Danske Bank MacRory Cup

St Patrick’s, Armagh v St Ronan’s, Lurgan (Friday , St Paul’s, Lurgan, 7pm) 

St Michael’s, Enniskillen v St Paul’s, Bessbrook (Saturday, Clogher, 11am) 

THE three Armagh schools get into action in this week’s remaining first round action in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup.

First up is the St Ronan’s, Lurgan v St Patrick’s, Armagh tie on Friday evening in St Paul’s Lurgan.

St Ronan’s have made a big impact since the Lurgan school amalgamation a couple of seasons ago and that includes a MacRory semi-final outing last year.

They have seven starters from that semi-final including three Armagh minors Jack Haddock, Rioghan Meehan and Tiernan Kelly while Aidan Mulholland made the Antrim minor team.

There is form with this group of players as they reached the Rannafast semi-final two years ago losing out to St Macartan’s Monaghan.

St Patrick’s Armagh haven’t such a good track record in recent seasons, but the arrival of Michael Conroy into Sixth Form from St Patrick’s Academy is a boost to their chances.

They also have a couple of Armagh minors, captain Diarmuid Rafferty and Justin Keiran, while Cormac Byrne and Seamus Muldoon played for Eglish seniors in the Tyrone championship last month and seem to have come on well during the club season.

Despite that the form book suggests that St Ronan’s will prevail.

Meanwhile two teams that like to make an early splash each year – St Michael’s Enniskillen and St Paul’s Bessbrook – meet tomorrow morning (Saturday) 11am in Clogher.

The latter have Armagh minors and Killeavy twins Conor and Niall Magennis captaining their team while Ballyholland’s Seamus Loughran will also be an asset for a squad that has only Dromintee in the hinterland competing at senior club level.

Dominic Corrigan has a wider spread of clubs with Aidan McKenna, Ryan Breen, Colm McNally and John Reihill representing the Fermanagh minor team of 2017.

It should be an interesting game with perhaps St Michael’s getting their campaign off to a winning start.