Delighted Brigid's boss keen for 'a crack' at Connacht
By Kevin Egan
In six of the last seven seasons, St Brigid’s or Pádraig Pearses have finished with the Fahey Cup in their possession, three wins for each club after victory for the Kiltoom side in last Saturday’s Roscommon SFC final replay.
In each of those six campaigns, the winning club beat the other side along the way, one round robin win for St Brigid’s in 2023 and five knockout ties. It’s undeniable that while they would each be even more successful were their neighbours not also in the mix, they also seem to elevate each other.
And St Brigid’s manager Anthony Cunningham paid tribute to both sides after his side's 1-16 to 1-12 victory on Saturday last.
“It was brilliant football, we have to give great credit to Pearses and to our own guys for two tremendous games,” said a jubilant Cunningham.
“We just got the breaks today. Pearses were tremendous champions, and they have a lot of young players coming through."
With the father of Pearses manager Frank Canning passing away between the drawn final and the replay, Cunningham conveyed condolences to Frank's family.
“Frank Canning lost his dad (Seán) there during the week, it was a tough week and our condolences to the Canning family. But sport is great, it gets you back again and we're great friends as well as really tough competitors against each other,” he said.
For St Brigid’s, this week will be one of celebration, but by Saturday evening all their focus will be on the Connacht Centre of Excellence, where Mayo champions Ballina Stephenites and North London Shamrocks will meet to determine their next opponents in the Connacht club SFC. St Brigid's are due to meet the winners in their Connacht semi-final on Saturday, November 15.
“We will have a crack at it for sure,” said Cunningham.
“You take nothing for granted, but the Roscommon teams have been very strong so we will be going at it and on Saturday night we’ll know what our next challenge will be. Brigid’s have a strong tradition in Connacht, these guys are very ambitious so we want to represent the county as best we can,” he added.