Champions begin All-Ireland defence

The pace will quicken considerably in next Sunday’s Bank of Ireland Football Championship when the All-Ireland champions Galway, Connacht champions Roscommon and Ulster champions Tyrone all begin the defence of their titles.

The line-up is:

Bank of Ireland Connacht Championship quarterfinal:

Roscommon v Galway, Dr Hyde Park, at 4.30pm. This match is live on Network 2.

Bank of Ireland Ulster Championship quarterfinal:

Armagh v Tyrone, Clones at 3.30pm.

The 48th championship meeting between Roscommon and Galway - two of football’s greatest rivals - will attract a full house to the refurbished Dr Hyde Park.

The score stands at 25-18 in the Tribesmens' favour with four draws.

It promises to be a fascinating clash, not least because Roscommon beat Galway in last year’s Connacht semi-final, only to lose to John O’Mahony’s men in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Roscommon pulled off a great win (2-12 to 0-14) over Galway in Tuam last June and went on to win the Connacht final before losing to Galway (0-14 to 1-5) in the All-Ireland quarter-final in August.