FLYING the Muskerry flag, Kilmurry are the last Cork football club left standing in the All-Ireland championships.
Bidding for the All-Ireland junior football crown, they face Donegal and Ulster champions Naomh Pádraig this Sunday in the semi-final at Parnell Park in Dublin (at 2pm), which will be live on the TG4 Sport YouTube channel.
After becoming just the fourth Cork club to win the Munster junior football championship in December when they saw off Kerry champions Firies (1-10 to 0-9), Cormac Linehan’s side wants more.
The Muskerry club are on a high right now – their U21s won the county U21B title too, beating St Nick’s 0-15 to 1-2. Added to that, six of the starting senior players were involved in the club’s underage triumph.
‘We’ve had five weeks since the Munster final and we had to navigate Christmas in the middle of that,’ Linehan explains.
‘We also had to navigate the Cork U21B final, which we won, thank God. The first team, second team and U21s all train together. The U21s had a good, tough, invaluable game against St Nick’s..
‘We’ve been training since, with a few days off over Christmas. The players are working very hard. This week is final prep week, which is a bit awkward with the snow and ice warnings. All is good in the camp though and everyone is looking forward to what is a big opportunity. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any club in Cork to have this. It’s exciting but we’re looking forward to the challenge.’
Given that Kerry clubs have won six of the last nine All-Ireland junior football titles, Kilmurry’s win over Firies was a huge boost. Not just for the county of Cork but for Kilmurry too as this was their third go at a Munster final having previously fallen to Fossa in 2022 and Listowel Emmets in 2023.
‘The Firies game was a big one for us. Getting a Munster victory was fantastic because we know how good Firies are, we know how good the Kerry representatives are every year in this competition,’ the Kilmurry boss points out.
‘It was a big occasion for us. We had to deliver a big performance. On the night, everybody really dug in. We got a goal at the right time and then we just dug in in the second half. Our fitness, our resilience and our ability to work hard, this team knows that, they are learning more about hard work with every game.’
Kilmurry's Kyle Kelleher has racked up 2-5 in their run to the All-Ireland club semi-final.
Kilmurry became just the fourth Cork club to win the Munster junior title since the competition was introduced in 2001. In fact, Canovee and Knocknagree went on and won the All-Ireland after their Munster wins in 2008 and 2018 respectively.
‘It is an absolute privilege to, number one, represent Cork in a Munster/All-Ireland series and we are very aware of that. Then it is also a privilege to represent our club,’ Linehan says.
‘The players know it and they understand that it is a unique situation. There are very few teams training like this. This team is young and ambitious. They want to keep at it. The Munster success after three years knocking at the door was fantastic; that’s the accumulation of three years of hard work. Everybody in Kilmurry is just delighted with the team and so excited about the whole process and players deserve an awful lot.’
Players like Liam Wall, James O’Mullane and John O’Mullane have stood up in attack while their defence, led by captain William Ronan, was solid throughout 2024. This is a season where everything is clicking and two more big performances will cement themselves in Kilmurry folklore.
‘It’s great and it has been a very good year. We’ve had plenty of good fortune. The players have really worked very hard and everyone in the club is behind us. The whole community has got behind the team,’ says Linehan.
‘Everything has helped to keep things moving and the wins have only enhanced things for the club. Young and old are involved. Everybody is excited. It is a good time to be involved with Kilmurry at the moment.’
Donegal side Naomh Pádraig is the next obstacle on the journey. They beat London side Tara by 4-10 to 1-8 last weekend. As well as being Ulster champions, the side from Muff have some key players for the Mid Cork side to watch out for.
‘We saw them live in London at the weekend, and we’ve watched their games. We know how strong they are. They are a very talented team, very strong and physical. They’re Ulster champions,’ Linehan says.
‘Even though we have beaten the Kerry champions and we are the Munster champions, an Ulster team won the All-Ireland last year (Arva from Cavan). We are under no illusions that the challenge is going to be a very big one
‘They have got some very good players. All of their players can play football and they have three or four exceptional players. There is Cormac McColgan in midfield, Caolan McColgan in attack and Jonathan Toye at centre back among others. They are a very strong team.’
If Kilmurry get over the hurdle, they will face Galway side An Cheathrú Rua in the All-Ireland final in Croke Park on Saturday, January 25th. That would be something special.
‘It would be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement for this group of players. For the whole parish, it would be an amazing feat. It is amazing, the younger people are really behind the team. The older people are living the dream too because Kilmurry have always been a proud football club and have always been in contention,’ he says.
‘To be at this level for any club, it is a massive opportunity, there is fierce excitement around the place and we know the support is there for us. It is up to us now to work as hard as we can. To get to Croke Park for an All-Ireland final would be fantastic for Kilmurry and even for Cork,’ Linehan concludes.
