Ó Conchúir delivers at the death as An Ghaeltacht edge Sallins to clinch All-Ireland final berth
3 January 2026; Brian Ó Beaglaoich of An Ghaeltacht celebrates. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
It is never too early in the year for such drama. In the freezing cold of January 3, An Ghaeltacht and Sallins entertained and enthralled.
Straight to the finish. The extra-time gripper is into the one allotted minute of second period injury-time. Sallins lead by the minimum. Darren Keane has just sent wide the opportunity to edge them two clear and face them up the road to Croke Park.
An Ghaeltacht goalkeeper Seán Ó Lúing went long from the ensuing kickout. Sallins full-forward Emmet Ralph rose highest. He was immediately set upon and surrounded by a swarm of white jerseys.
The call was for overcarrying. Then came the second and even more crucial call from referee Seán Lonergan. Ralph was deemed to have delayed An Ghaeltacht getting hands on ball to take the free. A 50-metre penalty.
Having been infuriated with no penalisation of a blatant Sallins three-up breach at the end of regulation time, the West Kerry men had got the call here.
Swings and roundabouts.
Éanna Ó Conchúir forwent the white flag option. He brought the free back outside the arc. A winning kick he wanted. The nerve was heroic. Straight and true.
An Ghaeltacht, minus four Munster final starters, including All-Star Brian Ó Beaglaoich who was a second half introduction, did the impossible.
An Ghaeltacht, 22 years after losing the All-Ireland senior club decider, are returning to Croke Park for the intermediate equivalent.
Second-half injury-time ended in chaos and controversy. Sallins were chasing an equaliser, but were without possession.
Possession was gifted back to them when heavily strapped second-half sub Cathal Ó Beaglaoich - another of the Munster final starters absent at the throw-in - opted to shoot from just inside the arc.
The kick landed short. Off went Sallins.
As they sought to work the ball upfield, they had only one player inside the opposition half. The breach was clear to anyone paying even half attention to proceedings.
The An Ghaeltacht sideline roared out onto the field. They then roared down the sideline to linesman David Murnane. Sallins still hadn’t corrected the breach and pushed forward two players to complete the requisite three-up.
The linesman took no action. Play and Sallins continued on uninterrupted.
James Dalton assumed clutch responsibility. With 34 seconds remaining in the allotted three minutes of injury-time, Sallins were level. 1-12 to 0-15.
It was only the second time across the entire second-half that the Kildare champions had stood level with their opponents.
They had spent the second half, up to the 54th minute, trailing. They twice trailed by four.
The first was after a Pádraig Óg Ó Sé turnover and Ruaidhrí Ó Beaglaoich two-point free. The second, on 50 minutes, was after a superb score from superb half-back Aodhna Ó Beaglaoich.
A well-worked green flag parachuted Sallins back into contention. Darragh Mangan, James Dalton, and Luke Killian involved in the build-up. Stephen Kelly with the palmed finish. Killian, with his fifth from play, subsequently brought stalemate.
A semi-final that appeared gone from them was resurrected.
Considering their depleted nature, An Ghaeltacht would have been delighted with both their first-half display and the one-point lead they held at its conclusion.
The West Kerry man launched nine attempts at the City End goal in the opening 31 minutes. All bar one - an Éanna Ó Conchúir wide - stuck.
Their spoiling of the opposition restart was every bit as impressive as their shot execution. Sallins retained their opening two kickouts. Paul Farrelly and Luke Killian pointed at the end of both moves.
An Ghaeltacht announced middle-third assertion from there. Off goalkeeper Matthew Farrelly's next two kicks, Seán Ó Cuinn and Aodán Breathnach claimed possession in the air and on the ground. Two white flags followed.
In total across the opening half, An Ghaeltacht mined three points from Farrelly restarts interfered with and stolen. Breathnach, later in the half, was again the kickout disrupter for a Ruaidhri Ó Beaglaoich point. Throw in his orange flag on 24 minutes and the Kanturk native was enjoying a bountiful return to familiar surrounds.
Pádraig Óg Ó Sé and Seán Ó Gairbhí were two more doing a pile of work in that middle-third department, and beyond. Ó Sé was superb in carrying possession and turning defence to attack.
Ó Gairbhí kicked a point and was later found inside his own 20-metre line intercepting a pass bound for Sallins’ Darragh Mangan.
The Leinster champions, albeit only one adrift at the break, would have been disappointed with several strands to their first act showing.
Cian Grimes kicked four wides. Paul Farrelly kicked short. They won four Gaeltacht restarts and only managed a 0-1 return.
Luke Killian was their star pupil, responsible for half their 0-8 interval total. Colm Dalton took that mantle from them when issuing the second half leveller and the lead score at the beginning of extra-time.
Extra-time was home to a lost count of missed opportunities and cramping bodies. Extra-time was home to only four scores. Three white, one orange.
They’ll be talking about that orange flag back in West Kerry for years to come.
R Ó Beaglaoich (0-8, tp free, 0-2 frees); É Ó Conchúir (0-4, tp free); A Breathnach (0-2, tp); A Ó Beaglaoich, PJ Mac Láimh, T Ó Sé (BB), S Ó Gairbhí (0-1 each).
L Killian (0-5); L Kelly, J Dalton (0-3 each); S Kelly (1-0); C Grimes (0-2, 0-2 frees); P Farrelly (0-1).
S Ó Lúing; Cian Ó Murchú, PP Sauerland, JJ Mac Liam; A Mac Amhlaoibh, A Ó Beaglaoich, P Óg Ó Sé; A Breathnach, S Ó Cuinn; G Ó Cinnéide, R Ó Beaglaoich, PJ Mac Láimh; S Ó Cuinn, É Ó Conchúir, C Ó Riagáin.
C Ó Corrduibh for Ó Riagáín (HT); B Ó Beaglaoich for Mac Amhlaoibh (44); C Ó Beaglaoich for Sauerland (48); T Ó Sé (DC) for Ó Cinnéide (56); T Ó Sé (BB) for R Ó Beaglaoich (63); D Ó Séaghdha for Breathnach, Ó Ó Sé for C Ó Beaglaoich (both 67); S Ó Conchúir for Ó Cuinn (71).
M Farrelly; S Ó Domhnaill, R Ó Domhnaill, M Moynihan; G McEvoy, D Keane, L Kelly; D Mangan, S Conway; L Killian, P Farrelly, C Grimes; S Kelly, E Ralph, J Dalton.
A Marshall for Ralph (39); A Carney for Moynihan (40); C Dalton for Keane (45); E Ralph for C Dalton (60); D Keane for P Farrelly (67, inj); S McDonnell for Grimes (73); L McKenna for Conway (75).
S Lonergan (Tipperary).
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