ON a night heavy with emotion and history, Kilbrittain captured a county title that meant far more than silverware – it was a victory for the team, the parish, and for those no longer here to see it.

Behind the result lay a deeper story. After years of near misses and heartbreak, manager Joe Ryan helped knit together a side that found both resilience and redemption.

‘I kept being told at the start of the year that they had lost the final in 2021, the semi-final in 2022, the quarter-final in 2023, and didn’t get out of the group in 2024,’ Ryan told The Southern Star.

‘In 2025, we wanted to stop that slide. If we got out of the group, we had a chance.’

Friday night’s decider carried added poignancy. The community remembered Oisín Gillain, who tragically passed away from SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) in March, and Anne Enright, who died in September 2024.

‘It was Oisín Gillain’s birthday on Friday, which is incredible to think,’ Ryan said. ‘The county final was very poignant. Ronan Crowley’s free at the end was very poignant as well.

‘There’s been a lot of tragedy within the community – between Oisín’s family and the Enrights, who had a very close connection with the GAA club. If the team’s run and success has given people a bit of joy, then that’s worth more than anything else.’

Kilbrittain’s run to glory was flawless – they won every game on their way to the county title, proving themselves the best team in the grade.

‘It’s a pretty special group that achieved it, and I think we earned it,’ Ryan reflected.

‘We played good hurling right through the championship. Even if the performances didn’t always lead to big scorelines, that’s championship – emotion and pressure come with it. We’re just delighted and relieved to get over the line.’

Ryan took particular satisfaction from how his team approached each challenge with consistency and character.

‘The fact we won it by winning every game is very satisfying. You look at the Nemo Rangers game in the group – we had an eight-point buffer and could have technically lost by eight and still gone through, but we wanted to do things our way. Keep the momentum going.’

Now attention turns to Munster, where Kilbrittain will represent Cork for the first time in the provincial junior hurling championship. With Cork clubs winning the last six editions, there’s belief that another deep run is possible.

‘We mentioned beforehand that it was going to happen anyway, irrespective of the result (against Glen Rovers), but like the Nemo game, you want to keep winning,’ Ryan said. ‘The county was the main thing, but being the first Kilbrittain team to represent the club in Munster is the cherry on top.

‘It’s probably more so for the supporters and families to look back on. We’ll get back training next week, try and get a challenge game and do our due diligence on the opposition.’

Kilbrittain will face either Kenmare Shamrocks (Kerry) or Knockaderry (Limerick) on Saturday, November 15th – and they’ll do so as county champions who’ve already lifted more than just a cup.