West Intermediate Hurling Final

27/05/25

Na Piarsaigh 0-20

St. Kieran's 2-12

Tuesday evening saw us make the trip out to Mick Neville Park, where we secured our first (and probably last…) West Intermediate Hurling title. After falling short in the East Senior Final of 2023, all that remains now is to be entered into the South Intermediate League for 2026, at which point we will have competed in all four divisional competitions. For clarity of those reading, Na Piarsaigh have always competed in the City Division but due to the imbalanced number of teams in each division playing at this level, we have jumped around these past few seasons.

I left home around 6:15 for a 7:15 throw-in with the expectation of having enough time to saunter around the pitch beforehand, get the starting 15 off James, and take a team pic all at my leisure. Alas, how could I possibly have disregarded the dreaded Adare traffic. Not alone the meeting of brake lights just as the road changed from a dual carriageway to a primary road, but for the pace to slow to a creep through the West Limerick village. As we got through the main thoroughfare, didn’t roadworks await us on the Croagh side. I landed into Mick Neville Park at 12 minutes past 7. Enough time to get the team pic, and a rushed team up on Twitter. The bypass can’t come quick enough. Thank you Golf, I suppose.

We raced into a 4-point lead inside the opening minutes, with the benefit of the elements at our backs. Evan Sweeney hit 3 of those, 2 from play, along with a Mark Hogan point. St. Kieran’s responded well with 3 of their own, a couple of frees and one from play. Their mini onslaught kicked us into gear you could say, where we scored 6-in-a-row. Paul McDonagh chipped in with a point from corner forward, along with Gordon Brown registering one from midfield. Dillon Skehan also got in on the action as he meandered his way up from wing back to slot one from the St. Kieran’s 45. Sweeney maintained a 100% record from placed balls right up to the break as we entered half time 8-points to the good. Half time score: Na Piarsaigh 0-14 St. Kieran’s 0-06

Paudie Heaney was performing well at full back, having come off a solid display in the senior league semi-final last Saturday evening. Christy O’Hagan made a return to hurling this year, taking up his familiar corner back role, of which he also carries out diligently for our senior footballers. Conor Richardson had to be withdrawn at half time due to a shoulder injury. He played out the first thirty in the opposite corner. Adam Fitzsimons was selected on the wing on Tuesday. The Coonagh man starred for Ardscoil Rís in the Harty Cup this year and has shown some serious promise for both the Junior B’s and Intermediates to date. He will no doubt play a central role in our Minor’s campaign later in the summer. Seanie Long gave an assured display at 6, with Dillon Skehan showing glimpses of Hickey pedigree throughout on the other wing. As with Christy at corner back, Gordon Brown made his long awaited return to hurling this season. He chipped in with 2 points on Tuesday evening and was a steady presence for the hour. John O’Keeffe teamed up with Gordan at midfield to make a solid pairing.

The second half wasn’t as fruitful on the scoreboard for our lads but it was as much a battle against the elements as it was the opposition. The breeze picked up with our opponents' onslaught on our goals ever intensifying, our lads doing well to keep them at bay for the majority of the second period. Up top, Kevin Daly and Louis Murphy were doing trojan work in making life difficult for the Kieran’s back to relieve pressure. Jack McCarthy added 2 valuables scores to his one in the first half with Paul McDonagh also marking his card. St. Kieran’s got in for their first goal with 5 minutes to play but we responded well with a majestic effort from the stick of Andrew Stack out close to the sideline. That was to be our last score of the game. We did well to keep St. Kieran’s out but they did manage to get their second goal after 66 minutes of hurling. A strange amount of added time considering there were no stoppages from the start. The referee did decide to call a halt after that goal, with Na Piarsaigh 2-points to the good.

In his presentation speech, Johnny Walsh of the West Board alluded to this being Na Piarsaigh's first West title in our 57 year history. He also paid tribute to William O'Donoghue's West Limerick roots and, of course, to Fr. Tom Carroll's many years of service to Na Piarsaigh. The result sees us through to a County Intermediate League Final against Caherline, fixed for next Friday evening in Bruff. This is subject to change so keep an eye on our club socials for all fixture updates.

Team: Darragh Jordan, Christy O’Hagan, Padraig Heaney, Conor Richardson, Dillon Skehan(0-01), Seanie Long, Adam Fitzsimons, Gordon Brown(0-02), John O’Keeffe, Jack McCarthy(0-03), Evan Sweeney(0-08, 0-06f), Kevin Daly, Mark Hogan(0-03), Louis Murphy, Paul McDonagh(0-02).

Subs: Dean McLoughlin, Andrew Stack(0-01), Donie Ó Conaill, Sam Jordan, Ben O’Regan.

Our Intermediate squad that defeated St. Kieran's in Tuesday's West final.
Captain Gordon Brown accepts the cup from Johnny Walsh of the West Board.