, Letterkenny Gaels; Eoghan Walsh, Dungloe; Fionn Farren, Setanta; Fionn Mac an Ultaigh, Sean MacCumhaills; Fionnian Gill, Buncrana; Jacob Malone, Sean MacCumhaills; John Kealy, St Eunans; Joseph Patton, Letterkenny Gaels; Kyron McColgan, Burt; Liam Doherty, Carndonagh; Liam Quinn, Four Masters; Matthew Callaghan, Letterkenny Gaels; Michael McCarron, Carndonagh; Neil Ó Baoighill, Letterkenny Gaels; Odhran Mulligan, Dungloe; Oisin Diver, Gaoth Dobhair; Oisín Kerr, Burt; Oisin Og Gallagher, Four Masters; Oran Lafferty, Carndonagh;
Patrick Craig, Four Masters; Pauic Kelly, Sean MacCumhaills; Ruaidhrí Bradley, St Eunans; Sean Brady Devenney; Sean MacCumhaills; Shane Ellison, St Eunan’s; Shea Devlin, Carndonagh; Thomas O Reilly, Dungloe; Tristan Boyle, Dungloe.