Colm Rafferty and Arthur McDonagh primed for All-Ireland road bowling showdown

Rafferty will have to be in the zone to beat McDonagh but having two big wins over the Keady-Tassagh course in recent weeks will give him confidence

Colm Rafferty is the brother of Armagh footballer Ethan Rafferty. Pic: Dominic Morgan

Colm Rafferty and Arthur McDonagh will battle for the All-Ireland senior men’s title in the feature score of next weekend’s All-Ireland road bowling series in Keady-Tassagh.

Rafferty has had to elbow his way into the limelight, given the high profile of his brother, Ethan, in Gaelic football and his first-cousin Thomas Mackle in bowling. In 2026 he has put both of them to the sword in vital ties. He knocked Ethan out in the Ulster semi-final and beat Mackle in the final.

Those incredibly big wins validate his glorious year of 2024. He is no longer a one-hit wonder. Should he defeat McDonagh on Sunday then his stock will rise even higher. That he has two key wins under his belt over the course in recent weeks will buoy him no end and give Ulster fans reason to row in behind him too.

McDonagh is such a different player now to the newbie that beat Mackle in the 2021 All-Ireland. This year he has moved up several gears. In the relatively low key quarter-final at Conna he was magnificent. He cashed-in what looked a beaten docket against Gary Daly in Grenagh. In last Sunday’s Munster final he was the incarnation of power and confidence.

Rafferty goes about his business in a low key way, but he has an unparalleled ability to produce score defining bowls. The road in Keady-Tassagh is exactly the kind of road that facilitates those types of extraordinary bowls. Therein lies peril for McDonagh.

The experience of last year’s All-Ireland defeat has been well learnt by McDonagh. He was a far more ruthless athlete in King of the Roads. He has lost some big battles like the Dan Riordan Cup final, but in general he is a stronger and meaner competitor now. Rafferty will have to stay in the zone or no miracle bowl will keep him afloat.

Five other titles are up for grabs over the weekend with the women’s intermediate final next in the national pecking order. Here Munster’s Ailbhie O’Shea plays Ulster champion Lily O’Rourke.

O’Shea was a woman on a mission in the Munster final. She was on point from the first shot. She drove on relentlessly and never gave Ellen Sexton a chance to recalibrate. If she can bring that intensity to Saturday’s final, then even a player of O’Rourke’s record will be under pressure.

O’Rourke demonstrated a lethal balance of perseverance and class in her win over Shannon Maguire in the Ulster final. Her massive bowl from the creamery lane oozed class. But that was quickly followed by a mistake at Twynam’s. A lesser player would be derailed, but O’Rourke dug in an stormed clear to the line.

Ulster fans will fancy Ruairí O’Reilly in the men’s junior B final against Ger Connolly. He has recaptured his true form this year, crowned in a splendid win over Ronan Toal in the final. Having won the All-Ireland junior A in 2014 his career seemed to stall. He had already won two All-Irelands and much more was expected of him.

Connolly was exposed to every kind of challenge in his long and winding Munster campaign. He had tight calls and emphatic wins. In the semi-final he easily overcame Denis O’Driscoll. In the final he was the consummate professional against Colm Crowley. He got on top and stayed on top. He’ll be equally composed on Saturday.

The men’s veteran (over-50) final is Johnny Kelly representing Ulster and Eoin O’Riordan for Munster. This very often produces really tight scores.

Kelly has had a high national profile since he won the 1989 U18 final against a fancied John Creedon at Tassagh. He won a great battle with Brian Kinchin in the Ulster final. He has many positives ahead of the weekend including winning so recently over the course.

O’Riordan has less of a national profile, but has precious momentum. He beat two big names in Trevor O’Meara and John Cahalane in the Munster junior section final and followed up with an all-round polished win over Jimmy Collins in the overall final.

Munster double champion, Méabh Cuinnea, will be fancied to add the U16 All-Ireland to the U18 she won earlier this month. She is a bowler that can significantly shape the next decade of women’s bowling. She will have to adapt to the lighter 24 oz bowl against Connie Mallon in Sunday’s final, which may limit her.

Mallon, is a player of note herself, having won three successive Ulster titles. She is also a member of the Toal dynasty. Her mother, Dervla, is current senior women’s All-Ireland champion and her first-cousin, Colm Rafferty, is the Ulster senior men’s champion.

Jack Allen and Johnny Campbell contest the Boys U16 final, which opens the weekend.

Munster champion, Allen, is a player of burgeoning talent as he demonstrated in his Munster campaign, including an impressive win over Culann Bourke in the final. Campbell is contesting his second All-Ireland of 2026. He was beaten by Gerald McDonagh in the U18 final. He too is super player as evidenced in his beating Caolan Carr and Jack O’Reilly in successive Ulster finals