Kildare pass stern Limerick test to secure Tailteann Cup glory
Kildare players and staff celebrate after their side's victory in the Tailteann Cup final match. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Rehabilitation complete. Re-entry into football’s upper echelons secured.
Kildare’s 2025 purgatory in the third-tier of the League and Championship’s tier-two has had the curtains pulled. But pulled in the most heart-stopping of circumstances. They almost weren’t pulled at all.
Purgatory almost required another 20 minutes before potential check-out.
Kildare’s lead was four strong 75 seconds from the hooter. They surely could not be caught. All bets are off in this beautiful new game.
James Naughton stroked over a free on the Kildare 13-metre line. It was just their third point since the 51st minute goal that sent them into a two-point lead. Kildare won the ensuing restart. That was that, surely.
Hold on, hold on.
Brian McLoughlin, who rose white and orange flags upon his introduction, was guilty of throwing possession. A green wave gathered size and speed. The first equalising goal attempt was blocked by Cian Burke. The rebound fell to sub Rory O’Brien.
As the hooter sounded, his shot was deflected over the bar by Kildare corner-back Brian Byrne.
A first piece of silverware for Kildare in 2025. A first piece of senior silverware since the Division 2 League crown of 2012.
A 12th victory of 2025. Across the previous three campaigns, their combined total of league and champions wins registered just one higher than this year’s restorative tally.
Division 2, Sam Maguire, and a county’s mood corrected awaits Kildare football in 2026.
Possession is everything. Hardly a groundbreaking statement.
Possession is nothing if you can’t put the ball over the bar. Again, nothing radical in that.
Limerick owned the ball off their own restart and the scoreboard early doors. Into a notable breeze, they retained Josh Ryan’s first four restarts. Three went short and stuck.
Half-back Tony McCarthy and full-forward Emmet Rigter secured their opening two scores from this source. Tommie Childs kicked their third from a Kildare restart spoiled.
The latter shoved their advantage out to three, arriving as it did a minute after Cillian Fahy’s goal strike. 1-3 to 0-3.
Kildare pressed up on Ryan’s fourth kickout. The press didn’t enjoy immediate success. And then it did. Kildare won five of his next six kickouts.
From three behind to seven in front. 1-10 to 1-3. No Limerick score in 12 minutes.
Possession, as we said, is everything.
Darragh Kirwan bookended the Kildare spell of sustained pressure with a pair of orange flags. The goal belonged to Alex Beirne on 14 minutes. A minute earlier, Colm Dalton attempted to palm in their opening goal. Tony McCarthy repelled.
Limerick, in a rush, punted the ball straight to Kevin Feely for a simple Kildare point.
The Treaty eventually regained control of their restart and got hands back on the ball. Emmet Rigter ended the scoring wait. It began a five-in-a-row sequence. One of those was a delicious Danny Neville dummy.
A second Neville dummy set up Cillian Fahy for a goal opening.
‘Keeper Cian Burke proved equal. Neville also had two wides he’ll have been disgusted with. He wasn’t alone in green in registering wholly avoidable wides late in the half.
Kildare, in a carbon copy of Limerick’s steadying earlier in the half, eventually sorted out their kickout and eventually got white shirts back on possession. A 15-minute flag drought was addressed.
A lead closed to two was redoubled on the run to the break.
Dalton, Beirne, and Ryan Sinkey stretched the favourites into a slightly more content interval position. 1-13 to 1-9.
The lead was wrestled from them on 51 minutes. Killian Ryan with the goal. 2-15 to 1-16. The green flag proved the end rather than the beginning of Limerick’s second-half momentum.
Eoin Cully should have had a Lilywhite major in immediate response. Darren O’Dohery derailed the sub. Darragh Kirwan and Alex Beirne were off target. Would another year in football rehab be endured?
The radar was rebooted. From the 54th to the 62nd minute, they outgunned their opponents by 0-7 to 0-2. Kirwan, Beirne, Feely, and McLoughlin led.
Kildare are back where they’ve always felt they belonged. They now need to go and make their presence felt. Limerick's rebuild continues. The lack of silverware won't slow it down.
D Kirwan (0-8, 2 tps); A Beirne (1-2); B McLoughlin (tp), R Sinkey (0-3 each); C Bolton (tp), K Feely (free), C Dalton (0-2 each), T Gill, D Flynn (0-1 each).
C Fahy , K Ryan (1-1 each); J Ryan (tp free, 0-1 ‘45), P Nash (free), J Naughton (0-2 frees), T McCarthy (0-3 each); E Rigter (0-2); T Childs, D Neville R O’Brien (0-1 each).
C Burke; R Burke, H O’Neill, B Byrne; T Gill, D Hyland, J McGrath; K Feely, B Gibbons; C Bolton, D Kirwan C Dalton, R Sinkey, A Beirne, D Flynn.
J McKevitt for McGrath, B McLoughlin for Gibbons (both 43); E Cully for Flynn (47); M O’Grady for Burke (66).
J Ryan; J Hassett, D O’Doherty, M McCarthy; K Ryan, I Corbett, T McCarthy; T Childs, D O’Hagan; P Maher, C Fahy, D Neville; P Nash, E Rigter, J Naughton.
B Coleman for T Childs (temporary, 16-18); D Murray for O’Hagan (43); B Coleman for Maher (47); R Childs for Rigter (55); T Ó Siochrú for Corbett (61); R O’Brien for T Childs (66).
L Devenney (Mayo).
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