Tag Archive for: Offaly GAA

GAA Rounders Men’s Finals Day – 6 September 2026 – Review

/by

Our Women’s Finals Day on 30 August was amazing – so many firsts, three great games, excellent rounders, nail-biting finishes. And I’m sure many people thought there was no way our Men’s Finals Day could equal, let alone surpass, it. Controversial though this might be, I think it just might have!

We always knew our Senior Final would be a showcase game but for the second week in a row, the Junior and Intermediate Finals which preceded them were equally skilful, hard fought and tight.

While Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence isn’t as well-known to Rounders players and fans as NGDC Abbotstown is, it certainly didn’t disappoint as a Finals’ venue. Excellent clubhouse and dressing rooms, use of the main pitch with a stand, ample carparking and a coffee truck onsite!

With all three finals once again being live streamed by TG4 Sport, the day started early to get cameras set up, the sound and PA system in place, mats down and signs up. Even from 9am it was clear that the weather, while dry, was going to cause some difficulties for fielders and batters with a very strong wind blowing in gusts and changing direction during the morning. But at least it wasn’t raining 😉

Junior Final: Gusserane vs Myshall

Our first Men’s team to take to the pitch in Kilcormac was Gusserane from Wexford and they came on in style to Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club! The run-on was lined with children from both teams waving flags and captain Conor Murphy proudly led his side onto the grass, followed minutes later by Shane Coburn and Myshall to the sounds of Sandstorm by Darude. Following team photographs and the coin toss by Referee Mark Jennings, the game started with Myshall fielding.

Gusserane Captain Conor Murphy and Myshall Captain Shane Coburn

Gusserane took the first innings to settle with none of their first five batters getting any further than second base. Myshall managed to get two home in their first batting but two great catches from Morgan Nash Colfer and John Flynn set the tone for the Gusserane outfield for the rest of the game.

Back in to bat for the second time, Gusserane got on the scoresheet with Matthew Flynn and Carel van der Merwe both hitting home base. Myshall answered with another five home, although two super catches from Niall Molloy and Conor Murphy kept the total low and the score at 7-2 to Myshall heading into the third.

Gusserane got three home in this innings, keeping Myshall to the same number of runs. Both pitchers fouled batters out while there were excellent catches from James Nolan, John Michael Nolan, Matthew Flynn and Niall Molloy.

Top of the fourth and Gusserane came to bat with a renewed determination and a plan of attack! With some smart batting, aware base running and lightening speed, they brought eight home. They followed that up with excellent fielding, keeping Myshall scoreless for the first time to head into the final innings with the score 14-10 in the Wexford men’s favour. Only Ned Molloy made it home in the final innings so Gusserane needed to keep Myshall from scoring four, or more.

Pitcher Carel van der Merwe caught the first batter, John Michael Nolan, out but the next two batters got safely on base. Morgan Nash Colfer caught Kevin Farrell out but his hit brought Matthew Roberts home. James Nolan came to bat with two out and hit a perfectly placed ball outfield, bringing Eoin Rea home and getting himself to third base. Shane Roberts’ groundball brought James home, leaving the score 14-13 with a runner on first and PJ Lalor up to bat. With PJ safely moving everyone on, Vice Captain Eolann McDonald came up knowing that getting the two base runners home would secure victory for the Carlow men. Hitting the last good ball short, it was easily picked up by John Flynn and thrown to Kevin Whelan for an out on first, then confidently lobbed back to Matthew Flynn for a cool one-handed catch to ensure no more runs were scored and the victory was Gusserane’s.

To have been ahead and to lose by the narrowest of margins, it would take a heart of stone not to feel for Myshall and how much it hurt that they didn’t get it over the line but with talent like theirs and a squad as strong as they have, we have no doubt that they’ll be back next year and quite likely in another final next season. Standout players for the Carlow side were Eoin Rea at Short Stop, Matthews Roberts at Back Catcher and John Michael Nolan and James Nolan for expert batting.

But Gusserane! Many of these lads knew Myshall’s pain from having been in the same situation after the 2025 Junior Mixed final which they lost to St. Senan’s and the hard work and commitment that they put into their 2026 campaign showed in their resilience and never say die attitude in this final. Congratulations to them on a most deserved win and we really look forward to seeing them joining the ranks of our Intermediate Men’s Championship in 2027. Bualadh bos also to their Managers Mary Power and Keith Molyneux for their skill and time with this team.

Once again our Referees were all provided with a live microphone feed which helped spectators and those watching the live feed to keep up with calls and outs. Referee Mark Jennings was assisted by Michael Slevin and JP Tynan of Emo and Gretta Davis of Elphin as base umpires. The match officials’ pick for Player of the Match was Gusserane pitcher Carel van der Merwe, who had a fantastic day pitching in very difficult conditions. He was also responsible for a great out from a catch and got home twice.

Intermediate Final: St. Clare’s vs St. Senan’s

If the opening game of the day was a cracker, we were all ready for this game to really keep us on the edge of our seats. Last year’s Junior Men’s winners, and with only one season at Intermediate under their belts, St. Senan’s, taking on the mighty St. Clare’s from Cavan with their years of experience and multiple All-Stars gained over a lifetime of playing Rounders.

Jason Cawley of St. Clare’s and Kevin Doody of St. Senan’s

Winning the toss, St. Clare’s elected to field and, in a slight change from normal service, PJ Kelly headed out to Second Base, leaving his usual Back Catcher position to Jason Cawley. So far, so unusual but we put faith in Managers Shane Dolan and Louise McAndrew and the process!

Declan Rattigan came up to bat first for St. Senan’s and in a display of very smart fielding, pitcher Darragh Johnston got the ball to Steve Deyarmin on First to get the first out of the game and the start that St. Clare’s were looking for. With the next two batters making it to base, St. Senan’s Captain Kevin Doody came to bat and hit the ball straight into the hands of Chaz Solomon, thereby stopping any advancement of the runners on base. Next up was Niall Sheehy whose hit went to Short Stop Wayne Gerber and with another fast throw to Steve Daryarmin, secured the third out and no runs scored.

