Finals in Leitrim and Fermanagh coloured by absence and presence of Jones brothers

AN INTERESTING SUBPLOT to two county finals happens this week in the neighbouring Leitrim and Fermanagh.

It centres on Leitrim Gaels, who meet Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins in the senior final at Pairc Sean MacDiarmada at 3.30pm.

Since playing in and losing the very first county final in 1890 to Mohill, Ballinamore have since gone on to become the most successful club in the county, with 21 titles. They have also lost 14 deciders, including last year’s to Mohill after penalties following a draw in the replay.

Their last win however was in 2021, when they ended a 31-year drought.

Their opponents are a club that are making their very first appearance in a county final, though there is good reason for that, having only been founded in 1997.

Tight on the Roscommon border with their pitch just outside Leitrim village, their playing pool has been significantly strengthened by the addition of three brothers from Derrygonnelly, Co Fermanagh in Ryan, Conall and Garvan, all county footballers.

The three were to the fore in their semi-final win over reigning champions Mohill, 4-14 to 3-7 and leading 4-10 to 0-0 at the break.

Garvan and Conall combined to hit 1-11 between them with Ryan to the fore in a strong midfield performance.

That they are there at all is no secret around Fermanagh. All three opted not to play for Derrygonnelly last year and instead trained with Leitrim Gaels. Their transfers came through at the start of this year.

Ryan already had links with the county as the co-owner of RJS Pharmacy in Drumshambo and he took up an offer to come on board with Leitrim as a selector with Leitrim county team last year under manager Steven Poacher.

He almost came up against his brother Garvan – playing for Fermanagh – in the national league, before Leitrim pulled out of the game due to a raft of injuries.

While there naturally will be great excitement around a county final, it will undoubtedly be tinged with something else, as their original club Derrygonnelly Harps are in the Fermanagh decider 45 miles away in Brewster Park, Enniskillen.

There, they meet reigning champions Erne Gaels, managed by incoming Fermanagh manager Declan Bonner who have been in the last three previous county finals, losing to Derrygonnelly in 2023.

Derrygonnelly has always had a strong community identity but it took them until 1995 to win their first senior championship, which they added to in 2004.

The arrival of Ryan onto the senior team coincided with an unforeseen period of success as they won titles in 2009, before a five-in-a-row from 2015.

They also added further titles in 2021 and 2023. For six of their 10 championships, he was the team captain.

Ryan Jones as captain in 2016.

In those teams, Conall and Garvan were also prominent. Their talent was most evident when they entered the Ulster club competitions, Conall showing his talents from the dead ball, most especially with his clutch free to beat Tyrone champions Dromore in Carrickmore in 2021.

However, a club dispute with management soured their relationship and despite attempts to mend fences, the situation got out of control.

There are many ways of perceiving such a local row, but essentially, communication and misunderstanding is at the heart of it. For now, it is a pity as relationships have inevitably suffered among people who have known each other their whole lives.

With time and space, there must be hope in some quarters that a reconciliation is possible.

Ryan Jones is known as a deep thinker on the game and there would be no barrier to him at some time in the future getting involved in coaching structures within the county. Time heals everything.

In the meantime, the family link to the club is still maintained. Less than a fortnight ago, their sister Aoibhinn Jones helped the Harps to their very first senior ladies title in the county, beating the dominant Kinawley with Jones hitting a crucial first-half goal.