Having now undisputedly broken free of the vice-like grip of London's recent big three, North London Shamrocks are spreading their wings and heading for Ireland to face Mayo champions Ballina in Saturday’s Connacht club SFC quarter-final clash at Bekan.
The Shamrocks’ breakthrough success in 2024 could have been potentially swatted away as a flash in the pan, but their ability to go back-to-back has ensured that Tír Chonaill Gaels, Fulham Irish and St Kiernan’s have new company to contend with.
That three-point victory ensured that they were one of 11 teams to retain their senior football crown in 2025. Limerick and Tipperary are yet to play their finals but with the holders in both already out, the number will not rise.
That recent final win over the Gaels brought great satisfaction according to manager Peter Witherow, an All-Ireland winner with Donegal in 2012. Last season they became the first side outside of that big three to lift the title since Kingdom Kerry Gaels in 2013 - and now they have rubber-stamped their standing as a major player on the British GAA scene.
"Last year we set to stall out to get the recruitment on point because we’d fallen short in a couple of semis and I think everyone was a bit scundered," Witherow told RTÉ Sport.
"Everyone wanted to drive it on and challenge that traditional big three of Fulham, TCG and Kiernan’s. Last year was about getting over the line and doing that.
"This year we had a good chunk of lads in with London so they'd no break, and we’d a bit of a slow start. We weren’t really going that well at different times in the league, we still got to the final but got beat by Fulham.
"We didn’t know where we were at until the semi-final and to be fair to the lads, when their backs were to the wall they pulled out a good performance against a Fulham team that hadn’t been beaten all year.
"TCG had beaten us well in the group, but we had a bad day at the office that day, two men sent off early in the second half, and the Fulham game gave us the confidence.
"It was definitely a different feeling this year, it was very satisfying to get over the line again."
Much of the side’s success owes to the influx of players from the west of Ireland, most notably Donegal.
Historically, Tír Chonaill Gaels was the landing spot for Donegal players heading to London, but the final team-sheets saw the Shamrocks hold a much stronger hand in that regard, although not exclusively with Gaels’ Ryan McCready and cousin John McDyre on opposite panels.
"It’s funny how it works out; traditionally Tír Chonaill Gaels would have been the Donegal club," Witherow continued.
"Myself and Michael Boyle (previous manager) went to the Shamrocks because we had a couple of mates playing with them and then another batch came over because of us.
"The players are probably to thank for the influx because one man knows another man or has played county underage with him or knows he works in construction or whatever it might be.
"The players do a lot of the driving in terms of recruitment and John Madigan [part of the management team] would have a big part in that too."
Last year, Ballina also provided the opposition in their Connacht opener with the Mayo side winning 0-15 to 0-09 in Ruislip.
The hosts were undone by a slow start with Michael Carroll, who is currently nursing an ankle injury picked up whilst playing soccer, missing a penalty at a key juncture.
Witherow believes that the team's approach this time around should give them a better standing, even if they are the away side 12 months on.
"As you can imagine, last year, when you when your first championship, it’s hard to get the boys gathered up," said Witherow, whose parents will be down cheering his side on this weekend.
"I don’t think the boys had factored Connacht in, there were holidays booked and different things. We didn’t do a heap of training and we just sort of pulled up to the match.
"This time we gave the boys three or four days off and we got back on the training field. Hopefully we should be a bit more competitive."
The British champions have yet to taste victory in the senior provincial or All-Ireland arena, but there have been near misses, including when the victors were automatically handed an All-Ireland quarter-final spot.
Sean McDermott’s and London Parnell’s both suffered one-point losses while in 1990, Tír Chonaill Gaels nearly caused a huge shock before losing in extra-time to Lavey with the Derry champions eventually going on to lift the Andy Merrigan Cup.
Witherow is making no major proclamations, but he doesn’t see any reason why his side can’t be competitive and then, after that, who knows?
He has underdog experience too, having been part of a New York side that pushed Sligo all the way in their 2017 Connacht clash in the Bronx before falling away down the stretch.
"We’re flying in Saturday morning, a quick meeting and then heading to the Connacht centre of excellence which, since the dome has gone, is meant to be fairly exposed. We’re expecting the west of Ireland weather but the majority of our boys are Sligo, Mayo and Donegal anyway so they’re well used to it.
"Logistically it’s a lot easier at home, but there’s a good buzz there because we’re travelling and staying together.
"There’s the financial aspect of course, but there’s a different feel because we are travelling as a group and it maybe gives teams an incentive to win their county championship. It’s the chance to go back home and have their families down supporting them."
Watch Loughmacrory v Kilcoo in the Ulster Football Championship on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
