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22nd May 2025
05:04pm BST
New York hurlers were granted a spot in Lory Meagher Cup last year, after winning their first Connacht Hurling League title earlier that year by beating Mayo. The Exiles had previously only taken part in the Ulster Hurling Championship, from 2000 to 2006, reaching the final in '06.
It was announced at Congress, in February, that a proposal from the Central Council and the CCCC was passed which allowed New York into the semi-finals of the cup.
Monaghan manager, Arthur Hughes, criticised the GAA when speaking in Gaelic life. Hughes felt after officials attempted to get rid of five counties from playing in the National League, two years ago, that this decision was poor.
He said: "I think it’s an absolute disgrace. It’s not that long ago the GAA were trying to get rid of five counties in Ireland from playing in the National League, and now the next thing they’ve done is bringing in New York.
"It’s an absolute joke in my opinion – you don’t know what you’re coming up against, what level they’re at, and it’s completely unfair to just fly a team into the semi-finals. If you’re going to participate in a competition, you should be there from the start."
Former Fermanagh boss, Joe Baldwin, believes New York have a right to compete in inter-county hurling's fifth tier and sees no other way to accommodate them. Baldwin did sympathise with the impact this could have on the Farney County, who secured their semi-final place after a late draw against Longford.
He said: "From a Monaghan point of view, it, it gets them another game, and maybe the game could be good for them, maybe the rest could be good for them. Only time will tell.
"But if New York are as strong as people are saying, it's going to be really disappointing for Monaghan."
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