St. Clare’s came to bat meaning business. Two excellent catches from Dean Hogan outfield and one from Ian Sheehy on Third showed St. Senan’s ability to field but the Cavan men batted smart and got nine runs home in that first innings leaving the score 9-0 going into the second.

More excellent fielding with clean catches from Jason Cawley and Wayne Gerber as well as an out on second (still trusting the process!) led to the Limerick lads being contained to one run home. St. Senan’s fielding was excellent in this innings with only Barry Walsh and Bryan Dolan getting home.

The third and fourth innings saw St. Senan’s get more home than St. Clare’s each time and, heading into the final innings the score was 19-12. Needing to get at least seven home the pressure was on St. Senan’s for their final turn at bat. Batter one, Kevin Doody, made it to base but Batter two, Niall Sheehy was out on second. There followed four runs home but then John Hanlon’s ball to left outfield was expertly caught by Ciarán Gray. The following two batters made it on base and JP Mulvihill came to bat knowing that getting himself around the bases would level the score. Unfortunately for him, his hit didn’t go far enough and was thrown back to Catcher Jason Cawley who tagged the base and prevented another run being scored.

While St. Senan’s were visibly disappointed with the outcome of the game, they should take heart from the fact that getting to a final in any team’s first year at a division is difficult and should not be underestimated for the amount of time, hard work and talent is required to achieve that. We have no doubt that they will have learned from their first year and will hit the ground running in typical St. Senan’s determined fashion and we look forward to seeing them back in 2027.

St. Senan’s Intermediate Men’s Team

To Shane and Louise…sorry for ever doubting the process! Clearly that’s a magic formula and was the way to go. Let’s be honest, experienced talented players like PJ and Jason can move around infield and play anywhere and make a difference and St. Clare’s has players like that in abundance. Chaz Solomons on Third Base is a workhorse while Steve Deyarmin had multiple outs on First. Outfield, both Bryan Dolan and Ciarán Gray had a great day while Player of the Match, Wayne Gerber, was responsible for outs and got home three times. And let’s not forget the hardest job on the pitch on a breezy day like yesterday – Pitcher Darragh Johnston played a blinder and was a hugely important part of the success of the team.

St. Clare’s following the Intermediate Men’s Final Win

St. Clare’s have been keen to get back to Senior Rounders for some time now and it’s been lovely watching their journey to that place over this season. We look forward to seeing how they get on in 2027 and wish them well!

Referee for this game was The Heath’s Philip Keane and his umpires—also from The Heath—were Danielle Keane, Serena Lewis, and Grace Salmon.

Senior Final: Carrickmacross Emmets vs Erne Eagles

Our final, highly anticipated, game of the day was our Senior Final between reigning Champions Carrickmacross Emmets of Monaghan and Cavan side Erne Eagles. A rematch of the 2025 Senior Men’s Final, Erne Eagles had taken the title in 2024 and we were expecting a dogfight to see who would come out on top for 2026.

Erne Eagles Senior Men

Winning the toss, Erne Eagles elected to field and first batter up, Colm Kiernan, was out on first base following a quick throw from Short Stop Mick Cullen to Shane Sheridan on First Base. Second batter up, Declan Finnegan, made it to base but Oran Kiernan behind him fouled out while Ronan Kiernan’s hit was caught by Justin Perrin outfield and fired back to Damien McArdle to prevent Declan Finnegan’s run in. After an almost textbook perfect first innings at field, Eagles came to bat and managed to get two home. Excellent catches from Colm Kiernan and Oran Kiernan as well as an out on base on Third showed just how dangerous the Monaghan men can be when they’re fielding well.

The second innings saw no change to the scoreline but there were some more impressive catches for outs from Mick Cullen, Shane Sheridan, Justin Perrin, Colm Kiernan and Declan Finnegan as well as an out on First Base for Frank Duffy.

Things started to get a bit more exciting in Innings Three as Carrick got six home to be followed by Eagles pulling away more by getting nine home. The fourth was low scoring with some great fielding from both sides – outfield catches, a foul-out and Tag by Darryl Dolan, a super back catch from Damien McArdle and a great catch from Gerard Clerkin.

Into the fifth and Carrick got nobody home while Eagles cranked it up a gear at bat bringing 12 home, before Barry Lambe caught a pop-up from Mick Cullen to bring the innings to a close.

In the sixth, Carrickmacross got Dillon Carolan and Frank Duffy home but elected to bat on into the seventh. Batters two, three and four were all caught or fouled out and the game ended 24(6)-10(7) to Erne Eagles.

While the scoreline shows a gap, the actual game was tight enough for most of the innings and doesn’t accurately reflect the excellent fielding and batting we observed on the day. Justin Burns on Third for Carrick literally put his body on the line multiple times to block balls while Colm Kiernan had two split second reflexes back catches for outs. Carrickmacross should be proud of their performance – it’s never easy to defend a title, it’s even harder when you’re facing an opponent like Erne Eagles with the depth of squad and number of excellent players they have to call on. This year, the victory was deservedly theirs – who knows where the Corn Aodh Rua will be headed in September 2027?

For Eagles, the stars on the day were multiple – the statistics reflect that every player except one contributed to an out or a run. That is something that the Cavan men should be very proud of and the very definition of how a team should work. A special mention to the amazing pitcher/catcher duo of Darryl Dolan and Damien McArdle who make that level of skill, talent and game knowledge look easy. We all know that’s not always the case and their performances yesterday were phenomenal when weather conditions and the pressure of an All-Ireland final are taken into account.

Referee Danielle Keane (The Heath) took control of a very well-run and amicable game. Her umpires were Philip Keane, Serena Lewis and Grace Salmon of The Heath. Their pick for Player of the Match was Damien McArdle, who had some outstanding catches at Back Catcher as well as assisting outs on base and getting home four times. The final anthem of the day was sung by Niamh Duffy.

Special Guests & Thanks

In the stand were supporters of all six finals teams. It was lovely to see the St. Clare’s lads stick around to support their fellow County team, Erne Eagles. We were also joined by future stars from both Carrickmacross Emmets and Erne Eagles as well as Clontuskert in Galway who took part in Go Games demonstration games before the Senior game started. We hope they enjoyed their time in Kilcormac and we’re very grateful to them and their parents for making the journey to be with us.

