FOUR Drinagh Co-Op West Cork LGFA Championship finals are expected to attract large attendances and provide plenty of drama this weekend.
Castlehaven and Kinsale have dominated the West Cork Division 1 grade since 2019. Each has won the region's top adult title twice during that period.
Both clubs currently ply their trade in the senior county grade and, unsurprisingly, are expected to produce a cracking regional final.
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‘We always treat the West Cork Championship very seriously,’ Castlehaven manager Finbarr Santry told The Southern Star.
‘We are after two great games. We had an excellent game against O’Donovan Rossa in the quarter-finals and then another very good game with Clonakilty.
‘Castlehaven is fielding a very young team at the moment. Twelve of our starting 15 are U21s. A couple of those are also U16s.
‘So, definitely, the West Cork championship has been hugely beneficial to us. We are getting a third game out of it and then we go straight into the senior county championship.’
A 3-10 to 0-8 win over local rivals O’Donovan Rossa sent Castlehaven into the last four. Next, the Union Hall-Castletownshend outfit saw off Clonakilty 2-11 to 0-12 to set up a meeting with Kinsale.
Mairead O’Driscoll, Chloe McCarthy, Hannah Sheehy, Shelly Daly and Ellen Connolly have featured prominently on the Haven’s scoresheet.
Kinsale have been equally impressive in reaching another Division 1 final. A high-scoring 5-16 to 4-11 preliminary-round victory over Valley Rovers sent David Coughlan’s side through to the semi-finals against Dohenys.
Caoimhe Horgan netted a hat-trick and Jenny Murphy a brace of goals in the preliminary round win before Kinsale edged Dohenys 2-11 to 1-10.
Horgan notched 1-6 on that occasion. Mary Claire Murphy, Abbey O’Brien, Jenny Murphy, Áine Kearney and Daire Tyner also contributed.
Kinsale’s powerful attacking threat is something Finbarr Santry is well aware of.
‘Kinsale is going to be another big test for us,’ Santry admitted.
‘Look, in fairness to our girls, we went into a bit of the unknown in both the Skibb and Clon games. We played to our system and that is what got us over the line.
‘Physically, this is going to be a big step up but these are the learning curves you have to go through.’
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The 2026 West Cork Division 2 final between Tadhg MacCárthaigh and Ilen Rovers has all the ingredients of a classic.
Both clubs have already lifted silverware this term with the Caheragh club annexing the Division 3 and Rovers the Division 6 Cork LGFA county league trophies.
A goal-hungry Ilen saw off Beara (5-13 to 2-7) and Ibane Ladies (6-16 to 6-8) in previous rounds. Maebh Collins notched an eye-catching 5-6 in the semi-finals while Emma Hurley, Carla O’Regan, Keelin Murphy and Kate Carey have also been in terrific form. This is an Ilen Rovers team eager to add a West Cork Division 2 title to their bulging trophy cabinet.
An improving Tadhg MacCárthaigh will be no pushovers, considering their recent league run and 1-11 to 1-10 defeat of Bantry Blues in the last four of the West Cork Championship.
Ellen Hurley, Amy McKennedy, Rachel Leonard and Maureen Keating will be crucial to Patrick Keating’s side’s chances of success.
‘The West Cork championship is brilliant,’ Tadhg MacCárthaigh manager Keating said.
‘We are after winning the (county) league so the girls are going great. Now they are hoping to add another trophy.
‘Some of our girls know the Ilen players from coming across them in the secondary schools games. We have played them at U16 and minor, coming up the grades. They have always been great games and this West Cork final should be too.
‘I’d imagine there will be a huge crowd as it is a local derby. We always get great support and had a big crowd for the semi-final win over Bantry.’
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A West Cork Division 3 final between St Colum’s and Clann na nGael should produce plenty of scores considering the attacking talent present in both line-ups.
Colum’s have been in excellent form, netting five goals in each of their games en route to the West Cork decider. The Kealkill club defeated Keelnameela 5-11 to 2-7 in the quarter-finals and Kilmacabea 5-2 to 2-10 in the last four.
Clodagh Downey, Abbie O’Sullivan, Katie Dineen, Paula O’Mahony, Maggie Coppinger and Fiona Crowley have found the net in recent weeks and should prove a handful for Clann na nGael’s defence.
As for the Scorchers, an encouraging Division 5 county league campaign preceded a 1-15 to 2-4 defeat of Muintir Gabriels in the West Cork semi-finals. Clann will look to Kathlyn McCarthy, Roisín O’Driscoll, Katie O’Driscoll and Niamh McCarthy for inspiration in their showdown with Colum’s.
This year’s Division 4 final will be contested by Rosscarbery Ladies and O’Donovan Rossa. This grade is represented by West Cork LGFA junior (second) teams and regularly throws up plenty of high scoring encounters. O’Donovan Rossa proved too strong for Clonakilty in their recent semi-final while Ross outgunned Castlehaven 5-8 to 3-6 to book a Division 4 final berth.

