Clonduff ended a 26-year wait for the Down Senior Club Football Championship on Sunday, October 11, 2026, beating Burren 1-14 to 1-10 at Páirc Esler in Newry.

The Hilltown club last lifted the county crown in 2000. The result restores Clonduff to the top of County Down club football after more than a quarter of a century.

Clonduff led 1-6 to 0-4 at half-time and held on after Burren threatened a second-half comeback.

Clonduff seize control early

Charlie Carr scored Clonduff’s first-half goal after a pass from Senan Carr. The early breakthrough helped the Yellas build a five-point half-time lead.

Eamon Brown was central to the victory from placed balls and open play. He finished with seven points, including three two-point frees.

  • Half-time score: Clonduff 1-6, Burren 0-4
  • Full-time score: Clonduff 1-14, Burren 1-10
  • Eamon Brown’s tally: seven points

Burren fight back, but Clonduff hold firm

Burren made the final competitive when Niall Toner found the net in the second half. The goal cut into Clonduff’s advantage and raised the pressure at Páirc Esler.

Clonduff did not lose control. Stephen McConville, Charlie Carr and Senan Carr added important scores before the team closed out a four-point win.

The final was also the first Down senior decider without Kilcoo since 2011. Burren had eliminated the reigning county champions in the semi-final. Clonduff then completed the breakthrough in the final.

A milestone for Hilltown

Joint captains Charlie Carr and Stephen McConville lifted the Frank O’Hare Cup after the final whistle. The victory ends one of the longest title waits in recent Down club football and moves Clonduff into the next stage of the Ulster club campaign.

The scoreline records a four-point victory. For Clonduff’s supporters, the bigger achievement is the return of a proud County Down club to the county summit after 26 years.