St Brigid’s clinch historic first Antrim senior football crown

St Brigid’s made club history on 18 October 2026 by capturing their inaugural senior football title in an all‑Belfast Antrim SFC final. The 1998‑founded side edged O’Donovan Rossa 0‑21 to 1‑16 to claim the championship.

St Brigid’s nerves showed early in their first final appearance, but they soon found rhythm through Ronan McGrady’s scores, taking a two‑point lead into the break. O’Donovan Rossa responded when Diarmuid Rogan netted the match’s only goal early in the second half, but the visitors could not overturn the deficit.

The game began with Rossa’s Stephen Beatty delivering an early two‑point score, followed by Corey Walsh’s point that put the visitors ahead 0‑7 to 0‑4 after fifteen minutes while St Brigid’s struggled to settle. Manager Sean Fleming’s side stayed composed, but Brigid’s turned the tide when McGrady added three consecutive points to level the scores at the 25‑minute mark.

JJ Higgins then gave Brigid’s a first lead, and Patrick Finnegan and Paul Bradley each added points to extend the advantage to two points at halftime.

The second half opened with Higgins and McGrady each scoring again, widening the gap. Dominic McEnhill sparked a brief Rossa resurgence, and Rogan tapped the ball into an empty net to make it 1‑16, narrowing the margin to a single point.

St Brigid’s, however, kept control, with Higgins and Niall Duffy combining for the final three scores in added time as Rossa drifted. When the referee’s whistle sounded, the stadium was awash with blue and yellow flags and flares, celebrating St Brigid’s historic triumph.