Dunloy attacker Conal Cunning hopes that the opportunity to represent his club and county at a newly developed Casement Park is drawing closer after it was recently included in the stadia shortlist for the joint Irish and UK bid to host Euro 2028.
The Belfast venue has been hit by a series of setbacks and delays since games stopped in 2013 for the planned redevelopment, but there was good news for Ulster GAA in May 2022 as the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents' Association lost their appeal to overturn planning permission granted in 2021.
Ulster GAA’s Stephen McGeehan, who has been involved in the project throughout, told the Irish News earlier this month that work would begin on the ground in 2023 with a view to games restarting in 2025.
"Our ambition at the moment with the design being finalized, the business case being approved, the funding position being settled, is that we will start on site towards the back end of 2023," McGeehan said.
That’s music to the ears of 'Coby’ who was speaking at an AIB GAA provincial club championship media day ahead of their Ulster Hurling final against Slaughtneil at the Athletic Grounds on Sunday.
"When you were younger you went to Casement to watch matches and it was a great place to watch county finals," he said.
"I do see that there is progress, hopefully in the twilight of my career I’m going to get to play at it someday because from what I can see of it, it looks like it’s going to be an unreal stadium.
"The last four or five years we've been in an Ulster final, semi-finals, but we’ve been beaten by Slaughtneil."
"Antrim hurling needs that. Corrigan [Park] is a great venue, I love the stand and all, but to have a big stadium like that, for Antrim hurling, for what it would do for Ulster hurling, for everyone in Ulster would be unbelievable."
Cunning, named Joe McDonagh player of the year at the recent GAA All-Star banquet, would also like to see the reintroduction of the Ulster Championship.
The provincial competition was last played in 2017 when Antrim defeated Armagh to win their 16th title in succession and while Cunning admits that its absence doesn’t give him sleepless nights, it is a tournament he would enjoy the chance to compete in.
"It’s something we can’t control, whether that’s brought back is down to an Ulster committee," said Cunning, who starred as Dunloy also won the Antrim Intermediate Football Championship this season.
"We’re in the Leinster Championship now, the round-robin games, and we’ll be concentrating on that.
"But you live in Ulster, you’re in the province, you see the football and you see how good it is. The Ulster football final is such a big occasion. You’d love to see that in hurling terms."
One competition that certainly has no chance of falling dormant is the Ulster Club Championship and Gregory O'Kane’s side are hoping to join Cushendall at the top of the roll of honour on 11 wins this weekend.
Dunloy's previous haul included a brilliant sextet of successes between 2000 and 2009, but they haven’t lifted the Four Seasons Cup since that victory over Ballycran 13 years ago.
"It [the final] is the place you want to be, it’s the matches you want to play in. Whenever you were younger, going to these matches with the big crowds, it’s where you wanted to be," Cunning said of the clash with holders Slaughtneil.
"The last four or five years we’ve been in an Ulster final, semi-finals, but we’ve been beaten by Slaughtneil," he added.
"They’ve set the standard and we know that we have to reach that standard if we’re looking to go to the next level."
