THE Ulster Club Football Championship campaign kicks off this weekend with Antrim clubs Dunloy, Moneyglass and St Agnes' all hoping to bring glory back once more to the Saffron County.
St Agnes' will kick-start the day in the Ulster Junior Football Championship, as they take on Fermanagh natives St Patrick's Donagh at Brewster Park (1:30pm) in their inaugural campaign in the provincial championship.
A double-header at Celtic Park in Derry will see both the Intermediate and Senior Championships take place on Saturday afternoon as Moneyglass face Glenullin (3:45pm) and Dunloy face the tough challenge of Newbridge (6pm).
Senior Ulster Championship Preview
Sean O'Leary's Newbridge v Dunloy Cuchullains - 6pm at Celtic Park, Derry, Saturday November 1
Dunloy's victory at Corrigan Park earlier in the month was an historic one that gave the town in North Antrim a party atmosphere that would rival Carnival in Rio de Janeiro after a solid week of partying followed their convincing victory over Cargin in Belfast.
Seven of the starting team earned themselves awards in the 2025 Antrim All-Star team, their road to victory in Antrim was far from a walk in the park, having overcome St Brigid's and Portglenone in the knockout phase before meeting with four-in-a-row hopefuls Cargin where they reigned supreme.
Dunloy played the perfect game, awaiting for the possession overturning before they put their foot on the gas showing excellence in counter-attacking play to take the lead as Sean Elliott's super star performance clinched the victory for Dunloy as they reclaimed their first Antrim football title in over 89 years.
Moneyglass had to overcome the Paddies to clinch the Intermediate title
Saturday's opponents will be a huge step up from the level in Antrim as Newbridge clinched back-to-back Derry SFC for the first time since 1967 as they beat Rossa in the final by two scores a fortnight ago.
Derry stars are legion within the ranks of Sean O'Leary's with Conor Doherty playing a pivotal role in his sides road to glory, Dunloy will need to be up for the task if they are to stop Shane Heavron as the forward struck nine points in the Derry final.
A chance at history awaits Dunloy as they must shake their celebrity status for now as they have bigger fish to fry.
Intermediate Ulster Championship Preview
St Ergnat's Moneyglass v John Mitchel's Glenullin - 6pm at Celtic Park, Derry, Saturday, November 1
Moneyglass earned themselves a seat at the top table after a fantastic campaign which saw them go neck and neck with Sarsfields until the penultimate fixture in Division Two which the Paddies edged to clinch the league title.
From then St Ergnat's kicked off their attempt for revenge when they faced their Belfast based rivals in a the opening fixture of the group phase and gave them a right good thumping, setting the tone for the campaign to come.
Moneyglass breezed the Intermediate championship this season strolling to a convincing victory over St Teresa's in the knockout semi-final before once more facing Sarsfields at Dunsilly for the Intermediate crown.
St Agnes' will hope to maintain their winning run
A six-point victory came after a stellar performance from the forward duo of Aidan McErlain and Colum Duffin with the pair striking for ten of the total 14 points that Moneyglass could tally as they enjoyed a glorious evening in North Antrim.
This weekend they face veterans of the Intermediate level in Ulster, Glenullin. The Derry natives enter the competition as their county's best at Intermediate level for the fourth time in five years and will hope they have what it takes to go one step further as they have never surpassed the semi-final stage.
Saturday's opponents will be hopeful they can keep Duffin and McErlain quiet, but the Loughbeg side have nothing to fear and could bring some joy to their camps once more.
Junior Ulster Championship Preview
St Agnes' GAC v St Patrick's Donagh - 1:30pm at Brewster Park, Fermanagh, Saturday November 1
The story of St Agnes' first ever league and championship is a tale that will live long in the halls of Casement Social Club. The Aggies went and proved all the doubters of last season wrong when they put Pearse's to the sword as they beat their North Belfast rivals at Davitt Park without really breaking a sweat.
A semi-final derby victory came before they proceeded to crush any hope of an underdog victory just a year on from their own final defeat, St Agnes' made history and earned the clubs first ever title.
Their campaign was one that just was filled with relentless victory as brother's Dan and Conal Turley starred alongside Ronan Gilligan and David McGaharan throughout their Championship road to victory.
Their campaign was one that just was filled with relentless victory as brothers Dan and Conal Turley starred alongside Ronan Gilligan and David McGaharan throughout their Championship road to victory.
An issue could arise for the Aggies with a lack of experience at this level, and the severe lack of competition in Antrim's third tier as they face the vastly more experienced St Patrick's Donagh who are no strangers to the Ulster third tier.
The former senior winners from Fermanagh will look to get their campaign under way positively on Saturday, but the Aggies will be raring to go against the side who pipped Newtonbutler to the Junior title in Enniskillen a few weeks ago.
Both sides will certainly give it a go on the attacking front with the match-up being touted for plenty of action in the forward areas, but only time will tell who will prevail on Saturday afternoon.
