Just 24 hours after being crowned 2018 Footballer of the Year and receiving his third Allstar award, Brian Fenton was on a weekend mini tour of Ulster with his first stop being in Belfast to make the draw for the St Paul's-organised FonaCAB Ulster Club Minor Football Tournament.
It was the second consecutive season that the towering Dublin star did the honours.
Fenton was also at The Devenish to attend the St Paul's Club annual dinner and he was assisted in the draw by the club chairman Paul Donnelly.
“I'm delighted to be back at St Paul's to make the draw again,” said Brian.
“This is a super competition that is surely one any club must be proud to win.”
With the minor club championships being now, officially, an U17 grade there was a difference in some counties during the past season but all Ulster counties, with the exception of Cavan, did organise an U18 competition and that is the level that the Ulster minor tournament will be played over December and January.
“Cavan only had an U17 championship this year but we told them that they could include players up to U18 in the Ulster tournament if they wished,” said tournament organiser Billy McLarnon.
“Fermanagh, actually, played an U18 competition just to produce winners for the Ulster event.”
It was Enniskillen Gaels, of course, who won the provincial title last season but Derrygonnelly Harps have emerged from the Erne County in 2018 to make a bid to keep the Jimmy McConville Cup by the shores of Lough Erne.
Returning to the competition for a second year in a row will be Letterkenny St Eunan's, who lost in the semi-finals to ultimate champions Enniskillen last year, and Errigal Ciarán
(Ballygawley), who lost to runners-up St Colm's (Ballinascreen), also in the semis.
Errigal Ciarán won the tournament in 2005 and other previous winners of the trophy, who hope to regain it this year, are 1994 winners Bellaghy and 2015 holders Crossmaglen Rangers. This is the 37th staging of the Ulster Minor Football Tournament.
Rangers will begin their bid for a second success in the first quarter-final, on December 2, when Derrygonnelly provide the opposition. Ballygawley's Errigal Ciarán have to wait a week longer before slipping into gear against St Eunan's.
Every county in the province has been successful in the competition with Derry clubs out in front in the honours list with 15 victories, including Maghera's record four-in-a-row from 2011, a performance that would be very difficult to surpass.
The competition gets under way on the first weekend next month with the preliminary round between Dunloy and Bellaghy, at Woodlands, and it will be weekly action from then until the final on New Year's Day 2019, at St Paul's, Shaw's Road.
Yesterday, Brian Fenton moved up to Derry for another occasion that brings back not-too-pleasant memories for him.
“The O'Donovan Rossa team from Derry beat us in the All-Ireland U14 Feili final, at Carrick-on-Shannon, quite a few years ago and visiting the O'Donovan Rossa club certainly beings back the memory of that defeat. I could win Allstar Awards and Player of the Year awards and All-Ireland titles but I will never forget that defeat.
“It is a bitter memory for me and it keeps jagging at me all the time. It is something that will never go away, I fear,” Brian told me.
The draw for the FonaCAB Ulster Club Minor Football tournament is:
Preliminary Rd: December 1 or 2 – (a) – Dunloy Cuchullain's (Antrim) v Bellaghy Wolfe Tones (Derry) at Woodlands (6.30).
Quarter-finals: December 2 – (b) Derrygonnelly Harps (Fermanagh) v Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh) at St Paul's, Shaw's Rd (1.00).
December 8 – (c) Oliver Plunkett's (Cavan) v Ballyholland Harps (Down) at St Paul's (1.00); (d) Errigal Ciarán Ballygawley (Tyrone) v St Eunan's Letterkenny (Donegal) at Woodlands (6.30).
December 8 – Inniskeen Grattan's (Monaghan) v Winners of (a) at St Paul's (1.00).
The semi-finals will be played on December 23 and 26 with the final on January 1.
Video from last year's final:
Camera by Mark Quinn and video by Jerome Quinn Media
