OVER 130 young footballers and hurlers from all over West Cork crowded into Westlodge Hotel in Bantry, with parents, families and friends bringing the crowd up to 500, for the presentation of Carbery tops for graduating from the U13 Carbery Academy 2025. 

Two years of hard work had gone into this day and little wonder there was a great feeling of achievement and ambition for the future at the presentations. 

Doing the honours of presenting the tops – sponsored once again by Laide and O’Brien, Bantry – was captain of the Cork minor football team Cathal McCarthy, of St Colum’s, himself a graduate of the Academy four years ago. Also in attendance was chairman of the Carbery Board David Whyte. The board sponsored the function. 

Head of the Academy, GDA James McCarthy explained the progress of the players over a two-year period. Over 200 U12 players had been enlisted in the Academy in 2024. They trained during all the school holidays and mid-term breaks in both hurling and football. The group was divided into three centres in Bantry, Skibbereen and Clonakilty. The Bantry group was under the care of GDA Billy Murphy, Skibbereen under James McCarthy, and Clonakilty under Niall McIntyre. They played games against each other. They also had sessions in Páirc Uí Chaoimh where they played matches against other areas in the county. 

Training in 2025 began in mid-February at the three centres and at Easter, they again played matches in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. In the summer, the three centres were reduced to two in football and one in hurling. 

There was a natural fall-out of players but 154 still remained of the original group. Up to 100 players were brought together at the centres for each training session. During the summer, training took place every weekend and at the football games in Páirc Uí Chaoimh every player was involved, no subs on any team. When school began in September, football sessions were held every Saturday until the end of November and hurling every Monday night under lights in Newcestown. 

Flying the Newcestown flag were Darragh Sleator, Ted Mark O'Sullivan, Cormac O'Sullivan, and Andrew O'Callaghan.

The two years of training and playing matches came to fruition recently in the Westlodge Hotel when the proud players received their Carbery tops. The players will now progress to trials after Christmas when the squad will be reduced to 50 in both football and hurling, in two panels, A and B. During the summer one panel will be drawn up for county squad training. 

The good news on the coaching front in West Cork is that a Carbery U15 hurling team has been allowed to enter the Rebel Óg Premier 1 U15 hurling league for 2026, with discussions ongoing about the championship, which means the Academy players will now have a definite target to aim at for the future. 

Most of the Academy players also take part in the first year post primary competitions run by the Carbery Board – the Herlihy Cup in football and the Lyons Cup in hurling. 

O'Donovan Rossa's Ruairi Ward, Fionn O'Mahony, Frankie Collins, Sé O'Brien, Padraig O'Donovan, Ben Holmes, Aaron O'Donovan, Liam Foley, Jamie McCarthy, Shane Óg Hourihane, and Luke Carstairs.

Present also at the recent function was county head coach Niall Twomey, who lives in Ballinascarthy. On welcoming the huge crowd, James McCarthy stressed that the Academy is not just about learning the skills of football and hurling. It is more about the players making new friends from other clubs and players from small clubs in particular, being able to test themselves against good players from bigger clubs in order to improve. The friendships made in the Academy could last right through their playing careers.

Twenty four of the 26 clubs in Carbery took part in the Academy in 2025, with over 130 of the 154 graduates being present at the function. 

The Academy is ongoing and this year’s crop of U12s have been in training all during the year to take part in the U13 Academy in 2026. Enquiries about the Academy should be sent to GDA James McCarthy, of Castlehaven GAA Club. 

The Carbery Academy class of 2025 is as follows:

Adrigole: Sean O’Sullivan.

Argideen Rangers: Danny Foley, Donncha Deasy, Sean O’Callaghan, Simon Keohane, Joey Doyle, Ed Hough, Conor Cashman, Tom Connolly, Paddy Dineen.

Ballinascarthy: Alex Coughlan, Peter O’Flynn, Ryan Deasy.

Bandon: Donnacha Hurley, Archie Kirwan, Cormac O’Leary, Adam O’Donovan, Matt Feheny, John Fintan Canty, Robert Walsh, Josh Ferris, Chulainn Ross, Paschal McCarthy, Sam Bambury, Liam Ahern.

Bantry Blues: Oran Quirke, Ruairí O’Donovan, Matthew Murphy, Eoin McCarthy, Eddie O’Sullivan.

Barryroe: Cormac Whelton, Dylan O’Brien.

Carbery Rangers: Tiarnan Tobin, Charlie Hennessy, Micheál Hayes, Cathal Crowley, Finn McMahon.

Castlehaven: Donnacha White, Liam O’Driscoll, Jack Salter, Charlie Óg McCarthy, James Browne, Michael Cleary, Stephen Harnedy, Ethan Atalay, Eddie O’Donovan, Ryan Atalay, Ryan Jennings, Oisin Deasy.

Castletownbere: Miguel Rosales Harrington, Luke O’Neill, Fionn Gilsenan, Conor Lynch, Conall Lowney, Danny Kenny.

Clann na nGael: Conor Collins, Johnny Collins, Michael Young, John O’Donovan.

