PADDY Cronin knows what it feels like to lift a Clona Milk Carbery U21A football title – and he is eager to relive that sensation this Friday night.
‘To win two A titles in a row would be an unbelievable achievement, for the club and the town. That has been our aim this year, and we want back-to-back titles,’ the Bantry sharpshooter explained, but standing in their way, like in the 2024 final, are Ibane Gaels.
This repeat decider – in Dunmanway on Friday night, 7.45pm – has the potential to be an epic. The ingredients are there: defending champs hell bent on holding onto their title up against an Ibane team hungry for revenge and to avoid losing a third successive U21A football final.
‘We have lost two U21A finals in a row, and I don’t want to lose a third,’ insists Tomás Ó Buachalla. He knows what it’s like to win a Carbery U21A title, having started in the 2022 success against Newcestown, but final losses since to Newcestown and Bantry Blues have steelened the Ibane resolve ahead of this latest chance at glory.
‘It will be tight, Bantry are a very good team – they beat a very good Castlehaven side and we are very aware of that. Last year they beat us well,’ Ó Buachalla admitted, knowing that Ibane can’t afford a first half like they endured in the 2024 final. Bantry led 4-6 to 0-4 at the break, and had one hand on the cup.
Tomás Ó Buachalla, Ibane Gaels, with team management John McSweeney and Paul O'Regan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
Jack Sheedy (2), Dara McCarthy (1) and Paddy Cronin (1) all rattled the net for Bantry in the opening half that day, but the latter knows it won’t be as straightforward this time. The Blues, though, will feel the benefit of a testing semi-final against Castlehaven when the champs had to dig deep.
Four points down with five minutes left, Bantry showed tremendous character to fight back and win 3-13 to 2-15, Paddy Cronin scoring a goal, and a late winning point from Luke Saltertownshend. The Sheedys, Jack and Darragh, and Cronin in attack, and Mark Óg O’Sullivan in defence led the way, but the Bantry response didn’t surprise Ger O’Brien, involved in the management team alongside Ivan Kingston. He has seen these players grow and develop together.
‘Myself and Ivan have been involved with this group of lads since they were young fellas. Ivan’s son Daire and my own Cillian, when they started out as underage we got involved and we have been involved with this team all the way through,’ O’Brien said.
‘We decided to take the U21s three years ago, and it’s gone better than we imagined,’ he added – and he’s right.
In December 2023, thanks to a brace from goal machine Paddy Cronin, Bantry beat Bandon to win the Carbery U21B final. A few months later the Blues won the U21A title in their first season back up at this grade, and now they are in another Carbery final.
‘We’ve been on a good run for the last few years. First we won the U21B against Bandon, that was a great start for us and we wanted to drive it on then at U21A level and back it up, and we did last year,’ Paddy Cronin said.
Paddy Cronin, Bantry Blues, with Gerard O'Brien of the management team.(Photo: Paddy Feen)
The Barryroe and Argideen Rangers amalgamation of Ibane, though, are determined to get back to winning ways at this grade. This is a team that can call on former Cork U20 Olan O’Donovan and former Cork minor hurler Luke Murphy – the Barryroe duo combined for 1-9, including a two-pointer apiece, in the recent semi-final win against O’Donovan Rossa (1-12 to 0-10). For the record, in the quarter-finals, Bantry beat Carbery Rangers by 2-9 to 0-11, and Ibane defeated Clonakilty 5-12 to 0-7, both games back in February.
‘It was a tight game against Skibb, they are good and had some big lads around the middle, but in the end it went our way,’ Tomás Ó Buachalla reflected, Ibane having to finish strong to get over the line. Kevin Hennessy and Charlie Twomey in defence, Luke Murphy at midfield, and Daniel Moloney, Olan O’Donovan and James Crowley in attack all led the charge.
‘That game will stand to us. We only played two games to get here, Clon in February and now Skibb, so we haven’t played together much as a team – tough games will stand to us,’ Ó Buachalla added.
Ibane will also have the late Donal Holland in their thoughts on Friday night. He was on the line in the quarter-final win against Clon back in February, but the Barryroe GAA stalwart sadly passed away in July.
‘There’s a hole in the pitch, you’d feel it when you go there. There is a person missing,’ Ó Buachalla admitted.
The stage is set: the Carbery U21A final pits the best two teams locally in this grade together again, with quality players on both teams. Darragh Sheedy. Olan O’Donovan. Mark Óg O’Sullivan. Luke Murphy. Paddy Cronin. Tomás Ó Buachalla. The champs versus the team keen on revenge.
