ALL eyes will be on Castlehaven as the Union Hall-Castletownshend club makes its Cork LGFA senior championship debut at home to Bride Rovers on Sunday.
Dinny Cahalane and his management team has overseen a trophy-laden run through the junior county ranks culminating in last season’s dramatic intermediate county final victory over Glanmire on free-kicks.
Cahalane’s side held their nerve to become intermediate county champions and now embark on their maiden senior football championship odyssey as part of a tough Group 1 line-up.
Cork senior Katie Quirke could be part of a Bride Rovers line-up that travels to West Cork on Sunday, having reached the penultimate round of last year’s SFC. Things don’t get much easier for Castlehaven who travel to county champions Mourneabbey on September 10th. Last year’s senior B county champions Fermoy visit West Cork in round three before a trip to Aghada.
Those matches represent a baptism of fire for Castlehaven. Picking up three Division 1 league victories over Aghada, Bride Rovers and Araglen Desmonds Buí were welcome boosts. But the Haven know all too well that county league form bears little resemblance when it comes to championship.
On a positive note, Castlehaven boasts a talented panel including plenty of match winners. Mairead O’Driscoll, Niamh O’Sullivan, Ellie McCarthy, Ellen Maguire, Aideen Santry and Grainne O’Sullivan are ready to make their mark at senior level.
Castlehaven's Ellie McCarthy fires the ball past Rosscarbery's defender Cait Mennis to score her side's first goal in the Drinagh Co-Op Division 1 ladies senior football championship final. Castlehaven will campaign at senior level, while Ross play at the intermediate grade. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
***
Clonakilty hosts St Val’s in their Cork LGFA SFC Group 1 opener at Ahamilla on Sunday. Having finished fourth in Group 1 of this season’s Division 1 county league, a new-look team under the tutelage of Dinny Enright and Joe Moloney will be eager to get their campaign off to a positive start.
Last year, the West Cork club reached a senior B county decider only to come up short to Fermoy, 1-16 to 1-13. Another tilt at the senior B trophy looks a realistic prospect once again this term.
A tough championship draw also includes last year’s runners-up Éire Óg, Inch Rovers and Kinsale. In terms of form, Clon faced the aforementioned trio (in the league) earlier in the year, edging Inch by a point but losing to both Kinsale and Éire Óg. Much will depend on Moira Barrett, Ciara Ryan, Meabh O’Donovan, Ruth Shanley and Sinead O’Donovan (if all are available) ,but an emerging core of young talent suggests Clonakilty could take a scalp or two in 2023.
Kinsale are the other West Cork club contesting Group 1 of this year’s SFC and begin with a difficult assignment against Éire Óg. Having missed out on this season’s county league semi-finals by a mere three points, Kinsale will be hoping to kick on from last year’s disappointing senior B county semi-final loss to Clonakilty.
The outcome of a West Cork derby between those two clubs on September 17th will have a major bearing on each side’s prospects. Rising Cork U16 underage inter-county stars Caoimhe Horgan, Catherine Murphy and Maisie O’Callaghan should feature for an established Kinsale senior panel that includes Aoife Keating, Sadhbh O’Leary (if available) and Kate Redmond.
***
Rosscarbery Ladies and Valley Rovers will fly the West Cork flag in this year’s intermediate county championship.
The former lost this year’s Division 2 League final to Naomh Abán who will also be Ross’ first Group 1 opponents on August 27th. That’s followed by Araglen Desmonds Buí at the beginning of September.
Rosscarbery’s encouraging performance in their recent West Cork Division 1 final loss to Castlehaven suggests a positive IFC awaits. Sandra O’Donoghue is a talented forward and plays in front of equally impressive team mates Ellie Jennings, Fiona O’Callaghan, Maeve Kingston and Sarah Hayes.
Valley Rovers remains a club in transition following their senior relegation play-off final defeat to Inch Rovers last year. Valleys play last year’s IFC runners-up and one of this year’s favourites, Glanmire, in their Group 2 opener on August 27th. Donoughmore and Abhainn Dalla are Valley’s remaining opponents in what looks a tricky group.
***
The Cork LGFA junior A county championship is always one of the most entertaining competitions. This year is no exception and difficult to predict with five evenly matched clubs vying for the county title. There will be huge West Cork interest as three of the five competitors are from the rural region – Dohenys, O’Donovan Rossa and Bantry Blues are in with Midleton and Douglas.