We were delighted to welcome GAA Handball President Kevin Cooke and we hope he had an enjoyable day watching Rounders.

GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty with GAA Handball President Kevin Cooke

All three games were live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube Channel by Click Zoom with commentary from Aidan Carr and Shirley Lennon. Brady Sound & Lighting supplied the excellent background music as well as the PA system to allow our Referees to be heard and our MC – the always excellent Craig Davis – to introduce our teams and keep spectators updated on the score. Karl Gormley was on hand to photograph the day and none of it would have been possible without the assistance of the Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence manager Christy Todd.

Huge thanks to the following who made sure the day went off without a hitch; Ana Carr, Craig Davis, Gretta Davis, Paula Doherty, Michael Dowling, Mag Doyle, Mark Jennings, Séamus Keegan, and Shirley Lennon.

Up Next: Mixed Finals Day!

We have one more amazing Sunday of Rounders Finals to come and it will take place on Sunday 13 September in Mallow GAA, Cork.

Schedule for Sunday:

  • 11am (Junior Mixed Final): Galway City Rapparees vs Kilmore (Roscommon)
  • 1pm (Intermediate Mixed Final): Emo (Laois) vs Galway City Rapparees
  • 3.30pm (Senior Mixed Final): Breaffy (Mayo) vs Glynn Barntown (Wexford)

Previews for all three matches will be on our website later in the week.

Two spectacular weekends done but is the best yet to come? One thing is certain – we’ll all be suffering from Rounders Withdrawal Symptoms on Monday 14 September so the advice is to get yourselves to Mallow to make the most of the last day of our 2026 Championship!

Link to buy tickets for Mixed Finals Day GAA Rounders Mixed All-Ireland Finals 2026 – Universe

For anyone unable to make it to Mallow, all three games will be live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube channel at the following links

Junior Cluiche Corr | Cluiche Ceannais Measctha Sóisir – Galway City Rapparees v Kilmore

Intermediate Cluiche Corr | Cluiche Ceannais Measctha Idirmheánach – Emo v Galway City Rapparees

Senior Cluiche Corr | Cluiche Ceannais Measctha Sinsir – Breaffy v Glynn Barntown

 

GAA Rounders Men’s All-Ireland Previews – 6 September 2026

/by

As we approach the middle weekend of our trio of Finals for 2026, the excitement and nerves are peaking – the bar has been raised pretty high after our Women’s Finals Day, the expectation is for three great games, a day of brilliant Rounders accompanied by an amazing atmosphere and some outstanding play and we know our Men’s finalists won’t disappoint.

We’re moving venues this weekend to Offaly – a county that is this year, for the first time, hosting two prestigious days of Rounders. On 9 August our Junior Semi-finals took place in Edenderry GAA and this Sunday Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Kilcormac will host our most important day of the year in Men’s Rounders – our Junior, Intermediate and Senior All-Ireland Finals.

Our semi-finals and finals this year are moving around the country to give all our clubs the chance to experience a Finals Day near them and we hope that lots of our players and supporters use the opportunity to travel to a midlands venue to experience a Finals Day that promises to showcase our Men’s game at all three levels.

Junior Final: Gusserane vs Myshall – 11am

Our Junior Women’s final was all-Munster, our Intermediate Women and Junior Mixed finals both feature two Connacht teams, our Senior Men will be all-Ulster and, keeping things provincially equal, our Junior Men’s game is contested by two south Leinster teams.

GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty with Junior Men’s finalists PJ Lalor of Myshall, Carlow, and Mark Molloy of Gusserane, Wexford

Wexford side Gusserane have been impressive all season, only losing one league match – to Myshall. Their other three games were won with a bat in hand and, as the group runners-up, they qualified for a quarter-final against Inniskeen Grattans of Monaghan on 25 July in Tymon Park. In a very hard fought, close contest they didn’t have it all their own way. Gusserane were winning after the second innings, but Inniskeen had a great run in the third to pull two ahead. The Wexford men brought seven home in the final two innings and kept Inniskeen runs to only three more. Impressive Gusserane play from Conor Murphy, Matthew Flynn, Morgan Nash Colfer and Carel van der Merwe meant they emerged 31-29 winners and set up a semi-final contest against Galway City Rapparees in Edenderry.

Unbeaten all year, Rapparees were favourites to win this game but smart fielding from Ned Molloy, John Flynn and Matthew Flynn, and impressive batting from Niall Molloy, Conor Flynn, Morgan Nash Colfer and Matthew Flynn saw Gusserane lead from the first innings and open the gap further with each time at bat. The final score was 25(4)-11(5).

Myshall’s path since the league games has been shorter. As group leaders, they qualified straight to semi-finals and met Dublin side Na Gaeil Nua in Edenderry. Again, leading from the start, the Carlow men impressed with excellent fielding from Shane Coburn on Second Base and Catcher Matthew Roberts and super base running from Matthew Roberts, James Nolan, PJ Lalor and Eolann McDonald meant that they took the game 29-18 with a bat in hand.

Our final will be contested by two very well-matched sides with talent across the pitch – outfielders, baseminders and pitchers are all strong and tactical. However, what’s very exciting is how well both teams can bat and base run. And if the two Back Catchers – both called Matthew and both extremely good at what they do – bring their A game on Sunday, we can expect to see lots of outs at home base and on first.

Our Junior Men’s final will be refereed by Breaffy’s Mark Jennings and his umpires will be Gretta Davis (Elphin) and Emo’s Michael Slevin and JP Tynan.

We know that our two Junior Men’s Finalists can give us an entertaining, close, hard-fought battle and we look forward to them showing the supporters and those watching on our TG4 Sport Live Stream just how skilled our Junior Men are and just how exciting our sport is when played at this level.

Ádh mór oraibh go léir

Intermediate Final: St. Clare’s vs St. Senan’s – 1pm

Junior title decided, it will be time for our Intermediate finalists to take it up a notch and show us why they deserve to play in our Senior Championship next year.

