Cork Hurling Leagues guide: Sars v the Glen provides a tasty start to club hurling season

Cork's RedFM Hurling Leagues start with a bang Friday as county champions Sarsfields host Glen Rovers. Here's where all of the top hurling clubs stand heading into the new season.

CLUB FOCUS: Former Cork coach Donal O'Rourke. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

DIVISION 1

Glen Rovers: Have made the most eye-catching addition. Former Cork coach Donal O’Rourke joins Tomás Mulcahy’s backroom, replacing Tommy Dunne. Cork S&C man Ian Jones comes in too.

Fr O’Neill’s: Have tweaked, but not drastically. Ray O’Neill remains in charge and Alan Dunne steps in as coach for the outgoing Kieran Hammersley. Brian O’Callaghan replaces Eoin Conway as selector.

Midleton: Half of the Premier Senior class have changed managers heading into 2026, 2021 champions Midleton included. Padraig O’Shea takes over from Micheál Keohane, who concluded his three-year stint at the end of last year. 

O’Shea had previously been a selector during Keohane’s first two seasons in charge. 

Frank Flannery remains on board as a coach, while Barry Fitzgerald and Liam Walsh will remain as selectors. Recently retired players Aidan Ryan and Cillian Hurley have been added to the backroom.

Charleville: Opted to keep things the same in 2026, Dominic Foley remains in charge with James Kennedy in the coaching role.

Blackrock: No change here either, Jamie Harrington remains in charge and the backroom setup remains the same.

Sarsfields: Ditto with Sars, despite speculation that the Johnny Crowley-Diarmuid O’Sullivan partnership was set to come to an end, Crowley and O’Sullivan remain very much in situ for the reigning county champions.

WINNING FORMULA: Sarsfields manager Johnny Crowley. Pic: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile

St Finbarr’s: Ger Cunningham has departed from the Barrs after four years and one county title in charge, with former Cork camogie boss Paudie Murray taking the reins for the 2026 campaign. Paudie’s brother Kevin takes on the coaching duties.

Douglas: Vincent Hurley takes over at Douglas for the 2026 season, with former Inniscarra manager and Douglas native Ken St Ledger joining his backroom team. Teddy O’Donovan is involved as a selector too.

Carrigtwohill: Have retained Denis Walsh as manager and John Dwyer as coach, while Seámus Roche and Declan Collins remain in their selectorial roles.

Killeagh: Have brought in Ger Scully as manager to replace the outgoing Bryan McCarthy, while Waterford U20 boss James O’Connor takes over the coaching duties. Bernard Rochford, Colin Fogarty and Kieran Lane will be selectors, while Liam O’Reilly takes care of S&C.

DIVISION 2

Newcestown: Have made an intriguing appointment. Daniel Twomey comes in as manager, becoming the youngest boss in the Premier Senior grade. He replaces Niall O’Sullivan, but Wayne Power and Conor O’Donovan stay put. Rick Bradfield also joins the group.

Na Piarsaigh: Sticking with the same, John Gardiner, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Christy Connery and manager Mark Mullins all stick with their roles for the 2026 season as they again face into the task of returning to the top flight.

Bride Rovers: Have shuffled the deck. Brian Murphy stepped away and former manager Liam Barry returns. Stephen Glasgow stays on as coach, while recently retired Jamie Peters joins the backroom alongside Alan Fitzgerald and Frank Hogan.

Newtownshandrum: Gerdy O’Mahony – older brother of Cork senior Tim – returns to Newtownshandrum as manager, taking over from Gary Morrissey. He’s joined by Alan G O’Brien, Paul Morrissey and Stephen Young in the management team.

Kanturk: Have added last year’s Douglas coach Fergus Ryan as coach for the upcoming campaign, and he joins a setup that retains manager Tom Walsh. Seán Murphy will be their new S&C man, while Kevin Roche also joins the setup.

Erin’s Own: Relegated from Premier SHC last year, the Glounthaune club have their fourth manager in as many years as Brendan O’Riordan takes over from Shay Bowen. 

A Bishopstown native, O’Riordan has assembled a backroom team that includes former manager Martin Buckley and John O’Brien, while Mark Ferncombe takes over the coaching duties. James McGlade will look after S&C.

Valley Rovers: Will have Noel O’Donovan at the helm once again, while Ballymartle have Noel Deasy as manager for the 2026 season and Padraig Gould as coach.

Ballincollig: Have Éamonn Keating in charge for another season, with Ronan Curran in the coaching role again. He will return to the set-up once Cork’s inter-county season draws to a close.

Ballincollig coach Ronan Curran and manager Eamonn Keating. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

Carrigaline: Eddie Murphy has left Carrigaline and Gary Harrington has taken over, with Clive O’Donovan and Mark Austin coaching for the coming year. 

Geoff Dillon, Paul Campbell and Peter Casey will be selectors for the 2026 season, while Darren Dineen is the team’s S&C.

DIVISION 3 AND 4

Last year’s beaten Senior A finalists Castlelyons will see Ciarán McGann return to the helm for his second spell in charge of the team, replacing Michael Spillane. Noel Furlong has also left his role as coach of the team.

Blarney, the side Castlelyons brought down en route to the final, have also gone for a previous manager as Paul O’Leary returns, while Michael Barrett leaves the role. Gavin O’Mahony has also departed his position as coach.

Eddie Murphy has joined Éire Óg with Diarmuid Kirwan, as the two replace the outgoing John Malone.

No changes for Ballinhassig, John O’Sullivan remains as coach, with Michael Keohane and John Paul Griffin as selectors, as they step up to senior for 2026.

Padraig Hughes and the majority of his backroom team have stepped away from their role with Inniscarra. 

Sean Holland takes over as new manager for 2026, while Trevor O’Keeffe takes on the coaching duties. Alan Sheehan remains as a selector from last season.

Noel Hanley takes charge of Senior A outfit Ballyhea – another team appointing their fourth manager in as many years – as Limerick native Stephen Walsh coaches the team for 2026. 

Ciaran Breen will oversee S&C with Michael Morrissey and Johnny O’Callaghan as selectors, after Claude Gough and his management group departed.