Joint-captain Brady has eyes on the prize

GAA news

Damien Donohoe

As the Ulster Championship prepares to celebrate 100 years of the Anglo-Celt Cup, Cavan joint-captain Ciarán Brady says the province’s top prize remains the most coveted of all - and there's no better time to claim it.

Speaking at the launch of the 2025 Ulster Senior Football Championship, Brady reflected on the historic weight of the famed trophy and what it would mean for Cavan to lift it this year.

“It’d be nice to win it any year,” said Brady.

“But this year especially - being the 100th year - it carries that extra bit of history and prestige. It’s the best of the four provincial championships, without question. Every year, there’s real intrigue about who’s going to come out on top.”

Cavan’s path to glory won’t be easy. They’ve been drawn against old foes Tyrone in the quarter-final, set for this Sunday in Healy Park. The Red Hands may have been relegated from Division 1, but they showed ominous form in the final rounds of the league, including a very impressive win over Dublin in the final round at Sunday’s venue.

Tyrone will join Cavan in Division 2 next year but they were demoted having secured seven points in the top flight, which is unprecedented.

“They finished the league strong despite going down,” Brady noted. “They were missing the Errigal Ciarán lads early on, but once they came back, you could really see the lift it gave them. That win over Dublin was a serious statement.”

Tyrone have long been a thorn in Cavan’s side, but Brady believes last year’s Ulster quarter-final - which went to extra time - proved the Breffni men are closing the gap.

“It’s well known at this stage that Tyrone have been a bogey team for us,” he admitted.

“But last year we took real steps - brought them to extra time and it could have gone either way. They’ve freshened things up this year, brought back some experienced players, and Healy Park is never easy. But if we give Raymond [Galligan] a full panel and get the heads down, we’ll go up there in good shape.”

After a mixed National League campaign, Cavan find themselves with positives to take and lessons to learn. The campaign began sluggishly, with Brady describing a “strange, eerie” atmosphere around their opener against Monaghan.

“It never really sparked,” he said.

“It felt more like a McKenna Cup game, and the Navan game (round two, against Meath) was similar. It probably took until the third game for it to really feel like we were in the league.”

But from there, Cavan’s fortunes improved. Wins over Louth, Westmeath, Down and Roscommon helped steady the ship; the overdue victory over the westerners - a side that has also caused Cavan problems in recent years - was a particular highlight.

“I’ve only beaten Roscommon once in 10 years,” Brady pointed out. “So that result was massive for the camp.”

More importantly, the league campaign provided vital game time for emerging talent within the squad. Brady was full of praise for the younger cohort pushing into contention ahead of the Ulster Championship.

“Loads of lads stood up at different times,” he said.

“The squad now has a great mix - experienced players, a solid middle group, and younger lads coming through. Cormac O’Reilly had a really strong league. Oisín Brady was going well before he picked up an injury. Barry Donnelly has been brilliant, and Niall Carolan stood out again. That blend of youth and experience has really added to our depth.”

At the time of interview there were three weeks to prepare before the trip to Omagh and Cavan hoped to sharpen their edge and get injured bodies back on the training pitch. Brady believes the timing might prove to be a blessing in disguise.

“That bit of a break now could be no harm,” he said.

“We can reset and push hard over the next few weeks. Championship is everything - it’s what you remember, and it’s what you want to win.”

And while the revamped championship structures of recent years may have diluted the early rounds of the provincial series, Brady senses a return of that “Ulster Championship buzz” in 2025.

“In recent years, you had that group stage coming after and it didn’t quite feel like do-or-die anymore,” he said.

“Even last year when we beat Monaghan, it didn’t really have that edge. But this year, there’s a different feeling. The new rules have brought excitement, and the way the league ended - so much on the line in every division - has set the tone.”

With Tyrone waiting and the Anglo-Celt Cup turning 100, the stage is set for a cracking Ulster Championship. And Cavan's joint-captain, who led his club to three titles last year, would dearly love to repeat that feat on the inter-county stage.