 | |||
| Sport: | Hurling | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish: | An Cabhán[1] | ||
| Nickname(s): | The Breffni men The Breffni Blues | ||
| County board: | Cavan GAA | ||
| Manager: | Ollie Bellew | ||
| Captain: | Matthew Hynes | ||
| Home venue(s): | Breffni Park,Cavan[1] | ||
| Recent competitive record | |||
| Current All-Ireland status: | Lory Meagher Cup Group stage in2022 | ||
| Current NHL Division: | 3B | ||
| |||
TheCavan county hurling team representsCavan inhurling and is governed byCavan GAA, thecounty board of theGaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in theLory Meagher Cup and theNational Hurling League.
Cavan's home ground isBreffni Park,Cavan. The team's manager is Ollie Bellew.
Cavan represented Ulster in the semi-final of the1908 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, but lost the delayedUlster final toDerry. Cavan reached the Ulster final six times, but never won the competition. Cavan won theUlster Junior Hurling Championship in 1983 and 1985, as well as Division 4 of theNational Hurling League in1983.
After an extended period of poor results, on 26 April 2011, Cavan announced that they would withdraw from Senior hurling for the foreseeable future, citing poor attendance at training and lack of numbers.[2][3] This left Cavan as the only county in Ireland without a senior hurling team. In the next few years, the county board focused on developing hurling at underage level.[4][5]
After six years without fielding a team, Cavan played in theLory Meagher Cup in2017.[6][7]Cavan re-entered theNational Hurling League in2018, competing in Division 3B.
Cavan reached the final of the Lory Meagher Cup for the first time in2021 after a win overLouth.[8] The final took place inCroke Park on 31 July 2021, with Cavan facingFermanagh.[9] Fermanagh won the match by 3–26 to 1–17.[10] Cavan topped the Division 3B table in2023, reaching the final for the first time. Cavan claimed their first silverware since the reformation of the team, with a 0–17 to 0–16 win overLeitrim.[11]
Team as per Cavan vs Leitrim in the NHL Division 3B Final, 1 April 2023
| Name | Origin | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Tom "Gawney" Walsh | Wexford | c. 2000s[12] |
| John Hunt | Clare | 2009 |
| ? | ? | Until 2017 |
| Dinny Cahill | Tipperary | 2017 |
| Michael Carr | Galway | 2018–19 |
| Ollie Bellew | Antrim | 2020–21 |
| Neil Cole | Meath | 2022 |
| Ollie Bellew (2) | Antrim | 2023– |
Runners-up (1):2021
Winners (1):2023Winners (1):1983Runners-up (6): 1908, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1935, 1936Winners (2): 1983, 1985Runners-up (2): 1988, 1994Frank isn't the only Slaneysider spreading the hurling gospel in the weaker counties. Tom 'Gawny' Walsh of Bishopswater has managed Cavan in recent years, while Aidan Kerrigan from Ballyoughter has done great work in Knockbridge and with the Louth county team.
