WEST CORK WIPE-OUT

It’s been one of those years, eh. Here we are, mid-October and no football team from the Carbery and Beara divisions will be involved in any of the top five county championship finals, from premier junior up to premier senior. It’s been a while since this has happened. In recent seasons, local teams like Castlehaven, Newcestown, Dohenys, Ilen Rovers, Bantry Blues and Gabriel Rangers have all contested county finals at various grades, but this season has been disappointing. Given how West Cork is seen as the home of football in the county, is this a worry? Or is it just one of those seasons? 

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LADY LUCK LOOKS AWAY

We saw Clonakilty, Carbery Rangers and Adrigole knocked out in their semi-finals over the weekend, and each team had its chances, especially Clon and Ross. For Clon, to dethrone champions St Finbarr’s, they needed everything to go right. But it didn’t. Clon selector Eoin Ryan admitted: ‘You have to be clinical at this level, we weren’t and they were,’ in reference to their double-digit wides tally and missed penalty. Clon are not too far away though. For Carbery Rangers, their extra-time senior A loss to Kanturk will sting for a while – they led in injury-time in normal time, and also in extra-time, but the Duhallow men kept coming back. As for Adrigole, it’s a fourth intermediate A semi-final loss in four seasons, so this hurts – it’s a hurdle they can’t jump right now.

UIBH LAOIRE’S RESILIENCE

Last season, Uibh Laoire lost the premier intermediate football final, and now they have given themselves a great chance to get their hands on the trophy. Chris Óg Jones, as we have become accustomed to, was their main man as they defeated Mid Cork rivals Naomh Abán in their semi-final. Uibh Laoire had to finish the game with 13 men but showed resilience and composure to get the job done – those are traits they will need to call on again in the county final against Kiskeam on October 31st at Cork GAA HQ. But with Cork ace Chris Óg Jones and the experience of last season’s final, they have the chance to go one step further.

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DOUBLE FOR ST MARY’S?

Here in Carbery, we saw St Mary’s cause a surprise when they beat St James by 2-10 to 0-10 in a junior A football semi-final on Sunday. It means the Saints will contest both the division’s junior A football and hurling finals over the weekends ahead, starting with the hurlers’ showdown with Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas this Sunday in Dunmanway – the first step towards a potential double. The following weekend, St Mary’s will take on 2023 Carbery champions Barryroe in the final after Norman Fleming’s men got the better of Tadhg MacCarthaigh in their semi-final. For Mary’s, it’s successive football deciders after they played Kilmacabea in the 2025 final. To qualify for both finals is no mean feat, so a hat-tip to the men of Ballineen and Enniskeane.

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WEST CHEERING BARRS?

At the end of the month, we’ll have the Bandon hurlers looking to bring a county title back to Carbery when they face Aghada in the intermediate A final, but this weekend sees the county premier senior hurling final. It’s an all-city affair as St Finbarr’s take on Glen Rovers, but given local links to the Barrs, there will be pockets of West Cork cheering on the boys in blue. Randal Óg footballer Sean Daly lines out with the Barrs, as do the Castlehaven football trio of Damien, Conor and Jack Cahalane. There are also links to Dohenys football through members of the management team, Paudie Murray, Kevin Murray and Niall Collins.