Three first-half goals laid the foundations for a comprehensive victory for Kilkenny side Conahy Shamrocks against Derry’s Eoghan Rua at Inniskeen.

Rory Beggan’s converted free in the fifth minute of stoppage time sealed a dramatic comeback for Monaghan champions Scotstown and put them through to the AIB Ulster club SFC final.

When Richard Carey climbed the steps in Celtic Park five years ago, it was the culmination of an incredible rise. From a junior final in 2000, via an All-Ireland intermediate final in 2007, an unfashionable group of players wrote one of the great pieces of history in Derry’s annals.

There was county football final action in Donegal, Derry, Fermanagh, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow and London today, while Kilmallock claimed the lone Senior Hurling championship title on offer.