Na Piarsaigh 2-11

Galbally 2-09

Na Piarsaigh have made the quickest possible return to the senior ranks of Limerick Football having come through an incredible battle with Galbally in Kilmallock on Saturday afternoon. It was heavy conditions for football with what seemed like a constant drizzle of rain for the full hour, only to be lifted following the final whistle. It was evident early on that our lads were in no mood to use the poor conditions as an excuse and were in Kilmallock to play football.

Christy was outstanding at wing back.

Christy O’Hagan got us off the mark with a beautifully floated point off his right inside the opening 3 minutes. Galbally responded with a 2-pointer free, followed quickly by another placed ball to put them ahead 3-points to 1. Ralph reduced teh gap with a point on 12 minutes, with Galbally again responding with a free. It was at this point where we looked to take control of the game, outsourcing our opponents by 6-points to 1 for the remainder of the half. Kieran Daly struck 2 frees in addition to a fisted point from Jack McCarthy. Evan Egan struck a fine point, forcing a turnover from a Galbally kick-out, working it inside the 14 and kicking off his left. Our first goal chance followed soon after when Mark Hogan handpassed a ball across the square for Daniel Collins to force a last ditch save from the Galbally keeper, palming the ball into his midriff. Mark Hogan was to find himself in a similar position a few moments later, getting on the end of a volleyball-esque move involving James Daly and Tommy Glynn. Mark was visibly disappointed not to punch the ball to the net but a point nonetheless. We finished the half in style with Sean Long kicking one of the scores of the day off his left boot, just inside the 2-point arc. Half-time score: Na Piarsaigh 0-08 Galbally 0-05

Jack commanded the midfield
Ralph was omnipresent on Saturday

We carried our first half momentum into the second period with Mark Hogan putting us 4-points to the good. We extended that lead even further with a belter of a penalty from Kieran Daly. Christy O’Hagan won a lost cause in the corner, brought it in along the end line, passing to Daniel Collins. Daniel gave a sharp pass, just in time, across the square to Tommy Glynn before being absolutely poleaxed by a Galbally defender. The ref had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. Kieran blasted the spot kick high into the roof of the net. He said afterwards that he was aiming for the bottom left corner. Keep aiming for the bottom left Kieran, that’s all I’ll say. Confidence high, Kieran would kick a beauty of a point moments after the penalty to put us 8 points ahead. Queue the Galbally fightback. The South Limerick side scored 1-03 unanswered before Dylan Cronin, having come on halfway through the second half, chipped over a crucial score to quelle their momentum. We looked to be batting down the hatches with about 5 minutes remaining, Eoghain Sherlock doing his utmost to deny Galbally their second goal. Clearing our lines, we maneuvered the ball up the field. Sean Long took it into the Galbally half, passing off to Tommy Grimes. Tommy carried the ball all the way into the 14 before passing to Mark Hogan on the edge of the square. And just as he did in the quarter-final and semi-final, Mark calmly passed the ball under the Galbally keeper to put us 5 points ahead once again. Galbally responded with a goal to have us all on the edge of our seats with time ticking down but our defense was immense in those closing minutes, denying them their leveling 2-pointer.

Kieran Daly riffles the ball to the net from the penalty spot

While the lads on the scoresheet will get most of the accolades, our defense was instrumental in the winning of this county final. Cian Counihan has been a revelation at full-back having transferred in form Ballymacelligott in Kerry last year. While a brilliant man to be vocal and motivate others, he does his main talking on the pitch. He’s an incredible competitor and was a rock at the heart of the Na Piarsaigh defense all season. He was reliably aided by Cathal McMullan on his right and the young Ferdia Minihane on his left. Still a minor, Ferdia has broken into the starting 15 in his first year of adult football and has been outstanding. Isolated in possession at a crucial stage in the second half on Saturday, Ferdia was the personification of calm. Biding his time and choosing the right moment to move the ball out of the defense. He’s certainly a chip off the old block!

Seanie and Locky in action on Saturday.
Daniel Collins in full flight. A graceful sight.

With both our backs and forwards performing diligently, it was our midfield pairing of Jack McCarthy and Ralph Leonard that were the driving force in getting us over the line on Saturday. The two lads dominated the centre of the field, as they’ve done all year. Both doing trojan work in attack and defense, and both adding to our scoring tally. The two lads certainly led by example and it rubbed off on the guys around them. Two of our youngest forwards, Daniel Collins and Tommy Glynn, had impressive games. Without either registering a score, they still had a significant influence on the victory. Daniel winning the penalty in the second half and Tommy being instrumental in the build-up to many of our scores. Great also to see two of our more experienced campaigners in Tommy Grimes and Conor McLoughlin providing a serious impact off the bench in both the semi-final and final. The importance of that blend of youth and experience that Con has fostered was truly evident in Saturday’s win.

