Harps secure a deserved double

TÍR Conaill Harps were crowned Intermediate Championship winners on a blustery afternoon in Glasgow, overcoming testing weather conditions and a determined Glasgow Gaels side to secure a deserved 0-09 to 0-06 victory.

The win meant that Harps secured an impressive Intermediate double, adding to their earlier league triumph over Stirling Carrigans.

Tír Conaill made a dream start, taking the lead inside two minutes, but Gaels quickly responded with two fine points of their own, using the strong wind to their advantage to edge ahead. With the rain beginning to fall and the wind swirling, both sides struggled to gain momentum in the early stages.

On six minutes, Gaels were awarded a free, which they duly converted for their first score, before adding another almost immediately from the resulting kickout—a fine effort from just inside the 40-metre line.

Harps levelled matters moments later with Dan Gallagher popping over a well-taken free from the left of the posts, but Gaels soon retook the lead following a moment of controversy. Harps’ Conor McCormick mistakenly thought his side had been awarded a free; the delay in returning the ball saw the referee move the free forward to just in front of goal and Gaels made no mistake, slotting over despite the difficult wind.

The Harps nearly struck for the first goal of the game when a looping kick from Connaire Shannon into the square was tipped over the bar by the alert Gaels’ keeper Matt Blair. The teams traded scores before Harps were handed a chance to draw level again from a free— but the kick drifted wide. Undeterred, they won back possession from the resulting kickout and fired over an excellent point from the right-hand side.

Moments later, Harps won another kickout and worked the ball forward once more, clipping over another point to take a narrow one-point lead. Gaels were handed a chance to equalise on 22 minutes when Harps’ Aaron Taggart was shown a black card, but the free went wide.

Harps capitalised soon after with a superb score from distance before their defence stood tall once more—goalkeeper Ciaran Gildea making a vital save to deny Gaels a certain goal, with McCormick clearing the loose ball off the line. At the break, Harps held a slender, but deserved 0-06 to 0-04 advantage.

The second-half began in similar fashion, with Harps almost finding the net three minutes in—a shot on goal from Phil Lambert striking the post and rolling agonisingly across the line. Gaels got the first score of the half with an easy free on 42 minutes, but Harps responded immediately from the opposite end to restore the two-point cushion.

As the tension grew, Harps had another glorious chance when Kieran Turner latched onto a looping handpass from James Henry, only for Blair to pull off another stunning save. Gaels then worked the ball upfield and narrowed the gap to a single point with a neat score from play.

Harps, showing great composure, responded once again, winning a free inside the scoring zone and converting to extend their lead.

In stoppage time, Gaels pressed forward in search of a goal, but their hopes were dashed when they conceded a free for encroaching the defensive line. The ball was moved upfield, and Lambert stepped up once more to slot over what would be the final score of the game, sealing a 0-09 to 0-06 victory for the Harps.

The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations as Tír Conaill Harps were crowned Intermediate Championship winners, completing a remarkable League and Championship double.