IBANE Gaels captain Tomás Ó Buachalla paid tribute to the late Donal Holland after their Carbery U21A football final triumph in Dunmanway on Friday night.
Having lost to Bantry Blues in the 2024 decider, Ibane gained revenge with a stirring 3-14 to 1-14 win, rallying from points down at half time.
Key in the second half was a Luke Murphy hat-trick, as well as seven points in the same period from Olan O’Donovan that included three two-point frees.
Bantry went down fighting, with Mark Óg O’Sullivan scoring a second-half goal, but Ibane had the momentum and scored the goals that made the difference.
'He was up there, watching over us'
Lovely words from @IbaneGael captain Tomas O Buachalla on their late manager, Donal Holland.
Ibane won the @carberygaa U21A football final tonight, and Donal Holland was on the line for their opening game in February. He passed away in July. pic.twitter.com/YjhGMivN6f
— Kieran McCarthy (@KieranMcC_SS) August 29, 2025
This is a success that means a lot to Ibane after the passing of manager Donal Holland in July. He was on the line for their opening game of the championship in February and Tomás Ó Buachalla felt he was watching over them as they wrestled the title off Bantry Blues.
‘There is a man not with us today, we all know Donal Holland,’ Ó Buachalla said.
‘Donal was our manager at the start of the year, he meant a lot to us. There is not one person on this team who didn’t have a positive interaction with him at some time. We all felt it when he passed over a month ago.
‘He was up there watching over us today.’
See next Thursday’s Southern Star for a two-page special on the U21A final, including interviews with Tomás Ó Buachalla, Luke Murphy and Danny Murphy of Ibane, and Bantry Blues boss Ivan Kingston
