Clontibret stopped Scotstown's bid for five Monaghan SFC titles in a row on Sunday afternoon in Clones.
Going in as underdogs, Clontibret emerged winners by six points, 1-14 to 0-11 to claim their 17th county title.
"It's very special," Clontibret's Conor McManus told RTÉ Radio 1 after the game.
It's actually very difficult to put it into words. We had a very difficult year last year. We had to win our last two league games to stay senior and at that stage, things didn't look great. You were struggling to see where you were going to compete again. We showed what Clontibret is all about there today.
We knew we going to have to bring that [physicality]. Scotstown are after winning four championships in a row. They didn't win them for nothing - they're the best team in the county by a long stretch. We knew we had to bring something different to the party if we were going to win it.
Clontibret are managed by Armagh legend John McEntee.
"It wasn't easy for him last year," said McManus.
"He came into a team and probably thought he was sold a pup because we were pushing, we were pushing but last year we didn't show any of that.
"It would have been very easy for him to walk away but he showed his true colours and stuck by us. Thankfully, we've delivered.
"We'll focus on that (Ulster Championship) in a day or two, but right now, we're taking a day or two for ourselves in Clontibret."