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Intermediate Men’s finalists Barry Walsh of St Clare’s, Cavan, left, and Kevin Doody of St Senan’s, Limerick

St. Senan’s won the Junior All-Ireland Men’s final in 2025 and only twelve months later are contesting an Intermediate final, which just shows the level of hard work and dedication these Limerick men have put in since that win. St. Clare’s made it to an All-Ireland semi-final in 2025, losing out to eventual winners Galway City Rapparees, and have taken it one step further this year and made the final. Both teams have worked hard this year and want to win – but only one can take home the trophy and the title of Intermediate Men’s All-Ireland winners 2026.

St. Clare’s topped the table with four wins from six, only losing to Kilmore and St. Senan’s in the group stages. Their semi-final against Kilmore saw them rack up 11 runs in the second innings, leaving them 15-4 ahead going into the third. A scoreless third and a good fourth innings for Kilmore meant it was 16-11 at the top of the final innings. St. Clare’s batted first and only got one home, but their defensive play was good with excellent catches for outs by Ciarán Gray and Antonio Larrochia and an out on First Base to leave the final score 16-12 and a place in the final booked.

St. Senan’s league campaign had mixed results with two wins – over Kilmore and St. Clare’s – a draw – with Emo – and two losses – to Kilmeena and Dublin Metropolitans. Their semi-final in Galway against Laois side, Emo, with whom they had drawn the previous month, meant that it was hard to predict which way this semi would go. With no more than one run in it until the fourth innings – and the lead switching between the two teams – St. Senan’s managed to bring four home to open their lead to 15-11. In an exciting fifth innings, Emo matched this score and St. Senan’s came in to bat for the final time, needing just one run to book their spot in the final. Declan Rattigan was first up and got safely on base. The next two batters were caught out leaving it very tense when John Hanlon came to bat. He made it safely to base as well, leaving Senol Yamac all to do to get a runner home. His hit was caught by JP Tynan but it gave enough time for Declan Rattigan to safely run home and secure the victory.

St. Senan’s Intermediate Men

Both finalists met during the group stages and, while St. Senan’s came out on top that day in May (wining in Tymon Park by two runs), a lot has happened since then and a lot of games have been played, training sessions have been had and lessons have been learned. St. Clare’s have three very skilled and experienced players in PJ Kelly, Bryan Dolan and Jason Cawley as well as lots of talent in their squad with outfielders like Ciarán Gray and Barry Walsh and infielders such as Chaz Solomons and Darragh Johnston. St. Senan’s also boasts a mix of experience – Ian and Niall Sheehy, John Hanlon and Stephen Lynch – and new talent like Euan Sheehy and Declan Rattigan as well as excellent fielders and batters like Kevin Doody, JP Mulvihill, Dean Hogan and Dean McCarthy. If both teams can play their best Rounders, keep calm and composed and take their scores and their outs, this will be an excellent game between two very well-matched, on the cusp of being Senior, teams and we look forward to a great display of our sport from 1pm on Sunday.

Ádh mór gach duine…bainigí taitneamh as an cluiche!

Our Intermediate final Referee will be Philip Keane of The Heath, ably assisted by fellow The Heath players Danielle Keane, Serena Lewis and Grace Salmon as his umpires.

Once again, I can’t write this without thanking all six teams’ Club Secretaries for their help and assistance all year – and especially while I’ve been annoying them 24/7 over the past two weeks! Míle buíochas Mairéad, Anita, Louise, Ian, Lindsey and Ronan!

Senior Final: Carrickmacross Emmets vs Erne Eagles – 3.30pm

And, in the final game of the day in Offaly, and a rematch of the 2025 Senior Men’s All-Ireland Final, two Ulster teams will take to the pitch to battle it out for the Corn Aodh Rua. Resident in Monaghan for the past twelve months, and in Cavan for the year before that, this cup is getting very comfortable living in Ulster – but which of the Drumlin counties will be taking it home on Sunday evening?

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Senior Men’s finalists Damien McArdle of Erne Eagles, Cavan, left, and Oran Kiernan of Carrickmacross Emmets, Monaghan

Unbeaten all year, Erne Eagles have won every game by at least five runs – and often with a bat or more in hand – making their cruise to the final look effortless. But this would fail to take into account the amount of hard work, effort and dedication these Cavan men have put into their 2026 campaign and their desire to avenge last year’s final which they lost by one run to Carrickmacross Emmets. Having Darryl Dolan back as pitcher has undoubtedly made a big difference to the Mullahoran side but everyone on the squad has played their part in ensuring that this year’s wins were achieved. Baseminders such as Shane Sheridan, Gerard Clerkin and Karl Dolan are accurate and composed, catchers Paul Mollaghan and Damien McArdle quick and exact, outfielders Owen Roe O’Reilly, Nathan Loughnane, Justin Perrin and Dylan McKeever secure outs and throw to base with consistency and skill. And the whole team works together to ensure constant communication and working towards a common goal.

Erne Eagles Senior Men

One of the best places to be on any pitch is as a base umpire. None of the pressure of being a Referee and the best seat in the house to observe play and the interactions between fielders. I had the pleasure of umpiring the Erne Eagles vs Galway City Rapparees semi-final on 16 August and it was clear that these lads are a unit, they work for each other and the good of the team and, unless it was all a really good act, they seem to like each other and get on well too! I also umpired the Erne Eagles vs Breaffy Women’s semi-final that same day and got the exact same vibe so I’m going to say it’s part of the ethos of the club which filters through to every team from underage right up to senior.

Carrickmacross Emmets come into this game as reigning Champions and that brings its own level of pressure. However, these lads are well used to that sort of pressure and it’s unlikely to cause them many sleepless nights this week. With only two games lost at league stages – to Breaffy and Erne Eagles – Carrickmacross improved as the season progressed and finished the league with a 25(3)-12(5) win over Glynn Barntown in Wexford, ensuring that confidence was high for their semi-final against Mayo side Breaffy. Turning the result of their earlier encounter on its head, the Monaghan men took the win 12(7)-4(7) with some excellent batting from Colm Kiernan, Barry Lambe and Frank Duffy. Fielding stars that day included Ronan Kiernan – with three catches for outs and involvement in a further two outs on base, Short Stop Paddy Bermingham, Frank Duffy on First Base with six outs and Justin Burns on Third Base involved in five outs. The Carrick team is a tried and tested formula of players who know their positions, the game and each other. They play seamlessly and well and can be relied upon to produce excellent displays at just the right time.

