O’Donovan Rossa begin senior LGFA life with victory over Clon

In their first senior outing, O’Donovan Rossa overcame their West Cork neighbours.

The O'Donovan Rossa team that marked their first ever senior club championship game with a Cork Credit Unions Cork LGFA SFC victory over Clonakilty, 3-9 to 2-9, in Ahamilla last Sunday. Photo: Ger McCarthy.

O’Donovan Rossa began life as a senior club with victory over Clonakilty in the opening round of the 2025 Cork Credit Unions Cork LGFA senior football championship at Ahamilla last Sunday.

County, Munster and All-Ireland junior champions in 2023, county and provincial intermediate champions in 2024, the progressive Skibbereen club made an instant impact in their senior club debut away to West Cork rivals Clonakilty.

A 3-9 to 2-9 win was attained off the back of an impressive defensive effort. Laura O’Mahony's (2) and Éabha O’Donovan’s first-half goals laid the foundation for a Group 1 SFC success in which Rossa’s had to withstand a late Clonakilty fightback.

Cork senior O’Mahony’s 2-1 (two goals inside two minutes) and Cork minor Éabha O’Donovan’s 1-3 saw off Clon’s stiff challenge. Sinead Farrell, Fionnuala O’Driscoll, Kate O’Donovan and Allie Tobin also featured on the winners’ scoresheet.

As for Clonakilty, the Brewery Town were overdependent on Sinéad O’Donovan who fired in 2-4 of her side’s losing total. Siofra Pattwell (0-3) and Cork senior Katie O’Driscoll (0-2) also raised white flags.

“The result was the most important thing today,” O’Donovan Rossa Head Coach James O’Donovan said.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter in senior championship football how well or how poorly you play. It’s about getting three points on the board. That’s what we got. So, we are delighted with that.” 

Elsewhere in Cork LGFA SFC Group 1, St Val’s took maximum points from their visit to Castlehaven. Aislinn O’Mahony twice found the net as last year’s Division 1 league champions and county semi-finalists proved too strong for their opponents, winning comfortably, 4-7 to 0-5.

Éire Óg and Glanmire met in an important Group 2 opening round tie in Ovens.

Runners-up in the senior county championship for the past four years, Éire Óg were thankful to inter-county camogie senior Orlaith Cahalane for netting a brace of goals that proved the difference in a tight encounter.

The home team’s 2-6 to 0-6 win also included Orlaith Cremin, Sadhbh McGoldrick and Laura Cleary scores. A defence-dominated first half saw Glanmire change ends 0-4 to 0-2 in front. The visitors missed a penalty and would go on to lose their opening game despite Aishling McAllen (0-3), Niamh McAllen, Abbie O’Mahony and Orlaith Roche getting on the scoresheet.

Mourneabbey, county champions nine times between 2013 and 2023, missed out on last year’s county semi-finals stage. Unsurprisingly, the North Cork club issued an early statement of intent in Kinsale last Sunday, a comprehensive 1-18 to 0-3 triumph getting their senior campaign off to an ominous start. Ciara O'Sullivan (1-6) and Laura Walsh (0-6) led the scoring for the winners.