By 
MANY moments to savour will stand out for everyone associated with the Clogher club when they finally realise the dream of seeing their seniors emerge from the Croke Park tunnel early on Sunday afternoon for the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship Final.
Conor Shields may recall his involvement with the Tyrone seniors when the Sam Maguire was won in 2021. Others may reflect on the journey that they have undertaken to reach this stage, and the pitfalls that they have encountered along the way. Some, too, may look back on their own careers and relish this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Whatever the background, the Eire Ogs will run out onto the famous pitch fully focused on the task at hand. Nevertheless, the stories of past glories or failures are certain to provide personal and team motivation as the match against Ballymacelliogott unfolds.
Take their goalkeeper, Rory McElroy, as an example. Like his teammates, he has played for the club from U-8s and U-10s upwards. But as the significance of their victory over Kiltimagh in the semi-final sunk in last Saturday afternoon, his mind went back to another time.
In 2017, he was a talented teenager at St Ciaran’s in Ballygawley. They reached the All-Ireland Final at Croke Park, but Rory was dropped from the panel by then. Now, nearly 10 years on, comes redemption. It’s a motivation for him, alongside more recent moments where resilience and character-building were required.
“I always remember and tell the story about how I nearly came to play in Croke Park with the school,” he remembers.
“St Ciaran’s got to the All-Ireland Final. The likes of Darragh Canavan were playing and that was my agegroup. I was watching from the stand after being cut from the panel. That was always a hurt for me that I never got to run out onto the pitch and experience Croke Park.
“Sunday is going to be a surreal experience for me and so many others. But we have to put that to one side. On every step of this journey we’ve thought about how unbelievable it has been to reach a certain stage, like an Ulster Final. At the same time, our aim is going to be go on and win the title.
“We have won everyway so far, by a point or comfortably and we went to extra-time against Donagh. We are used to whatever has been thrown at us and that has stood to us.”
It isn’t just in 2025 that Clogher have been learning from their experiences. The club suffered the blow of relegation at the end of 2024, and have bounced back. Some will recall how they missed out on promotion on the final day of the league following a home defeat to Cookstown.
Lessons have no doubt been learned from that loss. The quest for Championship success that began in earnest on that sunny day now culminates in Croke Park. But this journey is also about laying the foundations for future progress for a club anxious like so many others to make its mark on the domestic scene.
“I’ll never forget last year losing on penalties in the Championship. I got into the van after that match and tried to look on the bright side and said to some of the boys that it could have been the best thing to happen us. We probably needed a year down in Junior to regroup and bleed in the new boys,” adds McElroy.
“Now when we look back it has all worked out for the best. This has been an unbelievable time for the club. Whatever happens in Croke Park we’re hoping that this will act as a platform for us back in Intermediate later this year.
“It’s about making the most of this experience. Doing well only lasts so long, and then becomes memories. But for us going into Intermediate now, we will hopefully be prepared after such a great season in Ulster and the All-Ireland.”
Days like Sunday, of course, don’t come around too often. Whether or not Clogher get back to Croke Park at some point in the future remains to be seen. Their Tyrone Intermediate league and championship campaigns beckon when the elation of these January days has faded.
But the experience, the momentum, and the sense of community will stand to them long-after the immediate aftermath of an All-Ireland Junior Final in Croke Park and new teams and heroes emerge to grab the headlines.
“We feel that we’re an Intermediate team, and hopefully we can stay in Intermediate for another four or five or six years. It’s all about us building as a club.
“This is about the community, family and friends. It has been unbelievable for everyone. This has been a really enjoyable journey. I was at a wedding on New Year’s Eve and people were talking about how incredible our success has been. You wouldn’t want it any other way. Hopefully we’ll top off the year in Croke Park.”