Not unlike Erne Eagles, the support from within the entire Carrickmacross Club – from Club Chairman Colm Birdy down to the small flag wavers who will cheer the players onto the pitch – is remarkable and shows just how much of a community Rounders creates within towns and villages across the country. Irrespective of which team takes the Corn Aodh Rua on Sunday, the win will mean everything to people across the entire club, and this is one of the special things about the GAA in general, but Rounders in particular. We saw it last week with St. Kieran’s, Galway City Rapparees and Limekiln‘s wins and the joy it brought to supporters and family members as much as to the players on the pitch. And we’ll see it again this weekend…and this is why we all spend wet Sundays and muddy midweek evenings playing and training and driving the country to compete in and watch this addictive game that we all love.

Beirigí bua a bhuachaillí!

The honour of refereeing this Senior Final will go to The Heath’s Danielle Keane and her umpires will be her brother Philip Keane (returning the umpiring favour!) and fellow The Heath players Serena Lewis and Grace Salmon.

Just a reminder for those of you unable to attend that all three finals will be live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube channel with live commentary for all matches. Coverage will start at 10.50am.

For anyone who can attend, tickets are required and can be purchased at the following link GAA Rounders Men’s All-Ireland Finals 2026 – Universe

Finally, the very best of luck to all six clubs involved in Sunday’s finals. Bígí fíor as bhur ghnóthachtáil and enjoy the day! We can’t wait for another day of top-quality Rounders and the excitement of a September All-Ireland Finals Sunday – remember them?!! 😉

See you all in Offaly!

 

GAA Rounders All-Ireland Women’s Final Review – 30 August 2026

/by

Sunday 30 August was a remarkable for GAA Rounders in many ways. It was our first ever Women’s All-Ireland Finals Day: one Senior team was going for a record-matching five-in-a-row; one Senior team barely made the closing date for entering; two years ago both Intermediate finalists were playing Junior rounders; and one of our Junior finalists was newly formed for this season.

Added to that, our Women’s final presentations were being made by our first ever female GAA Rounders President. And added again was the first time all nine of our finals would be live streamed on TG4 Sport with full commentary. The build-up to the day was fantastic, the media coverage – social, print, and radio – was more than ever seen before, and the excitement was evident in the days leading up to the finals.

Although weather forecasts had predicted a wet, miserable day with rain threatening to make playing conditions poor, the day started bright and sunny. While the sun disappeared early enough, the rain held off for large portions of the day, which was very welcome! With players sporting their green GAA Rounders 2026 wristbands, a full guestlist of invited guests, and over 200 tickets sold, the day promised to be colourful, loud, and full of excitement.

Junior Final: St. Kieran’s vs St. Senan’s

At 10.40am, with children from both clubs involved in the Junior Final lining the entrance to the pitch waving their sides’ flags, and to the strains of Limerick’s finest—The Cranberries’ Dreams – Emma Galvin led her St. Kieran’s team onto Pitch 1 Abbotstown. Followed shortly afterwards by Kyra Hogan and St. Senan’s – to Free From Desire by Gala—the noise level went up a notch and stayed that way for the rest of the day’s proceedings. After team photographs were taken, the anthem was sung by Máire Dineen of St. Kieran’s and proceedings got underway.

Junior Women’s Captains Kyra Hogan (St. Senan’s) and Emma Galvin (St. Kieran’s)

Winning the toss, St. Kieran’s elected to field, and the first innings for both teams was a settling period where nerves got the better of players a few times and catches or outs that would never have been missed in training were fumbled. That said, both teams got through their full batting order and scored four runs each.

In to bat for the second time, St. Senan’s managed to get another four runs on the board, while excellent fielding meant that they held St. Kieran’s scoreless, going into the third with a four-run lead. However, the St. Kieran’s ladies doubled down on their fielding and got three of the first four batters out, then stormed into bat and brought six home, leaving the score 10-8 in their favour.

In their penultimate batting innings, St. Senan’s were once again held scoreless, returning the favour to St. Kieran’s at bat, meaning that St. Senan’s went into their final bat needing at least two to draw the game. It wasn’t to be, with only pitcher Louise Kelly managing to get home before the third out, leaving the final score 10-9 to St. Kieran’s.

Junior Final Referee Jay Hall presents the match ball to Player of the Match Sandra Walsh of St. Kieran’s

The game was refereed – for the first time with a live microphone feed which helped spectators follow along with the ball calls and outs – by Galway City Rapparees’ Jay Hall, with umpires Áine McLaughlin and Ciarán Weldon of Limekiln and Justin Perrin of Erne Eagles. The match officials’ pick for Player of the Match was St. Kieran’s Centre Outfielder Sandra Walsh, who had some fantastic catches and got home twice.

Intermediate Final: Elphin vs Galway City Rapparees

At 1pm, and with a change of direction on the pitch to protect the grass, it was time for our Intermediate Final. After just one season at the grade, last year’s Junior Final runners-up Elphin took on Galway City Rapparees.

Elphin Intermediate Women run onto the pitch before the Intermediate Final

Batting first, Elphin, in a great display of base-running bravery, got one runner – Avril Coyne – home.  Rapparees went one better and got two on the scoreboard in their first innings. What followed for the next three innings was the highly unusual situation where neither side got anyone home, and we went into the final innings with the same score as we had at the bottom of the first: 2-1 to Rapparees.

With some smart batting and tactical running, Elphin got two runners home, leaving Rapparees needing one to force the game to extra innings or two to win. With bases loaded, Jessie Pereira stepped up to bat and sent the ball out over first base to bring two home and win the game for the Galway side.

Galway City Rapparees Intermediate Women

Referee for this game was Erne Eagles’ Darryl Dolan and his umpires – also from Erne Eagles – were Shane Sheridan, Gerard Clerkin, and Paul Mollaghan. Darryl’s Player of the Match, for her excellent double out with a clean catch and throw to second to get an out on base, was Caitríona Carty. Our Intermediate Final Anthem singer was Galway City Rapparees’ Jay Hall.

