Limerick's Colin Ryan retains Poc Fada crown as Cork's Molly Lynch competes six-in-a-row

2026 Poc Fada champions: U16 camogie winner Eloise McConn of Kildare, senior camogie winner Molly Lynch of Cork, senior hurling champion Colin Ryan of Limerick, U16 hurling champion Conor Raleigh of Westmeath. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Colin Ryan emerged as king of the mountain again in Louth, capping off a landmark year by retaining the M. Donnelly All-Ireland Poc Fada title.

Just over a fortnight after togging out as reserve goalkeeper for MacCarthy Cup winners Limerick at Croke Park, Ryan powered to his third Poc Fada success.

The Pallasgreen man matched his wins of 2025 and 2021 while he finished second in 2022, 2023 and 2024 behind Killian Phelan and Fionán Mackessy.

Kerry man Mackessy won the title twice though Ryan has now moved out ahead of the current Kilkenny hurler, as well as former two-time winners like Davy Fitzgerald, Ollie Walsh, Pat Hartigan and Albert Shanahan.

The All-Ireland finals have been beset by bad weather in recent years with two of the four sections on the men's course closed last year.

A stiff wind provided the main challenge this time though it was a dry day with favourable conditions on Annaverna Mountain on the Cooley Peninsula.

With scores taken after each of the sections, Ryan was in front throughout, leading after the opening An Céide section and setting the pace through the Carn an Mhadaigh, An Gábhlan and Ceann Scríbe sections.

His finishing tally of 51 pucks and 54 metres was a full puck ahead of Mayo's Bobby Douglas while Clare's Eamon Foudy, a late replacement for Aidan McCarthy, came third.

"I shot well from the very start," said Ryan. "I knew I was in the lead from the first turn and I knew that if I could just keep tipping away with solid strikes that I had a good chance.

"Coming towards the end then, I knew I had seven shots to get home and from just gauging it in my head, I knew that I'd get home within that shot range.

"Still, you don't breathe out until you're over the finish line because if you mess up one strike, or miscue it, you're in trouble. Last year it came down to metres in the end so you need to make the most out of every single strike."

For Ryan's 2021 and 2025 wins, the course was shortened due to the elements.

"It was nice to do it over the full course and in good weather," said Ryan.

Meanwhile, former Cork camogie goalkeeper Molly Lynch swept to a six-in-a-row of titles, placing her on the cusp of history.

Lynch completed the senior camogie course in 26 pucks plus 62.3 metres, three pucks ahead of runner-up Chloe Morey from Clare. Galway's Caoimhe Higgins was third.

Lynch's win has left her just one behind Waterford's Patricia Jackman who won a record seven titles between 2009 and 2015.

"Someone told me that straight away," smiled Lynch of closing in on Jackman's record. "So I suppose that's probably the aim now - but I'll enjoy this one for a couple of days.

"An awful lot of work went into it. I've been in the gym since last October working on my strength towards this."

Westmeath's Conor Raleigh retained the U-16 hurling title while Kildare's Eloise McConn came out on top in the U-16 camogie competition.