Clonakilty: Donnacha Crowley, Matthew O’Regan, Tadhg O’Dowd, Finbarr O’Mahony, Liam Byerley, George Baker, Liam Ahern, Andy Twomey, Donnacha Deiseach, Jake McAdams, Liam Campbell, Ewan Bell, Danny Forristal, Sam Murphy, Cathal Calnan, Paddy O’Regan.

Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas: Noah McCarthy, Jack O’Driscoll, Darragh Aherne.

Gabriel Rangers: Donagh Griffin.

Ilen Rovers: Senan Whooley, Tim Ashe, Tadhg Ronan, Dominic Seymour, Jesse Best, Liam O’Sullivan, Paddy Sheehy, Theo Best, Ben Brady.

Kilbrittain: Senan O’Donovan, Noah O’Regan, Donnacha O’Mahony.

Kilmeen: Fionan Twohig, James Bonner.

Muintir Bháire: Sean O’Brien, Daniel O’Sullivan, Jack Levis, Owen Coughlan.

Newcestown: Darragh Sleator, Ted Mark O’Sullivan, Ruairí O’Sullivan, Cormac Collins, Noah Collins, Andrew O’Callaghan.

O’Donovan Rossa: Ruairí Ward, David Long, Fionn O’Mahony, Frankie Collins, Sé O’Brien, Padraig O’Donovan, Ben Holmes, Aaron O’Donovan, Liam Foley, Jamie McCarthy, Shane Óg Hourihane, Luke Carstairs.

Sam Maguires: Danny Carroll, Emmet Farr, Ryan Crowley Healy, Sean Deasy, Marcus McSweeney-Leitis, Patrick Hennigan, James Duggan.

St Colum’s: Eoin O’Donoghue, Teddy O’Grady, Tadhg O’Brien, Tommy Farley, Darragh O’Mahony, Jamie O’Connor.

St James: Donagh Calnan, Johnny O’Loghlin, Ciaran McCarthy, Dane Brazier Scannell, Finn Murray, Isaac Power, James O’Shea, Rian Keohane, Ryan Whelton, Aodhán O’Mahony.

St Oliver Plunkett’s: Vincent Beechinor, Matthew Twomey.

Tadhg MacCarthaigh: Paul Kingston, Fionn Moore, Sam O’Sullivan, Tomás O’Shea.

Urhan: Doire Murphy, James O’Donovan, Michael O’Sullivan, Ronan O’Sullivan, Jack O’Neill, Alfie Power, James O’Driscoll.

Kilmeen's Fionan Twohig and James Bonner at the Carbery U13 GAA Academy 2025 presentation night. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Muintir Bhaire's Sean O'Brien, Daniel O'Sullivan, Jack Levis and Owen Coughlan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Sam Maguires' Danny Carroll, Emmet Farr, Ryan Crowley-Healy, Marcus McSweeney, and Patrick Hennigan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Cathal McCarthy of St Colum's was the 2025 Cork minor football team captain. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Tadhg MacCarthaigh's Paul Kingston, Fionn Moore, and Tomás O'Shea. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

St Colum's Eoin O'Donoghue, Teddy O'Grady, Tadhg O'Brien, Tommy Farrelly and Jamie O'Connor. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Carbery Rangers' Charlie Hennessy, Micheál Hayes, Cathal Crowley, Finn McMahon and Tiarnan Tobin. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Cathal McCarthy of St Colum's presents a Carbery Academy U13 top to Seán O'Sullivan of Adrigole. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

The Clonakilty footballers who graduated from the Carbery GAA Academy. Included are Donnacha Crowley, Matthew O’Regan, Tadhg O’Dowd, Finbarr O’Mahony, Liam Byerley, George Baker, Liam Ahern, Andy Twomey, Donnacha Deiseach, Liam Campbell, Danny Forristal, Sam Murphy, Cathal Calnan, Paddy O’Regan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Clann na nGael's Conor Collins, Johnny Collins, Michale Young and John O'Donovan. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Gabriel Rangers' Donagh Griffin. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Kilbrittain's Senan O'Donovan, Noah O'Regan and Donnacha O'Mahony. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Ilen Rovers' Senan Whooley, Tim Ashe, Tadhg Ronan, Dominic Seymour, Liam O'Sullivan and Paddy Sheehy. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

At the 2025 Carbery Academy U13 presentation night were, seated, Niall Twomey, Head of Games Development with Cork GAA; Cillian Laide of Laide and O'Brien (sponsor), and David Whyte, chairman of the Carbery Board. Back, Paudie Crowley, Billy Murphy, James McCarthy and Niall McIntyre, all Cork GAA coaching staff. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Represting Urhan are Doire Murphy, James O'Donovan, Michael O'Sullivan, Ronan O'Sullivan, Jack O'Neill, Alfie Power and James O'Driscoll. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

St Oliver Plunketts' Vincent Beechinor and Matthew Twomey. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Flying the Castlehaven flag were Liam O'Driscoll, Jack Salter, Charlie Óg McCarthy, James Browne, Michael Cleary, Stephen Harnedy, Ethan Atalay, Eddie O'Donovan, Ryan Atalay and Ryan Jennings. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Represting Castletownbere were Miguel Rosales Harrington, Luke O'Neill, Fionn Gilsenan, Conor Lynch, Connall Lowney and Danny Kenny. (Photo: Paddy Feen)