The Antrim county hurling team represents Antrim GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of hurling. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League. It also contests the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) when the competition is run, winning the latest title in 2017.
Antrim's home ground is Casement Park, Belfast. The team's manager is Davy Fitzgerald.
The team last won the Ulster SHC in 2017, but has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship or the National League.
The team is nicknamed the Saffrons, the Saffron men or the Glensmen.
Antrim is the only Ulster county to appear in an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (SHC) final, the first of which was in 1943 losing to Cork and the second was in 1989 losing to Tipperary. In 1943 Antrim defeated both Galway (by 7âÂÂ0 to 6âÂÂ2) and Kilkenny (by 3âÂÂ3 to 1âÂÂ6) in the old Corrigan Park, but disappointed in the All-Ireland against Cork. Two years previously, Antrim had been graded Junior a year before, and had been beaten by Down in the Ulster final. It was only competing in the Senior Championship because the Junior grade was abolished. Antrim hurlers featured strongly in Ulster Railway cup final appearances in 1945, 1993 and 1995. In hurling, the progression that began with Loughgiel's success at club hurling level in 1983 (with players like 15-stone goalkeeper Niall Patterson) culminated in an All-Ireland final appearance in 1989.
Antrim's first All-Star, Ciaran Barr starred in a 4âÂÂ15 to 1âÂÂ15 All-Ireland semi-final win over Offaly in 1989. The final was one of the poorest on record, as stage fright overcame the Antrim team. It was no flash in the pan: Antrim failed by just two points against Kilkenny in the 1991 All-Ireland semi-final.
Antrim qualified for the 2020 Joe McDonagh Cup final.
On 12 August 2024, Antrim officials appointed Davy Fitzgerald as the senior team's manager, for two years, with a third one optional.
Dominic McKinley ?âÂÂ1997
Seán McGuinness 1997âÂÂ1998
Seán McNaughton 1999âÂÂ2001
Tom McLean 2001
Dinny Cahill 2001âÂÂ2005
Jim McKernan 2005âÂÂ2006
Terence McNaughton & Dominic McKinley (2) 2006âÂÂ2009
Dinny Cahill 2009âÂÂ2011
Jerry Wallis 2011âÂÂ2012
Jim Nelson 2012
Kevin Ryan 2012âÂÂ2015
P. J. O'Mullan 2015âÂÂ2016
Terence McNaughton (2) & Dominic McKinley (3) 2016âÂÂ2018
Neal Peden 2018âÂÂ2019
Darren Gleeson 2019âÂÂ2024
Davy Fitzgerald 2024âÂÂ
Antrim has 5 All Stars, as of 1993.
1988: Ciaran Barr<br> 1989: Dessie Donnelly, Olcan McFetridge<br> 1991: Terence McNaughton<br> 1993: Paul McKillen<br>
denotes that a player also won Player of the Year for the year in question.
2006: Malachy Molloy, Paddy Richmond, Ciarán Herron<br> 2016: Simon McCrory, Eoghan Campbell, Ciarán Clarke<br> 2017: Paddy Burke<br> 2020: Mattie Donnelly, Stephen Rooney, Gerard Walsh, Keelan Molloy, Niall McKenna, , Ciarán Clarke<sup>2nd</sup><br> 2022: Ryan Elliott, Joe Maskey, Gerard Walsh<sup>2nd</sup>, Eoghan Campbell, Keelan Molloy<sup>2nd</sup>, Conal Cunning, Ciarán Clarke<sup>3rd</sup><br>
Antrim unveiled a sponsorship agreement with Fibrus in December 2022, projected to last five years.