The Sheamus Howlin Cup comes back to San Francisco
After coming up just short in last year’s final, we returned to Chicago this July with one goal: bring the Sheamus Howlin Cup back to San Francisco.
The North American Senior Hurling Challenge, held at Gaelic Park, is recognized as the de facto Senior Hurling Championship of North America. It’s the tournament where the top clubs from across North America bring their full-strength squads to battle it out for the biggest prize in North American hurling.
This year we came out on top.
We opened the weekend on Saturday with a strong performance against the Michael Cusack Hurling Club of Chicago, winning 2-25 to 1-07. The Chicago heat was brutal, especially for a team used to playing at Páirc na nGael in San Francisco Bay, but we kept our focus and set the tone early.
Later that day, we faced Father Tom’s of Boston—a team known for their grit. After going down to 14 men and trailing by as many as six points, we dug deep and clawed our way back to win 1-24 to 2-19 in one of the most intense matches of the weekend.
On Sunday, we lined out for the final against Galway Boston, one of the oldest and most respected hurling clubs in North America. Founded in 1909, Galway had beaten both Windy City (Chicago) and our San Francisco rivals Na Fianna to earn their place in the final.
We knew we’d have to be at our best.
With a full-team effort, accurate shooting, and relentless pressure, we fought back to come from behind and take the Sheamus Howlin Cup in a 1-27 to 0-21 victory.
Our captain Sean Ryan (#13) was named Player of the Tournament, and Cathal O’Neill (#11) earned Man of the Match in the Final.
We’re honored to be recognized as 2025 North American Senior Hurling Challenge champions. Massive respect to every club that competed, and thanks to the Chicago GAA organizers and Gaelic Park fans who made the weekend so special.
Neart agus Bród!
Photography by William Wayland