Senior Final: Breaffy vs Limekiln

Our final game of the day was our Senior Final between reigning Champions Breaffy of Mayo and Dublin side Limekiln. Breaffy have won the CJ Haughey trophy for the past four years in a row and were aiming for a record-breaking five-in-a-row to match Castlebar and Rathdowney. Limekiln, meanwhile, weren’t even sure they had a team for this year’s Championship until the closing date! Both sides had good league campaigns, with Breaffy winning all their games while Limekiln’s only loss was to Breaffy (they also drew with Erne Eagles).

Senior Final Referee AnnMarie Brennan with Michelle Hopkins of Breaffy and Emma Hudson of Limekiln

Captains Emma Hudson and Michelle Hopkins led their teams onto the pitch to great support and colour, and having won the toss, Breaffy elected to field first. They took an early 5-2 lead with a strong performance in the first innings, both batting and fielding. Both sides scored two in the second innings and, in a repeat of the Intermediate game’s third innings, no runs were scored due to some tight fielding from both sides.

The fourth innings was where the gap started to close, with Breaffy only managing to get Short Stop Gráinne Gavin home while Limekiln’s three former Kevin’s players – Serena Costelloe, Erica Meslin, and Merilin Neiland – all sprinted home to leave the scores level at 10 all going into the fifth.

While Breaffy scored two runs in the fifth, Limekiln only got one home, and so Breaffy went into the sixth innings again with a slight lead. However, the sixth was the innings that made all the difference for Limekiln, bringing five home, to Breaffy’s two, and giving them a four-run lead. Breaffy’s Helen Gallagher and Michelle Hopkins both managed to get home in the seventh before the third out, but it was too little and Limekiln took the win and the title of All-Ireland Senior Women’s Champions 2026.

Referee AnnMarie Brennan (Cúchulainn) officiated with her umpires PJ Lalor of Myshall, Justin Perrin of Erne Eagles, and Leah Mullins of Cúchulainn. Their pick for Player of the Match was Emma Johnson of Limekiln, who had some outstanding catches at Left Outfield. The final anthem of the day was sung by Dearbhla Lennon.

Limekiln -All Ireland Senior Women’s Champions 2026

Special Guests & Thanks

In the stand were supporters of all six finals teams, players from Nobber Rounders in Meath (who won the Facebook competition for tickets to attend the Finals), and our invited guests:

  • Camogie Association President Brian Molloy and Ard Stiúrthóir Karen Dessain-Gelinet
  • LGFA President Trina Murray and CEO Lyn Savage
  • Active Disability Ireland CEO Brenda O’Donnell
  • Author and Podcast Host Sarah McDevitt
  • Nora Stapleton, Director with Sport Ireland
  • Former President of the Camogie Association, Phyllis Breslin
  • Former Ard Stiúrthóir of the Camogie Association, Sheila Wallace

GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty with Camogie Association President Brian Molloy and LGFA President Trina Murray

All three games were live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube Channel by Click Zoom with commentary from Eddie Healy, Emma Perrin, and Shirley Lennon. Brady Sound & Lighting supplied the excellent background music as well as the PA system to allow our Referees to be heard and our MC to introduce our teams and keep spectators updated on the score. Karl Gormley was on hand to photograph every moment, and we look forward to seeing his record of the day.

Huge thanks to the following Ard Chomhairle, Juvenile Committee, and club members, without whose help the day would not have run as smoothly as it did: Aidan Carr, Craig Davis, Paula Doherty, Michael Dowling, Mag Doyle, Séamus Keegan, PJ Lalor, Shirley Lennon, and Carmel Moloney.

Up Next: Men’s Finals Day!

And the best bit is that we get to do it all over again next Sunday, when our Men’s All-Ireland Finals take place in Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Kilcormac from 11am!

Schedule for Sunday:
  • 11am (Junior Men’s Final): Gusserane (Wexford) vs Myshall (Carlow)
  • 1pm (Intermediate Men’s Final): St. Clare’s (Cavan) vs St. Senan’s (Limerick)
  • 3.30pm (Senior Men’s Final): Carrickmacross Emmets (Monaghan) vs Erne Eagles (Cavan)

Previews for all three matches will be on our website later in the week – but one thing is for sure, the lads have a lot to live up to in order to match the spectacular Rounders, the brilliant atmosphere, and the amazing day we all had in Abbotstown on Sunday!

Link to buy tickets for Men’s Finals Day GAA Rounders Men’s All-Ireland Finals 2026 – Universe

Link to buy tickets for Mixed Finals Day GAA Rounders Mixed All-Ireland Finals 2026 – Universe

 

Historic First for GAA Rounders – Croke Park Championship Launch

/by

GAA Rounders Championship Launch – 26 August 2026

In a historic first, GAA Rounders launched our All-Ireland Championship at Croke Park on Wednesday 26 August 2026. After a successful season which commenced on 19 April and has run all summer, the 103 teams who entered the Championship have been whittled down to the final 18 who will contest All-Ireland finals over the next three Sundays.

 

Players from all 18 finalist clubs were in attendance as were Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns and Uachtarán GAA Rounders Paula Doherty.

This marks the start of another first where we will have three weekends of finals starting on Sunday 30 August in NGDC Abbotstown with our three Women’s finals – Junior, Intermediate and Senior – followed on Sunday 6 September by our three Men’s finals in Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Kilcormac and finishing on 13 September with our three Mixed finals in Mallow GAA, Cork

In another landmark event for our organisation, all nine finals will be live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube channel, with live commentary. All finals will be available on GAA Rounders YouTube channel after the matches.

