County final talking points: Kilmurry Ibrickane look to flip the script against Éire Óg Ennis
Ronan Lanigan of Eire Og in action. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton.
While Inagh-Kilnamona’s maiden Clare Senior Hurling title made them the 13th different winner in 23 years last Sunday, the opposite is true back in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chiosóg in Ennis Sunday afternoon (3.30pm) for the football equivalent.
Éire Óg Inis are bidding for their fifth triumph in six seasons, backed by an enviable 31 county championship victories in their last 32 matches since 2021.
Faced by the team of the last decade Kilmurry Ibrickane, who hoovered up seven Jack Daly Cups in 13 seasons between 2008-2020, it promises to be Éire Óg’s toughest test since that sole defeat after extra-time and penalties to Cratloe in the 2023 semi-final.
The Ennis side are seeking a three-in-a-row of SFC successes, not achieved in 47 years since Kilrush Shamrocks ruled the local landscape in the 1970’s.
Eight attempts since from back-to-back champions have been thwarted, with West Clare giants Doonbeg coming the closest when contesting reach a third successive final twice in the 1997 and 2000.
Éire Óg are the first club to get back to a third final in 26 years and there’s a remarkable correlation between the Magpies and their great rivals from Ennis. Clare’s 1992 Munster Senior Championship winning captain Francis McInerney was Doonbeg’s undoubted talisman during that 90s dominance while his son Mark is equally Éire Óg’s current driving force as their top-scorer with 3-42 in five matches.
A better final script could not have been penned but Kilmurry Ibrickane will be keen to flip it.
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It's rare for a Dublin club to win a county title without a few high-profile non-natives, and Castleknock could be the latest to do so.
First time finalists, they are best known for producing eight-time All-Ireland winner Ciarán Kilkenny who will play an important role again in just their second ever final.
But would they have got this far without the addition of Mayo duo John Vahey and Shairoze Akram?
Who knows, but Vahey, from the Breaffy club, has certainly played an important role with two two-pointers in the semi-final alone. Akram, a star of Mayo's All-Ireland U-21 success a decade ago, has slotted in at wing-back and impressed too.
"They've both been brilliant," said club captain Kevin Stephenson. "They've brought something different to the team, which is great, and we're delighted to have them."
Last year's winners, Ballyboden, had Galway star Céin D'Arcy at midfield, and ex-Kerry senior Patrick Warren and former Antrim captain Peter Healy in defence.
Galway star Shane Walsh was central to Kilmacud Crokes' three-in-a-row of titles between 2021 and 2023, and on the list goes over the years.
Cuala were a notable outlier in 2024, with a home-grown crew. They've an even tighter group this year with Derek Dunne in charge. A club man, Dunne is the son of Pete Dunne, who managed Cuala to their first final in 1988.
When these sides met in the county final two years ago, a rising Ballinamere side pushed K-K to the wire in dismal conditions, before falling a couple of points short.
They regressed in 2025, losing heavily to K-K in a one-sided quarter-final, but over the winter they turned to a man with significant experience in the field of breakthrough senior titles. Seán Treacy was both player and coach when Portumna became a force in Galway and he also led Kiladangan to their memorable Dan Breen Cup win in 2020.
So far, so good. Ballinamere are a perfect five wins from five games, and come into this final as a more mature, experienced side, likely to line out tomorrow with 14 of the 15 players that started the 2024 final.
Kilcormac-Killoughey are seeking four-in-a-row and manager Declan Laffan said during the week that every subsequent title is harder to win, saying “the target on your back gets bigger”.
The larger concern for the Loughmore-Castleiney man is a couple of significant absentees. Charlie Mitchell’s long-term future is still unknown after his heart problems forced him to step away from the Offaly seniors during the Summer, and not alone are K-K without the county captain, club captain and full back Jordan Quinn is also finished hurling for the year due to injury.
With Brian Duignan in the form of his life and plenty of scoring support coming from Dan Bourke, Dan Ravenhill, Joe Maher and John Maher, Adam Screeney and his Kilcormac-Killoughey colleagues will do well to keep pace.
Pádraig Pearses v St Brigid's, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 2pm (Live on Clubber)
St. Brigid’s may have been involved of two out of the last three All-Ireland club finals, but they’ve achieved this without establishing dominance over their South Roscommon neighbours.
Since making their breakthrough with a maiden championship success in 2019, Pearses have won three Roscommon championships (the same as St. Brigid’s in that time) and one Connacht title, while their one-point defeat to Coolera-Strandhill in the provincial decder two years ago was a huge shock, given that they had gone to Tuam Stadium and emphatically knocked over Corofin en route to Markievicz Park.
Roscommon midfielder Conor Ryan sustained a significant knee injury playing in Chicago in the Summer and that was supposed to be a huge blow to Pearses’ prospects – he may see action in November if Pearses survive this - but they’ve got to this final on the back of efficiency and resilience. In both the quarter-final and semi-final, they needed extra-time to prevail over Michael Glaveys and Boyle respectively, and across that 160 minutes of football, they scored 8-39 while kicking three wides.
For St. Brigid’s, under the guidance of the Crossmolina duo of Damien Mulligan (manager) and Peadar Gardiner (Coach) in 2026, the only concern is that they haven’t been battle-tested to the same extent.
Paul McGrath, Shane Cunnane and Eddie Nolan all missed the bulk of the championship through injury, but the three county senior panelists all featured in the semi-final win over Strokestown, albeit Nolan only got a few minutes at the end. The champions look to be in better shape, but it took a replay to split these teams last year, so it’s unlikely to be straightforward.
Kevin Egan
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