The 2026 Antrim Junior Hurling Championship will see the first slíotar thrown-in on Friday evening when North hosts West Belfast as Lámh Dhearg will make the trek to the Cliftonville Road to take on the recently crowned Division Four Champions Ardoyne Kickhams.
This season's junior hurling format takes a different approach as the largest campaign to date sees 11 teams compete to clinch the third tier in Antrim hurling.
Small ball is notorious for being a very competitive campaign for clubs and with more teams than ever competing for glory it will no doubt be one of the most interesting championship bouts to date.
Now let's put my Antrim club knowledge to the test with some predictions as we have some fun ahead of the campaign.
Davitt's will be competing once again in the 2026 JHC
JHC Group One
Lamh Dhearg (white/red shorts)
A club storied in West Belfast GAA, Lámh Dhearg will kick off their opening fixture with a tough test in North Belfast. The Hannahstown hurlers will be determined to bloody the noses of the their newest competitor in the third tier — Ardoyne.
Lámh Dhearg often step up in the junior hurling championship and found themselves on the end of an unfortunate extra-time defeat in the competition last season. Then Armoy used their home advantage to pull away over the Red Hands.
Key Player: Adam Murray
Best Finish: Winners (2016)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 3rd
Ardoyne Kickhams (Black/white/black)
Without sounding too much like having an Ardoyne love-affair, they truly have been a terrific outfit this season clinching their second Division Four title in four seasons to make their return to the third tier of Antrim's hurling.
Throughout a flawless campaign (minus the final game when the league was won), they have put on some real masterclass hurling displays and pipped All Saints in the clash which sealed the league title. Kickhams will no doubt be raring to go with their sights firmly set on causing an upset in this year's championship.
Key Player: Micheál McGreevy
Best Finish: Winners (1988)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 2nd
Glen Rovers (Armoy) (Blue/White Hoops)
Unfortunate not to be playing in the Intermediate Championship this season — that will be the feeling the in the Armoy camp after defeat to Con Magees in the 2025 final ended their hopes of a championship title for the first time in almost two decades.
The men from the coast have proved to be a serious outfit with their trio of Linton, O'Hara and Burns truly taking them to dizzying heights in Division Three. They boast real attacking prowess which earned them a top-half finish last year, taking some prized scalps along the way. Their quest for glory begins again.
Key Player: Trevor Linton
Best Finish: Winners (2007)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 1st
Belfast Saints (Yellow/Blue/Yellow)
The men from the Glen Road have shown glimpses of potential this season. Their run to an Ulster Junior B title last Autumn proves there is the talent and the grit to win silverware.
Saints were unlucky after a battle with Loch Mór in the Junior B Championship.
Key Player: Phil Maguire
Best Finish: First year competing
Predicted Group Stage finish: 4th
JHC Group Two
Davitt’s (Green/white/yellow)
The Beechmount men will be hoping they can reignite the form which saw them clinch the 2023 Junior B title before almost earning a run to the Junior Championship crown a year later.
Davitts have had some triumphs at this level since their return in 2023 and they now have the chance to kick on. Last year, a solid league campaign saw them avoid the drop after an inspired win over Glenravel.
Key Player: Michael Glennon
Best Finish: Semi-Finals (2024)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 3rd
Latharna Óg (Yellow/blue/Yellow)
The new boys on the block will certainly be keen to make themselves known in their first appearance in the re-worked Junior Championship. They fell short at the final stage in the 2025 Junior B final to Loch Mór.
While pretty young in terms of Antrim hurling, this is a side are determined to become known for their gruelling, hard-hitting and battling style of hurling. They will be a tough nut for any opponent to crack.
Key Player: Dara Kerr
Best Finish: First year competing
Predicted Group Stage finish: 4th
Loch Mór Dál gCais (maroon/green/maroon)
The men from the lough certainly showed to be a cut above in Division Four this season. Their target man Darragh Turley combines speed and a neat touch to almost single-handedly win games for Loch Mór.
They got the Junior B monkey off their backs with last season's victory over Latharna Óg. Expect them to really give the Junior Championship a rattle. Perhaps, the league's surprise package.
Key Player: Darragh Turley
Best Finish: First year competing
Predicted Group Stage finish: 2nd
Gort na Mona (Maroon)
Not too many moons ago where the team atop the Monagh Bypass competed at the top-table in Antrim hurling. Of late, however, the club has struggled to find a route back through the divisions.
Last year's defeat to the eventual Junior champions is a telling coda for a side who should be favourites to lift the crown. Yet, they will face some stiff opposition along the way.
Key Player: Desi McLean
Best Finish: Winners (2019)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 1st
JHC Group Three
All Saints Ballymena (White/black)
Only for the brilliance of Ardoyne in Division Four, Ballymena would have earned themselves a promotion back to the third tier before a championship slíotar was pucked.
This year they will be hopeful they can cause an upset in the Junior Championship having made their presence known in last season's competition. With a reformed and refreshed panel, All Saints have a chance to prove they can compete with the Junior Championship's finest.
Key Player: Cormac McGill
Best Finish: Group Stage (2025)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 2nd
Sarsfields (Green/black/green)
The 'too good to go down' mantra followed Sarsfields last season even as they dropped from Division Two in the 2025 campaign. Failing to register a single win in the Intermediate Championship will no doubt be a sore point for the Paddies.
The Bear Pit faithful have been starved of hurling success for a number of years now. However, after a storming Division Three campaign, they'll no doubt be eyeing up a double.
Key Player: Caolán McKernan
Best Finish: First time competing
Predicted Group Stage finish: 1st
St Brigid’s (Navy/White)
The Biddies took Division Four by storm in 2025 and looked to pose a threat to the Junior Championship in last Summer's competition. They did impress when they secured second place in their championship group last time out but the quarter-final phase is where their campaign ended.
A tough campaign in the third division this season could bode well for St Brigid's.
Key Player: James Kelly
Best Finish: Quarter-Final (2025)
Predicted Group Stage finish: 3rd
Predicted Winners: Sarsfields
Dark Horses: Gort na Mona
The Junior Hurling Championship begins on Friday 24th July.