 

Key Fixtures Include:

Sunday 30 August, NGDC Abbotstown, Dublin 15

  • Junior Women’s Final (11am): St. Kieran’s (Limerick) vs St. Senan’s (Limerick)
  • Intermediate Women’s Final (1pm): Elphin (Roscommon) vs Galway City Rapparees (Galway)
  • Senior Women’s Final (3.30pm): Breaffy (Mayo) vs Limekiln (Dublin)

    • GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Senior Women’s finalists Emma Hudson of Limekiln, Dublin, left, and Michelle Hopkins of Breaffy, Mayo

     

    Sunday 6 September, Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Offaly

  • Junior Men’s Final (11am): Gusserane (Wexford) vs Myshall (Carlow)
  • Intermediate Men’s Final (1pm): St. Clare’s (Cavan) vs St. Senan’s (Limerick)
  • Senior Men’s Final (3.30pm): Carrickmacross Emmets (Monaghan) vs Erne Eagles (Cavan)

  • GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Senior Men’s finalists Damien McArdle of Erne Eagles, Cavan, left, and Oran Kiernan of Carrickmacross Emmets, Monaghan

Sunday 13 September, Mallow GAA, Cork

  • Junior Mixed Final (11am): Galway City Rapparees (Galway) vs Kilmore (Roscommon)
  • Intermediate Mixed Final (1pm): Emo (Laois) vs Galway City Rapparees (Galway)
  • Senior Mixed Final (3.30pm): Breaffy (Mayo) vs Glynn Barntown (Wexford)

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Senior Mixed finalists, from left, Victor del Rosal of Breaffy, Mayo, Aileen Kelly of Glynn Barntown, Wexford, and Michelle Hopkins of Breaffy, Mayo

“Today’s launch in Croke Park marks the beginning of one of the most exciting periods in the GAA Rounders calendar said Paula Doherty, Uachtarán GAA Rounders. It is a wonderful opportunity to bring together players, volunteers, officials and the wider Gaelic Games family as we look ahead to three exciting weekends of All-Ireland Finals competition.

Reaching an All-Ireland Final is a significant achievement, and I want to congratulate every club, team and volunteer who has helped make this stage of the season possible. We look forward to welcoming supporters to what promises to be three outstanding weekends of competition and celebration.”

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty and Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Jarlath Burns with Women finalists, back row, from left, Emma Hudson of Limekiln, Dublin, Linda Clifford of St Kieran’s, Limerick, and front row, from, left, Clodagh Naughton of Galway City Rapparees, Galway, Georgina McDermott of Elphin, Roscommon, and Kyra Hogan of St Senan’s, Limerick.

Uachtarán CLG Jarlath Burns said: “The growth in the numbers playing GAA Rounders is a really exciting development for the sport. It is not only a brilliant, skilful game to play and watch, but an opportunity for our clubs to really embrace the manifesto of a GAA Where We All Belong and champion inclusivity. For more than 25 years TG4 have done so much for the development of Gaelic games through their exceptional coverage, and I am delighted that they will add these 2026 Rounders All-Ireland Finals to their schedule and look forward to the enhanced promotion this will bring. Go n-eirí an tadh libh go leir.”

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with players from Galway City Rapparees, Galway, back row, Tomás Kenny, left, and Alex Stewart, right and front row, from left, Ajay Kumar, Mel Mannion, and Clodagh Naughton

Tickets for all finals days are available now via Universe

Women’s Finals – 30 August 2026

https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-womens-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-GP4DRF

Men’s Finals – 6 September 2026

https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-mens-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-3KJS9B

Mixed Finals – 13 September 2026

https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-mixed-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-9S8MP1

Broadcast coverage begins at 10.50am on all three dates.

GAA Rounders – Meet the Referees – Men’s All-Ireland Finals

/by

With our three Women’s Finals Referees revealed on Tuesday, today focus turns to Kilcormac, Co. Offaly where our Men’s Finals will take place on Sunday 6 September. With matches at 11am, 1pm and 3.30pm, this will be an action-packed day of Rounders in the midlands.

Junior Men

Our Junior Men’s final is a south Leinster clash between Wexford’s Gusserane and Carlow’s Myshall and will be refereed by Mayo man and Breaffy stalwart Mark Jennings.

Mark Jennings

After taking a break from refereeing in 2025, Mark has taken back up his Ref Book this year and covered games in Connacht and Limerick. No stranger to All-Ireland Finals -with two wins in Mixed Finals over the past two years – Mark will take on refereeing his first All-Ireland final this year.

Fun Fact: Mark is the creative talent behind our GAA Rounders branded batting, pitching and base mats. Thanks to Mark and his stencil and spray paint can, Rounders mats have never looked so uniform and fancy!

Intermediate Men

In the clash of the Saints, our Intermediate Men’s final is between Cavan’s St. Clare’s and Limerick’s St. Senan’s and the man in charge of this decider will be The Heath’s Philip Keane.

Philip Keane

One of our most experienced and Senior Referees, Philip has taken charge of numerous finals at all grades and competitions. Not playing this year, but training underage players in his Laois club, Philip has travelled all over this season to referee Rounders games.

Fun Fact: Currently Chairperson of GAA Rounders Hearings Committee, Philip knows our Rule Book better than most, so any teams hoping to get away with breaking a rule or sneaking through on a technicality might want to think twice 😉

Senior Men

A rematch of the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Men’s Final between Carrickmacross Emmets and Erne Eagles, this senior game deserves a Senior Referee and will get one in the form of Danielle Keane.

Danielle Keane

Having most recently won her own All-Ireland medal in the 2025 Intermediate Women’s Final, playing for The Heath, Danielle has balanced refereeing with playing Senior Women this year. With no end of refereeing experience, and an excellent knowledge of our rules and our sport, Danielle will manage this game with skill and control…and multi-coloured pens!

Fun Fact: Not many sports can boast having two consecutive All-Ireland finals refereed by siblings but that is just what we will have on 6 September when Danielle follows her brother Philip onto the pitch after his Intermediate final finishes.

With top-tier officiating locked in across Junior, Intermediate, and Senior grades, Kilcormac is set for an unforgettable day of championship deciders. Our final article on Thursday will reveal the three Referees who have been appointed for our Mixed games in Mallow GAA on 13 September.

GAA Rounders Championship – Final Preview of 2026

/by

On this, our last Semi-finals weekend of 2026, we thought it would be a good idea to take a slightly different approach this week… for lots of different reasons!

Predictions

It was brought to my attention last week that some clubs have reportedly expressed frustration throughout the season regarding the preview articles. While no official complaints were submitted to our email or social media channels, I was told that concerns had been raised informally by clubs who felt that match predictions placed unnecessary pressure on their teams.