Joint-captains Kieran Daly and Evan Egan lift the cup.

Huge credit must go to Con Daly for knitting the group of both players and management together following a tough 2025 season that finished in relegation from the senior ranks. He has fostered a lovely culture with the group that has encouraged many lads back down to play football. Onwards and upwards from here as we look forward to competing in the senior championship in 2027. Credit also to Con’s management team of Kevin Hartnett, John Hogan, Gerald O’Brien, Gordon Brown, Dáithí Geaney and Tom Murphy. Whatever about the gelling of a players group, it’s imperative that a management team work well together and there’s no doubt the lads got every ounce out of the players thanks to their efforts.

Our focus now turns to Killenaule in the Munster Club Quarter-Final, which is fixed for Clonmel next Sunday at 1:15pm.

Team: Eoghain Sherlock, Cathal McMullan, Cian Counihan, Ferdia Minihane, Christy O’Hagan(0-01), Sean Long(0-01), Adam Jordan, Ralph Leonard(0-01), Jack McCarthy(0-01), Daniel Collins, Kieran Daly(1-03, 2f 1p), James Daly, Evan Egan(0-01), Mark Hogan(1-02), Tommy Glynn.

Sub: Conor McLoughlin, Tommy Grimes, Dylan Cronin(0-01), Fionn O’Tiarnaigh, Odhran Gilroy.

The boys of 2026. Our Intermediate Football County Champions.
All The Daly's.

Na Piarsaigh 3-21

Bruff 1-09

Our U21 hurlers got their first win of their championship campaign against Bruff on Sunday afternoon in Páirc Uí Dromgúil. We endured a tough defeat to Mungret in round 1 a fortnight ago and it was very pleasing indeed to see the lads respond in such a positive and strong manner this weekend. We had a decent spread of scores over the sixty minutes with 9 players getting in on the action. Danny Sheehan expertly buried our opening goal in the first half, having shipped a right slap in the build-up. David O’Keeffe played out the full game at midfield and managed to bag a goal and 3 points, all from play. Conor Bermingham was proving to be a handful for the Bruff defense over the course of the afternoon, providing a great puck-out option for Darragh, along with registering 2-points in the opening half. Alex Kearns ended the day with 2 long-range frees but it was his fielding that stood out in this game. He caught multiple puck-outs and 50:50 high balls, switching hands from time to time also. Shane Waters had an impeccable day on the frees once again, landing 7 over the course of the hour, along with 1-02 from play. Sam Jordan was introduced with about 10 to play and landed 2 neat points for himself. It would be remiss not to point out the solid contribution our defense had on Sunday. Tadhg Mullane put in a powerful display at wing back, while Sean O’Brien and Harry McGann both shone in the full back line. Marcus Murphy did a great job also, deputising for John O’Keeffe at full back, who is away on Erasmus.

Doon will provide the opposition in round 2 with the fixture to be confirmed over the coming days.

Team: Darragh Jordan, Harry McGann, Marcus Murphy, Sean O’Brien, Josh Sheehan, James Finn(0-01), Tadhg Mullane, David O’Keeffe(1-03), Adam Fitzsimons(0-01), Alex Kearns(0-02f), Shane Waters(1-09, 7f), Ronan Benson(0-01), Conor Bermingham(0-02), Danny Sheehan(1-00), Eoin Brosnan.

Subs: Paul McDonagh, Mike Duggan, Louis Murphy, Sam Jordan(0-02), Padraig Murnane.

Our U21 squad that defeated Bruff on Sunday.

Na Piarsaigh 1-22

Kilmallock 3-19

Team: Shane Dowling, Jerome Boylan, Vince Harrington, Emmet McEvoy, Ronan Lynch(0-05, 3f 2’65), Mike Casey, Mike Foley(0-02), William O’Donoghue(1-00), James Finn, Keith Dempsey(0-04f), Peter Casey(0-05), Dáithí Dempsey(0-01), Kevin Downes, JJ Carey, Conor Boylan(0-03).

Subs: Will Henn(0-02f), John Fitzgerald, Adrian Breen, Tommy Grimes.

Our senior squad that lost to Kilmallock in the county final