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gaa · Saturday 1 August 2026 · Various 
Northern Switchgear Antrim SFC Group 1 - Cargin v Tir na nOg
At TBC · Co. Antrim
At TBC · Co. Antrim
The Northern Switchgear Antrim Senior Football Championship is the county’s premier club competition, and this Group 1 fixture between Cargin and Tír na nÓg sets two of Antrim’s most storied clubs against each other right from the off. Cargin - formally Erin’s Own GAC, based at their Shore Road grounds in Toome - are the dominant force in Antrim football over the past decade, with 13 county titles to their name and an extraordinary three-in-a-row across 2022, 2023 and 2024. They were beaten finalists in 2025 when Dunloy ended their run, and you can be certain they are coming back with something to prove. Tír na nÓg of Randalstown are no pushovers either - a club founded in 1919 with roots in the Gaelic Revival, fielding across four codes and with a proud senior football tradition in the county. Championship football in Antrim tends to be physical, fast and fiercely local; this clash will draw a genuine crowd of people who know every player by name.
Group stage championship football in Antrim is knockout in spirit even when the format allows some leeway - teams at this level expect to win their group and arrive ready to perform. Cargin play a high-tempo, organised game developed across years of back-to-back finals. Their squad includes players capped at Ulster level and Cargin’s underage system means the panel is regularly refreshed with pace. Tír na nÓg will be eager to make a statement; Randalstown clubs have a history of punching above their weight in the county draw. Expect a tight, committed match with both teams treating a group opener as a chance to set down a marker for the rest of the competition. The specific match venue and time are to be confirmed - check antrim.gaa.ie for the confirmed fixture. The full championship is also available to stream on GAA+.
Cargin’s Shore Road ground sits just outside Toome, which is about 30 km north-west of Belfast on the M22 motorway - roughly a 30-minute drive in easy traffic. The M22 connects directly to the M2 out of Belfast. Coming from Dublin, the A1/M1 takes you north to Newry and on toward Belfast, then you branch west on the M2/M22; the total journey is around 2 hours. There is no direct rail link to Toome, but Translink operates bus services from Belfast Europa Bus Centre toward Toome and Magherafelt. If the fixture is scheduled at Tír na nÓg’s ground in Randalstown instead, that town sits on the A6 road, also well served by bus from Belfast. Both towns have roadside parking near their GAA grounds; arrive 30 to 45 minutes early for a big championship game.
The Toome area sits at the southern tip of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in these islands, and is worth a short detour if you have time after the match. Randalstown itself has a compact town centre with cafes and is close to Shane’s Castle estate on the lough shore. There is more to see in Antrim and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to TBC in Antrim? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Antrim area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.