Cork cruise, Clare strike late on Kennedy Cup opening day

Cork got their Kennedy Cup campaign off to a flyer with a 4-0 victory over Tipperary South in Group 2.

The 2026 Kennedy Cup kicked off at the University of Limerick on Monday, the annual U14 boys'interleagues competition comprising 33 teams from all over the island of Ireland.

It is a competition that has previously served as a launchpad for stars like Roy Keane, Damien Duff, John O’Shea, Troy Parrott and even Katie Taylor, who became the first female player ever to play at the tournament during the 2000 event.

In Group 1, last year’s runners-up Donegal enjoyed a 3-0 win over Mayo, a brace from St. Catherines’ Levi Kelly giving his side a 2-0 lead with both goals assisted by Darragh O'Sullivan (Cappry Rovers). Erne Wanderers midfielder Peader O'Sullivan added a third at the end to wrap things up for Donegal. In the other Group 1 fixture, a late Conal Kelly goal gave Kilkenny a well-earned 2-1 victory over Roscommon.

Cork got their campaign off to a flyer with a 4-0 victory over Tipperary South in Group 2. Park United's Evan Walsh bagged a goal and two assists for the Rebels, also setting up Mallow Town pair Cian McMahon and Adam Ince to complete the scoring and send Cork top of the group. Also in Group 2, Waterford and Longford fought out a 1-1 draw thanks to goals from Calum Walsh (Ferrybank) and Dylan Butler (Killoe) respectively.

In Group 3, Kildare were 3-0 winners over Lisburn Castlereagh with goals from Hugh O’Loughlin (Monasterevin), Dexter Powell (Prosperous Utd) and Alex Celestino-White (Naas). Earlier in the group, Wexford came from a goal down to beat Sligo/Leitrim 3-1. Oisin White (Courtown Hibs) and Andrew Cash (Ferns Utd) both grabbed a goal and an assist before Casey Harte sealed the win late on.

Defending champions Limerick Desmond were held to a 1-1 draw against Carlow in Group 4. Broadford’s Raymond Lynch opened the scoring on 15 minutes to give Limerick an early lead but his effort was cancelled out by Connor Moore (Burrin Celtic) on the brink of half-time to seal a well-earned point for Carlow. In the early kick-off, a brace from Bangor clubman Patrick Turley helped 2024 champions South Belfast to a 5-0 victory over WWEC along with goals from Alex McKnight, Conor Kelly and Rory Rea.

Inishowen kicked off Group 5 with a 1-0 win over North Dublin, a second-half strike from Redcastle United’s Senan Doyle was enough to give Donegal a win in their opening fixture. The evening fixture saw a similar outcome as Limerick County resisted a second-half comeback from 2023 cup winners Galway to win 1-0 thanks to an Eoghan Mulcahy strike just two minutes into the first half.

There were goals galore in Group 6 starting with a 4-0 win for 2024 runners-up NERL, a first-half brace from Parkceltic Summerhill’s Kevin Rispin helping his side overcome Cavan/Monaghan to go top of the group. In the evening fixture a thrilling encounter saw Dundalk come back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Limerick District. Regional United’s Will Conway opened the scoring just four minutes in before some good link up play saw Bobby Fitzgerald (Aisling Anacotty) double the lead to give the local side a two-goal advantage. Dundalk pulled one back on the stroke of half-time through Nikodem Szczesny, and grabbed a deserved equaliser early in the second half when Nathan Plunkett (Dromin Utd) finished well to hand his side a share of the spoils.

Group 7 also produced a 4-0 scoreline as Midlands comfortably overcame Wicklow thanks to goals from Kyle McNamee Robinson, Jamie Hoey, Daniel Craig and Liam Browne, while there was late drama in the evening clash between DDSL and Clare when Eliah Kenny of Newmarket Celtic latched on to a loose ball and struck home to give Clare a 1-0 win over the Dubliners who have won this competition on no fewer than 33 occasions.

The final group fixture of the opening day finished in a 1-1 draw between West Cork and North Tipperary, a late strike from Nenagh Celtic striker James Hynes cancelling out Charlie Ryan-Daly’s early opener as both teams left with a point. The other team in that group, Kerry, will face both of those sides in Group 8 on Tuesday.