Uibh Laoire go goal-crazy to seal Cork PIFC title and senior status for the first time
EE John McHale Sat 31 October GAA: PIFC Final: Iveleary v Kiskeam in Pairc Ui Chaoimh at 7pm: 31/10/2026: Iveleary’s Ian Jones scores his first goal of the game against Kiskeam. Picture by Noel Sweeney
Up are Uibh Laoire. Senior status for the first time in the club’s history. A goal-crazy display sent them up in the finest of style.
Beaten finalists 12 months ago, glorious redemption was theirs. They were never led in this Cork Premier Intermediate football final. Not once. Their opponents never stood level with them in this flag-heavy and hugely entertaining third-tier final. Not once.
Uibh Laoire had 1-2 on the board before their opponents registered a first shot and raised a first flag of the night. Uibh Laoire’s lead was never less than three thereafter. Three was the difference on 39 minutes, Kiskeam and their sensational two-point kicking having transformed a 3-10 to 0-6 scoreline on 26 minutes into a 4-11 to 0-20 final of brief uncertainty. The Duhallow men were held to just 0-3 across the ensuing 26 minutes.
Arriving into this final with 10 green flags across four games, the Inchigeelagh inside forwards were again goal ravenous. Their movement again befuddled the opposition defence.
Ian Jones had completed his hattrick by the 26th minute. By game end, he had seen three more stopped by Kiskeam 'keeper Billy Daly.
Ian’s brother Chris Óg was the provider of their fourth. His 1-10 contribution lifted his overall championship tally to a remarkable 6-33 from play.
For the third time from five championship outings, Uibh Laoire’s margin of victory wound up in double-digits. This was a convincing and clinical ascension to the senior ranks. And considering the club wore Junior A status just six years ago, their swift ascension through the ranks to now be among the senior cohort is just so impressive.
Kiskeam’s first-half kickout woes were a mirror image of the Barrs’ struggles in last weekend’s Premier Senior decider.
Billy Daly’s first seven restarts sent long were lost. From the seven steals, Uibh Laoire mined 1-3. Their No.9 Conor O’Leary was by far the most prominent in fetching the floated kickouts of Daly.
Kiskeam’s first successful retention of a long restart did not come until the eighth attempt on 15 minutes. In total, Kiskeam lost 11 of their 15 first-half restarts. Uibh Laoire punished with 2-5.
By contrast, Uibh Laoire won the opening six kickouts of their No.1 Joe Creedon. The six were an equal split of long and short. Centre-forward Cathal Vaughan won each of the three long.
It was the 28th minute when Uibh Laoire lost their opening restart of the opening half. Kiskeam made certain to make the rare spoil count, Paul O’Callaghan raising orange.
Kiskeam’s kick-out press was far more aggressive during those closing minutes of the opening half, but this change of approach almost cost them a fourth goal as a Creedon kickout sailed past the entire middle-third swarm. O’Leary raced through but his green flag effort was sent straight at Daly.
Kiskeam finished the half with 0-5 unanswered to begin a 15-minute spell where they outgunned their opponents 0-14 to 1-1. Within that 0-14 was outrageous two-point kicking from Paul O’Callaghan and Thomas Casey.
Uibh Laoire did not panic for their advantage being so eroded. They continued to create goal chances at frightening frequency. We counted nine in total. And that was a very quick count. It could even have been 10.
Cathal Vaughan was near flawless with each ‘45 that resulted from a saved goal opportunity. Chris Óg Jones came with a second-half 0-5 to match his first-half points tally.
Up are Uibh Laoire. And so deserving are they of promotion.
C Óg Jones (1-10, tp, 0-1 mark); I Jones (3-2); C Vaughan (0-4, 0-4 45s), S Pickering (0-4, tp); C Galvin, J Sweeney (0-1 each).
S O’Sullivan (0-7, 2 tp frees, 0-1 free); P O’Callaghan (0-5, 2tps), T Casey (0-5, 2tps); S O’Riordan, D Fitzgerald (0-2 each); J O’Connor, Mike Casey (0-1 each).
J Creedon; B Murphy, D O’Donovan, D O’Riordan; S O’Riordan, C O’Riordan, C Galvin; T Roberts, C O’Leary; J Sweeney, C Vaughan, S Pickering; C Óg Jones, I Jones, S O’Leary.
K Manning for Murphy (38); B Cronin for Sweeney (42); B O’Riordan for S O’Riordan (54); A O’Brien for D O’Riordan, L Kearney for Pickering (both 63).
B Daly; Mike Casey, J O’Connor, J Daly; D Murphy, E Daly, K O’Connor; S Meehan, G Casey; A Carroll, AJ O’Connor, P O’Callaghan; S O’Sullivan, T Casey, S O’Riordan.
Maurice Casey for Murphy (HT); D Scannell for G Casey, M Cronin for AJ O’Connor (40); D Fitzgerald for S O’Riordan (45); M Collins for K O’Connor (49).
R Whelan
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