Ulster GAA

The Ulster Council (Irish: Comhairle Uladh) is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city of Armagh.

The first Ulster GAA Convention was held on 22 March 1903 in Armagh. Belfast solicitor George Martin was elected as first president with L. F. O'Kane (Derry) as first secretary. Victor O'Nolan (Tyrone), the father of writer Flann O'Brien, was elected vice-president. Danny Murphy (Down) has been Ulster Council secretary and chief executive officer since 1998. Murphy is a former vice president of the GAA and president of Ulster GAA. On 4 July 2012, Murphy was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Services to Sport and Community Relations.

The Ulster provincial football team represents the province of Ulster in Gaelic football. The team competes in the Railway Cup.

Players from the following county teams represent Ulster: Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan and Tyrone.

As of 3 June 2008 according to the BBC.

Notes

• Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers.

As of 15 June 2008, according to the Sunday Tribune.

Notes:

• Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers.

The Ulster provincial hurling team represents the province of Ulster in hurling. The team competes in the Railway Cup.

Ulster has always been the weakest of the provinces in hurling terms, possibly due to the difference between the hurling promulgated by the early Gaelic Athletic Association and the "commons" game played in Ulster. The Ulster hurling team have only won four Railway Cup semi-final games in their history (1945, 1992, 1993 and 1995), it, however, lost in each of those Railway Cup deciders.

There have been some successes over the years, mostly by Antrim teams:

• 1943: Antrim defeated Galway and Kilkenny, but lost to Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final
• 1982: Gerry Goodwin (Tyrone) won the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship
• 1983: Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim) won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
• 1989: Antrim defeated Offaly, and subsequently lost to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final
• 2010: Graham Clarke (Down) won the All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship

• Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Junior Club Hurling Championship
• Ulster Under-21 Club Hurling Championship

In 2020, a concept was discussed among players and managers, with a proposal that a combined "Team Ulster" would compete in the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

The Ulster camogie team has twice won the premier representative competition in the women's team field sport of camogie, the Gael Linn Cup, in 1967 and 2007.

The Ulster provincial junior camogie team won the Gael Linn Trophy on eight occasions: 1979, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

• Disability Sport NI's Inclusive Sport Award: 2021

• Ulster Council website