MacRory Cup
| MacRory Cup | |
|---|---|
| Code | Gaelic football |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Region | Ulster (GAA) |
| Trophy | MacRory Cup |
| Title holders | St. Mary's Grammar School (1st title) |
| First winner | St. Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh |
| Most titles | St Colman's College, Newry (19 titles) |
| Sponsors | Danske Bank |
| TV partner(s) | BBC |
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college (school) gaelic football tournament in Ulster at senior "A" grade. Players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament (that is, be under eighteen at the start of the school year). The winners advance to the Hogan Cup, the All-Ireland colleges "A" senior football championship.
The competition and trophy are named after Joseph MacRory, then Bishop of Down and Connor, who donated the first cup in 1923.
The current holders are St. Mary's Grammar School, Magherafelt winners of the final on 17 March 2017.
The final is held every year on St. Patrick's Day and is televised live on BBC Northern Ireland along with the Ulster Rugby Schools Cup final. The venue for the last number of years has been the Athletic Grounds in Armagh. Previous finals have been held in Coalisland and Casement Park.
Current Format
The format was changed for the 2016-17 season. Fourteen teams compete in three groups - Groups A and B have five teams and Group C has four teams. The three group winners and the best group runner-up advance to the quarter-finals. The fifth-placed teams in groups A and B are eliminated. The remaining eight teams play-off in four matches with the four winners completing the quarter-final line-up. From the quarter-finals onwards all matches are knock-out.
Previous Format
The competition began with a round-robin tournament consisting of two groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stages. Four playoff matches were held between the bottom four teams of Group A and Group B to complete the quarter final lineup.
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