On the 15th of September 2002, the Noel O’ Brien Memorial Tournament was held in the Buffers Alley G.A.A grounds in Ballinastraw ,  Monamolin. Six teams took part in the tournament, they were; the defending champions Monageer-Boolavogue, Buffers Alley (the hosts), Our Lady’s Island, Ballygarret , Blackwater and the eventual winners O’ Donovan Rossa from Belfast.

 Rossa had been invited by Buffers Alley to thank them for hosting the Buffers Alley U-14 in the Feile na Gael in Belfast earlier this year.

 The whole weekend got off to a start with a night for O’ Donovan Rossa in the complex. Johnny Brennan provided music. A good night was had by all.

 Next morning, the matches got off to an early start, beginning at 9:30a.m. Teams were split up into two groups of three teams. Buffers Alley, O’ Donovan Rossa and Our Lady’s Island in group A. Monageer , Blackwater and Ballygarret were in Group B. First of all, the Alley played Rossa, final score being 1-1 to 2-1.

 Next The Alley played Our Lady’s Island; they defeated The Alley by a single point, ending their chances of winning the title for a second year (Buffers Alley won in 2000). In Group B, Ballygarret played Monageer .The final score was Ballygarret 2-1 Monageer 0-1. Then it was Monageer versus Blackwater, which Blackwater won. In semi-final A Rossa played Blackwater and O’ Donovan Rossa won well. While Ballygarret played Our Lady’s Island in semi-final B, which Our Lady’s Island won.

 After a short break, spectators and players prepared for a great final, Our Lady’s Island vs. O’ Donovan Rossa. After a spectacular display of underage hurling, O’ Donovan Rossa came out as the eventual winners. The Cup was presented to the captain and medals were also given to both teams. Tea and sandwiches were provided in the lounge area.

 It was without a shred of doubt that the Noel O’ Brien tournament 2002 was a huge success, and as the O’ Donavan Rossa team and supporters loaded up (reluctantly) for the five hour journey back to Belfast, they promised to come back as defending champions next year. Pictured below are the Buffers Alley team of 2000, the inaugral winners of the Noel O'Brien Tournament.