Skibbereen club O’Donovan Rossa enjoyed a terrific Division 2 county league only to be denied a place in the final by Rosscarbery. Rossas have plenty of experienced and emerging players to call upon including Cork senior Laura O’Mahony, Kate O’Donovan, Emer McCarthy, Fionnuala O’Driscoll, Lisa Harte and Sarah Hurley. Cork U16 All-Ireland finalists Éabha O’Donovan, Allie Tobin and Aoife O’Driscoll should bolster Skibbereen’s title-push.
Another Cork senior, Melissa Duggan, will be eager for Dohenys to reach the business end of the championship. Denied the JAFC county on free-kicks by Castlehaven back in 2021, the Dunmanway club begins the JAFC away to Douglas before negotiating back-to-back West Cork derbies. Rachel McCarthy, Noelle O’Mahony, Mairead Crowley and Michele Murphy are expected to feature prominently for a determined Dohenys setup. Defeating O’Donovan Rossa for this year’s West Cork LGFA Division 2 championship is another positive sign for the perennial championship contenders.
Bantry Blues could be one of this year’s JAFC dark horses. The Blues finished runners-up in the 2023 Cork LGFA Division 3 county league after gaining six wins from their seven outings. Carrigaline proved too strong in the decider but Bantry’s impressive early-season form is no fluke. Expect Emma Spillane, Sarah Bishop, Meadhbh Sammon, Aoife Kingston and Molly O’Sullivan to shine for a resurgent Bantry Blues over the coming months, beginning at home to Douglas in Wolfe Tone Park next Sunday.
Off the back of their encouraging Division 3 county league campaign, Bantry Blues are primed for a Cork LGFA junior A county championship run.
***
Elsewhere amongst the lower Cork LGFA junior county championships, West Cork’s Tadgh Mac Carthaigh start their junior B county fixture-list away to Nemo Rangers next Monday evening. Beara are another rural team that should make an impact in this year’s junior C grade. Their championship meeting with West Cork’s St Colum’s will be an occasion to savour in a fortnight's time. Former Cork senior Áine Terry O’Sullivan has regularly been amongst Beara’s league scorers so far this year.
Muintir Gabriels’ JDFC begins away to St Finbarr’s on Sunday. A West Cork derby between Clann na nGael and Bandon will kick-start both club’s junior E county round-robin series in a fortnight’s time. Keelnameela and Ibane Ladies have been drawn in Group 2 of the junior F county championship. The two West Cork sides are scheduled to clash on September 3rd.
LGFA FIXTURES
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20TH
Cork LGFA senior championship Group 1: Clonakilty v St Val’s in Ahamilla at 3pm.
Cork LGFA senior championship Group 2: Castlehaven v Bride Rovers in Castlehaven at 3pm
Cork LGFA junior A county championship: Bantry Blues v Douglas in Wolfe Tone Park at 1.30pm, Midleton v O’Donovan Rossa in Midleton at 3pm.
Cork LGFA junior C county championship: Mallow v St Colum’s in Mallow at 3pm.
Cork LGFA junior D county championship: St Finbarr’s v Muintir Gabriels in Togher at 4pm.
MONDAY, AUGUST 21ST
Cork LGFA junior B county championship: Nemo Rangers v Tadhg Mac Carthaigh in Trabeg at 8,15pm.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27TH
Cork LGFA intermediate championship Group 1: Naomh Abán v Rosscarbery in Ballyvourney at 3pm, (Group 2) Glanmire v Valley Rovers in The Pike, Sallybrook at 3pm.
Cork LGFA junior A championship: Douglas v Dohenys in Douglas at 3pm, O’Donovan Rossa v Bantry Blues in Skibbereen at 3pm.
Cork LGFA junior C championship: St Colum’s v Beara in Kealkill at 3pm.
Cork LGFA junior F championship Group 2: Grenagh v Keelnameela in Grenagh at 3pm, Passage v Ibane Ladies in Passage at 3pm.
MONDAY, AUGUST 28TH
Cork LGFA junior E championship Group 2: Clann na nGael v Bandon in Drimoleague at 7.30pm.
