Events calendar

[{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting\r\n9pm, Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-04-04 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeing","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 9pm Kilmore Hotel","event_date":"2011-05-23 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 9pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-07-25 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 9pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-09-26 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 9pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-11-07 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore (Mass at 8pm)","event_date":"2011-03-01 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"County Committee Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-01-31 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-02-07 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-03-07 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-04-26 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-05-30 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-06-27 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-08-02 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-09-05 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pm Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-10-03 00:00:00"},{"name":"Management Meeting","description_text":"Management Meeting, 8.30pmn Hotel Kilmore","event_date":"2011-11-14 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Convention","description_text":"Cavan County Convention 7pm, Lakeside Manor Hotel, Dublin Road, Virginia","event_date":"2011-12-15 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Minor Hurling League","description_text":"An Cabhán v Tír Eoghan\r\nKingpsan Breffni Park\r\n12pm","event_date":"2012-03-10 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Minor Hurling League","description_text":"An Cabhán v Monaghan\r\nKingspan Breffni Park\r\n12pm","event_date":"2012-03-17 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 1","description_text":"Wexford v Cavan\r\nWexford Park, 2.30pm","event_date":"2012-02-05 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 2","description_text":"Cavan v Longford\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 7pm","event_date":"2012-02-11 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 3","description_text":"Cavan v Sligo\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 7pm","event_date":"2012-03-03 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 4","description_text":"Tipperary v Cavan\r\nSemple Stadium, 12.45pm","event_date":"2012-03-11 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 5","description_text":"Cavan v Offaly\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 2.30pm","event_date":"2012-03-18 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 6","description_text":"Roscommon v Cavan\r\nDr Hyde Park, 2.30pm","event_date":"2012-03-25 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Rd 7","description_text":"Cavan v Antrim\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 2.30pm","event_date":"2012-04-08 00:00:00"},{"name":"Power NI Dr McKenna Cup","description_text":"Cavan v Jordanstown\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 7pm","event_date":"2012-01-18 00:00:00"},{"name":"County Committee Meeting","description_text":"Hotel Kilmore,8pm","event_date":"2012-02-13 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Senior & Minor Football Championship","description_text":"An Cabhán v Dún na nGall\r\nKingspan Breffni Park, 2pm\r\n(Replay May 26)\r\n\r\nMinor Game at 12pm","event_date":"2012-05-20 00:00:00"},{"name":"Cadbury's Ulster U-21 Championship","description_text":"An Cabhán v Ard Macha\r\nKingpan Breffni Park 8pm\r\n(Extra Time if required)\r\n(Replay following week if required)","event_date":"2012-03-21 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Minor Leagues","description_text":"Football\r\nArd Macha v An Cabhán\r\nKingspan Breffni Park\r\n12pm\r\n\r\nHurling\r\nFermanagh v An Cabhán\r\nBrewster Park, Enniskillen\r\n12pm","event_date":"2012-03-24 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Minor League","description_text":"An Dún v An Cabhán\r\nPairc Esler, Newry\r\n12pm","event_date":"2012-03-31 00:00:00"},{"name":"Ulster Minor League","description_text":"An Muineachan v An Cabhán\r\nClones\r\n12pm","event_date":"2012-04-07 00:00:00"},{"name":"Cavan V Silgo","description_text":"Allianz National League Div 3","event_date":"2013-03-10 00:00:00"},{"name":"Allianz NFL Div3","description_text":"Result:\r\nCavan 0-15\r\nMeath 1-6","event_date":"2013-03-02 00:00:00"},{"name":"Cavan & Fermanagh","description_text":"Allianz NFL Division 3 - Throw in 19:00 in Kingspan Breffni Park","event_date":"2013-03-16 00:00:00"},{"name":"CAVAN GAA OPEN NIGHT THIS FRIDAY 10TH MAY.","description_text":"The GAA’s second ever series of national ‘Open Nights’ will take place across the country this Friday May 10th as part of the promotion of the 2013 GAA Football and Hurling Championships and Cavan GAA's Open Night will take place in Kingspan Breffni Park.\r\nFollowing the Official Launch, there will be an Open meet & greet evening for all supporters from 8pm to 9pm in Kingspan Breffni Park's 3G facility. Children from Cavan along with their parents and families are invited to attend and are encouraged to wear county replica gear. They will have an opportunity to meet members of the Cavan Senior Panel as well as the victorious Cavan U21 Ulster Champions, who will be present on the evening with the Irish News Ulster Championship U21 cup.","event_date":"2013-05-10 00:00:00"},{"name":"Cavan V Armagh Ulster Senior Football Championship","description_text":"Kingspan Breffni Park Sunday 19th May. \r\nMinors @ 12:15pm.\r\nSenior @ 2pm","event_date":"2013-05-19 00:00:00"}]

First Club

The GAA was founded in Cavan in 1884 and the Anglo Celt records a club active in Ballyconnell in 1885. However they didn’t affiliate to GAA Central Council until March 1886 so that can be taken as the founding of the GAA in Cavan and Ulster.

The Club was called Ballyconnell Joe Biggers. Bigger was the local MP. He was a Belfast man and a staunch Nationalist. There had been great rejoicing across Cavan when Bigger was elected the previous December 1885 so the new club were proud to be associated with Cavan’s first Nationalist Home Rule MP. The founders were John Aex Clancy and Tomas O’Reilly.

The Ballyconnell Joe Biggers held many athletic events reported on extensively. They also ran into bother with the RIC who tried to stop them playing football on Sundays. The second club formed in Cavan were the Bailieborough Home Rulers followed by the Mullagh men. When in 1887 Mullagh claimed to be Cavan’s first club the Ballyconnell Gaels decided to change their name. They unceremoniously dumped Joe Bigger and affiliated as Ballyconnell First Ulster’s. Their claim was not disputed and the name stuck.

In the first County Championship the first Ulster’s met the Bailieborough Home Rulers. They played at Cavan in the autumn of 1886. The Home Rulers left Bailieborough at 4am in the morning and brought the goal posts on a horse and spring cart. The first Ulster’s and Home Rulers erected goalposts in a field outside Cavan Town. A large police force warned them they were breaking the Sunday Observance Act. However they played on regardless?

The very first Cavan County Final, under GAA rules was played in a field outside Cavan Town on 30^th April 1887. The final was contested by Ballyconnell First Ulster’s and Maghera Mac Finns. The Anglo Celt records that the First Ulster’s were “handsomely rigged out, regardless of the cost” However the Celt was none too impressed with the Mac Finns with the reporter noting that “Maghera Mac Finns appearance was not in their favour.”

Whatever about their appearance the Maghera men could play football in the 21 a side contest. Mac Finns recorded a famous victory on a score line of 1-4 to First Ulster’s 0-1, thus entering the history books as Cavan’s first Champions.

The local Cavan Slashers entertained both teams after the game and by all accounts the entertainment was good. The Anglo Celt records that the Maghera team reached White Gate Cross in Maghera as the first Cavan Champions the following Monday morning.

Cavan's First Gaelic Football Team, Ballyconnel First Ulster's (c1888)

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Kingspan Breffni Park

First Club

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