With the 2025 MacRory final taking centre stage, Niall McCoy looks back on the final ending in the year five

WITH the 2025 MacRory Cup final between St Patrick’s, Maghera and Abbey VS, Donegal set to take place this weekend, we look at the deciders in the same year down through the decades.

1935 St Patrick’s, Cavan 7-11 Monaghan CBS 0-0

THE first year of the competition being played as a cup rather than a league but this final didn’t provide the most promising of starts.

Played at Breffni Park, the Cavan side became holders of the Cardinal MacRory Cup, as it was referred to back then, and their team-sheet possessed familiar surnames from today’s Breffni County scene like O’Reilly, Smith, Canning, Clarke, Reilly and Bouchier. Indeed, JJ O’Reilly and Harry Bouchier were deemed to be two of the finest young footballers in the province.

Cavan had won all their games in that season’s competition so were fitting winners of the first cup series.

1945 St Patrick’s, Armagh 4-9 St Colman’s, Newry 0-12

THE Armagh school completed part two of a brilliant four-in-a-row run as goals proved crucial in the final victory over St Colman’s

The cup was won in the same year as the death of Cardinal Joseph MacRory, who had donated the cup in 1923 and had studied at St Pat’s.

The Armagh side contained names like Dr Pat O’Neill, who would play for Armagh in the 1953 All-Ireland final, and Tyrone’s Iggy Jones, who was so good at that level that the current MacRory final player of the match award is named after him.

A year later, Armagh would be the first winners of the Hogan Cup with O’Neill captaining them.

1955 St Patrick’s, Cavan 2-8 St Malachy’s, Belfast 0-2

CAVAN had lost the previous final to Abbey CBS but there was little doubt about where the cup was heading in ’55 as they dominated a St Malachy’s side chasing their second title and first as sole winners having shared the 1925 league title with St Pat’s, Armagh and St Macartan’s, Monaghan.

With the wind at their backs in the first half, the Breffni school led 2-3 to 0-1 at half time at the Athletic Grounds with their opponents not able to stage a comeback.

It was a Cavan side with players from a number of counties, including Longford and Westmeath – but there would be no Hogan Cup to progress to as it wasn’t played at that time.

1965 St Columb’s, Derry 1-13 St Michael’s, Enniskillen 0-4

THE Derry school completed part one of their back-to-back success – the only times they ever reached the final – with a low-scoring win over Enniskillen.

Wikipedia may have the Oakleaf school only scoring 1-3 in the final, but they actually posted 1-13,

In truth, that scoreline was a bit flattering to St Michael’s as heavy favourites St Columb’s missed a rake of chances.

Derry had class in the likes of Paddy McCotter, Chris Brown, Seamus Lagan, Colum Mullan and Tony O’Doherty while Eamonn Small got the goal.

Their story would not stop there as they went to claim the Hogan Cup.

1975 St Colman’s, Newry 2-7 St Patrick’s, Cavan 1-8

TWO heavyweights clashed in Omagh and it was the Newry school who just came out on top.

St Pat’s were left wondering how they lost it though having led by nine points at one stage but Paddy McGovern’s free five minutes into the second half would be their last score.

St Colman’s had a star player in the late Mickey McDonald, an uncle of current golf superstar Rory McIlroy, and he kicked the final point to seal the deal after Noel Rogers had put the College in front for the first time. The same duo were the St Colman’s goalscorers on the day too with Declan Rogers lifting the trophy for his side.

1985 St Patrick’s, Maghera 2-9 St Michael’s, Lurgan 1-1

ST Michael’s were appearing in their one and only MacRory final, but they found the might of Maghera far too much to handle.

The Armagh school had won the All-Ireland B title the year before and with just 147 boys in their school, they knew the task at hand under the guidance of Michael Russell and Seamus Heffron, a former Maghera student.

And so it proved against the start-studded Derry school who could call on the likes of man of the match Henry Downey, his brother Seamus, Colm McGurk and Danny Quinn.

Don Mulholland and Gary McGill scored their goals in Omagh with Donald Harte, Lurgan’s only scorer on the day, raising a green flag for St Michael’s.

1995 St Patrick’s, Maghera 1-14 St Colman’s, Newry 0-5

A FINAL that had the potential to be a classic proved anything but as a Sean Marty Lockhart led Maghera decimated their opponents.

Three of the St Pat’s players were in the Bellaghy side that lost narrowly to Kilamcud Crokes in the All-Ireland final on St Patrick’s, Day, so the game was pushed back to the end of March.

When it was played, it was all too easy for Adrian McGuckin’s crew with Mark Diamond and David O’Neill dominating in the middle of the park.

Maghera led 0-10 to 0-1 at the turn and with future Derry boss Damian McErlain in fine scoring form, St Colman’s were never close enough to even trouble the champions. Michael Gribben scored the only goal of the game.

2005 Omagh CBS 2-9 St Louis, Kilkeel 0-11

ONE of the most exciting teams in schools’ football in the mid-2000s was the Kilkeel side and they were desperately unlucky not to lift a MacRory title as they’d go down by a point to the Abbey a year later.

This was also a near miss with Omagh needing a replay before eventually seeing off the Mourne side.

In the first game, Ronan McRory’s penalty had put Omagh four ahead at the break, but Kilkeel fought back in the second half with Marty Clarke and James Colgan leading the scoring charge to force a replay.

That second encounter was another tight affair with Stephen Donaghy’s early goal and a 40th-minute strike from Cahir Tierney ensuring the cup was heading back to Tyrone.

2015 St Patrick’s, Cavan 2-12 St Patrick’s, Dungannon 0-8

THE Breffni school may have a history rivalled by very few in this competition, but their win over the Academy success was their first title in 43 years.

The first half was a close affair with Cavan leading 0-6 to 0-4 and that lead was only thanks to a fine Fergal O’Rourke save from Fintan McClure – and the goalie would deny Daniel Kerr early in the second period too.

Woken up by those let offs, Cavan hit the gas with Thomas Galligan imperious and Thomas Edward Donohue hitting a brace of late goals to seal the deal.