Tempo and Fermanagh Minor Tiarnan Bogue was at the Europa Hotel in Belfast last Friday night to collect his fully deserving Ulster Colleges All Star award for a splendid MacRory cup campaign for St Michaels Enniskillen in the 2015/2016 competition.
Bogue who is vice-captain for Fermanagh minors in 2016 will be one of Fermanagh’s main assets when Keith Reilly’s side go up against Antrim on Sunday May 15 in Brewster Park in the Ulster Minor Championship.
Bogue enjoyed collecting his award but is still coming to terms with winning the award, “Yes, I felt privileged to have been nominated for trials on the back of good St Michaels team performances in the league stages, and then even more fortunate to have been selected in the end. We had one trial in Cookstown and a second trial at Queens University in Belfast so it was a shock to get the call afterwards that I had made the best 15.”
Moving onto Fermanagh’s tussle with Antrim Bogue is quick to admit that the Ulster League campaign did not go as planned this season, “Look there is no hiding it was a disappointing campaign in that in some victories were attainable. However we had some solid performances and a good spread of players got competitive league action.”
Bogue was to come off injured in the third game against Tyrone in Garvaghey after landing awkwardly on his ankle and the injury was to further rule out the ace attacker against Derry last Saturday.
So can Fermanagh defeat Antrim and pick up a first Ulster Minor Championship win since Mark Henry’s side in 2011, Bogue thinks so, “I don’t see any reason why we cant beat Antrim. It was a very competitive game in the league in Derrygonnelly and the result could have went either way on the day. Hopefully we will have a more settled and confident team come Championship and hopefully we all have the added contribution of Michael Og McGarrigle who is slowly making his way back to the pitch.”
For now Bogue can get back to his club Tempo minors with the new GAA rule stating that any County minor player cannot play adult football until his County team exits the Championship. Bogue says Tempo minors are progressing well, “Its been a mixed campaign to date with some encouraging performances, we await to see what division we are to placed in but we’ve had some encouraging performances from the younger players just out of under-14 level including Oisín Jackson and Peter Rafferty.”
Bogue has been steeped into GAA all his young 17 years of life with an older brother Caoimhin playing for Tempo and two younger sisters all playing for Tempo, Fermanagh U14 and 16’s and Mount Lourdes School team.
For now the 6th year is concentrating on his A-levels and hopefully a Fermanagh minor victory over Antrim, having been Fermanagh’s top scorer in this year’s Ulster Minor League there is no doubting Bogue is a huge talent to look out for in the future.
