Back to the club: A to Z of the 2024 GAA club season

With the inter-county season tagged and bagged, the GAA’s focus reverts to the club.

ANOTHER YEAR: Dan Shanahan of Lismore. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

A is for Abbeydorney - One of 2024’s first county champions, winning the Kerry senior hurling title at the beginning of August. It ended a 50 year wait for the Neilus Flynn Cup, bringing joyous scenes to the north Kerry parish.

B is for Burkes - They were central to St Thomas’ All-Ireland triumph in 2023 with a seven-in-a-row-bid in Galway the next target. Eldest brother Kenneth is manager with Cathal, Darragh, David and Eanna all on the team. The latter scored 1-6 from play in the opening round against Killimordaly as they began, business as usual.

C is for Clubber - Streaming platforms have breathed new life into club GAA none-more-so than Clubber whose coverage goes far and wide.

D is for Dan The Man - The Lismore seniors staved off relegation last weekend with the help of 47-year-old Dan Shanahan, who came on as a sub 32 years after making his debut. Johnny Doyle for Allenwood, Ciaran McManus for Tubber, Mossy Quinn for St Vincent’s - there are any number of age-defying veterans, continuing to do the business for their clubs.

E is for Eleven - Ballygunner are two wins away from an unprecedented eleventh Waterford senior hurling title in a row. They defeated De La Salle in last weekend’s quarter final, extending their Déise winning streak to a remarkable 56.

F is for Fionán Mackessy - The move of the two-time Poc Fada champion to Kilkenny gives last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists O’Loughlin Gaels a huge boost, with the Kerryman has slotted in seamlessly so far. He scored five points from centre forward in round two, winning man-of-the-match against Mullinavat as they bid for back-to-back Kilkenny crowns.

G is for GAA 2024 - TG4’s unmissable highlights programme airs every Monday night as the club season winds up, showing games from all corners of the country.

H is for Hayes - Brian Hayes is one of many dual players who will be bidding for glory in both codes. The St Finbarr’s star will be a key player in their quest for a Cork championship double.

I is for Intermediate and Junior - Iar-Uachtarán an CLG Sean Kelly was responsible for bringing in provincials and All-Irelands down the grades in the early 2000s, ensuring that most clubs have a chance, albeit for some a slim one, of making it to the hallowed turf of Croke Park for an All-Ireland final. What a dream it is.

J is for James Doyle - St Mullins are the Carlow senior hurling champions once again and Doyle was the hero, winning man-of-the-match in both the drawn game and the replay victory over Mount Leinster Rangers.

K is for Kilkerrin Clonberne - The remarkable Galway club are bidding to win their fourth All-Ireland ladies football club title in a row, with their supremacy showing no signs of stopping.

L is for Lacey - Donegal legend Karl Lacey remains at the helm as Kilcoo manager for the 2024 season. They won a fifth successive county title last season before losing to Scotstown in Ulster.

M is for Mícheál Ó Domhnaill - It isn’t club season without the unrelenting Waterford man who spearheads GAA BEO every Sunday on TG4, hail, rain or shine.

N is for Naas - Won the Kildare hurling and football championships last year with three dual players - Brian Byrne, James Burke and Daire Guerin - in their ranks. They’re enjoying huge dominance over the county’s GAA season which looks set to extend into ‘24.

O is for O’Rourke - Glen manager Malachy O’Rourke turned down Derry’s advances, showing considerable commitment to the club last year. They claimed an All-Ireland title but he remains at the helm, even though the Derry hot-seat is again vacant.

P is for Penalties - Ballygunner’s bid for a second All-Ireland title came to an end last year after a shoot-out while in football, Castlehaven became kings of Munster when Damien Cahalane denied Dingle. Like them or loathe them, time to get used to them.

Q is for Never saying Quit - It’s the basis of team-talks all over the country. Adare have lost the last three Limerick senior football finals to Newcastlewest, will they come back in 2024? Breaffy have lost five finals in eleven years, having never won a senior championship in Mayo. Is this their year?

R is for Relegation - The dreaded ‘r’ word is a grim reality for some clubs. Strokestown were Roscommon senior football champions in 2022 only to drop down to the intermediate ranks in ‘23, showing that nobody is safe.

S is for Split season - The early end of the inter-county scene gives the club season a fixed place in the calendar. It is much talked about and often criticised but at its heart is the club game and club players.

T is for Trigger - St Fechin’s brought the Louth senior hurling championship trophy to the resting place of their manager Niall ‘Trigger’ MacEnaney, who passed away earlier this year. A former Louth hurler, MacEnaney was beloved in the club who won their fourth championship in a row in his memory.

U is for Ulster - Ulster clubs enjoyed blanket domination of the club Gaelic football scene last year with Cavan’s Arva (Junior), Armagh’s St Pat’s Cullyhanna (Intermediate) and Derry’s Glen (Senior) winning the All-Irelands. Was it an anomaly or will they produce similar heroics again?

V is for Venues - The GAA were praised for taking the club semi-finals out of Croke Park last year, bringing them instead to provincial venues where the atmosphere was much improved.

W is for Wexford - One of the country’s foremost dual counties, Wexford have finished off their hurling championships before starting the football in a split season model that spawned in 2020. But they have now reverted to the more traditional model of hurling-one-weekend, football-the-next, after plenty of discourse.

X is for X-Rated - Westmeath dual player Luke Loughlin was rocked by a heavy blow in a club hurling game recently, sustaining injuries to his jaw, teeth, chin as well as concussion. He bounced back a fortnight later, scoring a stunning one-handed goal as Clonkill defeated reigning champions Raharney.

Y is for Young man’s game - Buoyed by the talents of young players Adam Screeney, Colin Spain, the Kavanaghs, Ter Guinan and co, reigning Offaly hurling champs Kilcormac Killoughey have won their first three games convincingly. Such is their strength-in-depth that they could have had two top-rank teams this year having won Senior A and B in 2023, only to decide against it. A period of dominance may lie in store.

Z is for Zach Tuohy - His AFL retirement is imminent so how about a return to club action for Portlaoise? By the town’s standards, they are in the middle of a famine, five years without a county senior football title.