These articles were never intended to cause upset, single anyone out, or create negativity. If any club or player felt disadvantaged by what was written, I offer an unreserved apology. At the same time, it is worth remembering that predictions were wrong  as much as they were right! None of us has a crystal ball. We looked at the numbers, analysed recent form, and took a guess – it’s sport, and sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t!

In fact, the predictions were only ever a very small part of the reason why these articles existed in the first place.

Behind the Byline

Which brings me to the next point. “We” is actually me: Shirley, National Secretary.

I took over writing previews this year from Joe Naughton, our former Communications Officer. Before I did that, he explained to me why he had started them in the first place. It was a simple idea – but a genius one. With nine Championship divisions, most of us know plenty about the other teams and players we come up against, but very little about the other divisions. The previews were his way of trying to change that, to give people a little knowledge about players and teams they might never actually play against, to highlight good performances throughout the Championship and hopefully get people interested in what was happening outside their own division. Most importantly, the idea was to highlight everyone and every team – Junior, Intermediate and Senior, Women, Men and Mixed.

Following the massive popularity of the preview series in 2025, I stepped up to keep the momentum going this year. While I could never replicate Joe’s analytical depth and writing skills, I wanted to bring my own perspective to the previews: celebrating great play, highlighting club milestones, introducing readers to players and teams they might not otherwise know much about, and keeping it light hearted with a touch of good humour. Nobody knows our clubs and players better than I do, and I hope that some of that came across in what I wrote.

I know poor Joe has still been getting the “credit” for these pieces – and while I’m flattered anyone thought they were his, it’s time to set the record straight!

It was me!!

I have had an absolute ball writing these articles each week. It unlocked a creative side I didn’t know I had, and I hope they brought some joy to our players and supporters. To everyone who reached out over the season with kind words and encouragement – and to the people who sent me bits of information, corrected me when I got something wrong or wondered how on earth I knew something (mostly Joe by the way 😉) – thank you so much!

Given the recent feedback over something that takes the best part of a day per week to research and write, voluntarily, it is unlikely that weekly previews will return in 2027. While it is disappointing when a small minority dictates the outcome, sometimes you just have to pick your battles and channel your energy elsewhere!

So there will be no preview or predictions for this weekend’s Senior Mixed Semi-Finals or for our Women’s, Men’s or Mixed All-Ireland Finals. This, then, is my final preview article of 2026. And seeing as I’ve spent the season writing about everyone else, I think I’m allowed to use the rest of this one to say thank you!

Senior Mixed Semi-Finals

Our Senior Mixed Semi-finals will take place at the Monaghan GAA Centre of Excellence in Cloghan on Sunday, 23 August:

  • 1pm Breaffy (Mayo) vs Carrickmacross Emmets (Monaghan)
  • 3pm Cúchulainn (Carlow) vs Glynn Barntown (Wexford)

Best of luck to all four teams!

The winners will advance to the Senior Mixed All-Ireland Final in Mallow GAA on Sunday, 13 September at 3:30pm.

Thank You to Our Rounders Community

To every single team that entered the 2026 Championship: thank you for giving those of us who love this game an incredible season.

We have seen spectacular catches, amazing hits, lightning-fast base running, fearless fielding, injuries, tears, laughter, joy, and unforgettable celebrations. We have gathered every Sunday, countless Saturdays, and midweek evenings – and really, where else would any of us rather be than pitchside on a summer evening?

We have seen draws, runaway wins, nail-biting finishes, spirited debates, post-match handshakes, and warm hugs. We’ve brewed hundreds of cups of tea, eaten our weight in sandwiches and cakes, and made lifelong friends across every county border. We’ve driven miles, crisscrossed the country, travelled to places new and familiar, and played in rain, blistering sun, and freezing winds – sometimes all in the same afternoon!

We’ve celebrated brilliant wins and spent long journeys home wondering how on earth we managed to lose that one.

And then we got up the following week and did it all over again.

Because that’s Rounders!

Whether this was your club’s debut campaign or your twentieth, whether your journey ended in the group stages or you are heading into an All-Ireland Final – you are the heartbeat of GAA Rounders. This is our sport, our community, our game and I am immensely proud to play a small part in it.

2026 All-Ireland Finals Schedule

What we’ve been working towards all season is just around the corner and now we need everyone to come out and support our finalists and make those three Finals days as amazing as possible! And since I’m not allowed to predict them, you’ll just have to come along and find out who wins for yourselves! Tickets are available via the links below:

Sunday, 30 August – NGDC, Abbotstown, Dublin 15, D15 K4PP https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-womens-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-GP4DRF

  • 11am – Junior Women: Kieran’s (Limerick) vs St. Senan’s (Limerick)
  • 1pm – Intermediate Women: Galway City Rapparees (Galway) vs Elphin (Roscommon)
  • 3:30pm – Senior Women: Breaffy (Mayo) vs Limekiln (Dublin)

Sunday, 6 September – Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Kilcormac, Co. Offaly, R42 FX97 https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-mens-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-3KJS9B

  • 11am – Junior Men: Gusserane (Wexford) vs Myshall (Carlow)
  • 1pm – Intermediate Men: Clare’s (Cavan) vs St. Senan’s (Limerick)
  • 3:30pm – Senior Men: Carrickmacross Emmets (Monaghan) vs Erne Eagles (Cavan)

Sunday, 13 September – Mallow GAA, Mallow, Co. Cork, P51 XV58 https://www.universe.com/events/gaa-rounders-mixed-all-ireland-finals-2026-tickets-9S8MP1

  • 11am – Junior Mixed: Galway City Rapparees (Galway) vs Kilmore (Roscommon)
  • 1pm – Intermediate Mixed: Emo (Laois) vs Galway City Rapparees (Galway)
  • 3:30pm – Senior Mixed: Finalists TBC

Nine All-Ireland Finals. Three Sundays. Plenty more tea and sandwiches. And a little sunshine wouldn’t go astray either!

To every player, coach, referee, volunteer, supporter and long-suffering family member who has spent their summer following us around the country – míle buíochas!

The previews might be finished, but thankfully the Rounders isn’t.

See you all at the Finals!