Tag Archive for: Senior Championship

GAA Rounders Mixed Finals Day – 13 September 2026 – Review

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Day Three of Three Finals’ Days and the bar was high, the expectation was immense and the pressure was on – not just for the five clubs involved but for the organisers as well!!

And none of them disappointed – we had great weather, a fantastic facility in Mallow GAA, super rounders, a party atmosphere and a day filled with fun, friends and craic! What more could we have asked for from our last big day of the 2026 Rounders Championship?

What stood out, again, this Sunday was the standard of Rounders played in all three games and, while we always knew that the Ard Chomhairle was taking a chance in having three weekends of Finals with Junior, Intermediate and Senior games on the same day, the one thing that is absolutely clear from what we did this year is that we put the spotlight on all our players – and the Junior and Intermediate teams more than rose to the occasion. Our three Junior finals have been close, exceptionally skilled games. Our Intermediate games showcased just how high the standard of our middle grade really is and our Senior teams closed all three days with their usual displays of amazing Rounders.

Over the year, since our Finals’ venues were announced, there have been whispers (and shouts!) that Mallow was a strange choice, with no competitive Rounders teams in the county. But we felt that moving around the country to give everyone the chance to see top quality Rounders in their province was the right move – whether we were right or not is a debate for another day but whatever about the county, the venue was perfect. A pitch the size of Croke Park, a covered stand to hold 500 and a bar/restaurant on-site all made for a great Finals location.

For the third Sunday in a row, we were up early and with cables and sound systems, signage and cameras, mats and flags all in place by 10am, we were ready to go!

Junior Final: Galway City Rapparees vs Kilmore

I had made no secret of the fact that this game was special to me for multiple reasons, but it was also very clear how special it was to the two teams involved. Galway City Rapparees had won this same title in 2024 while Kilmore were contesting their first Junior Mixed final – although not the club’s first All-Ireland final, having played in the Junior Men’s 2025 final against St. Senan’s.

All the official admin and photos out of the way, Rapparees won the toss, captain Eimear Cuddy chose to field, and the game started with Oisín Boland up to bat. Kilmore’s first three batters made it safely on base leaving it to Aidan Carr to step up with bases loaded. He didn’t disappoint and got Oisín home with a super shot to outfield that moved everyone on. It took until batter six for Rapparees to get an out, with a fantastic catch by Colin Flannery, followed two batters later by a foul out from Séamus Keegan and an out on first by Mel Mannion. Kilmore managed to get through their entire batting order and bring four home before switching to fielding. In a great display of Kilmore skill, three of the first four Rapparees’ batters were caught out – by Ruth McElhone, Mark Harrington and Clodagh Sheerin – leaving the score 4-0 going into the second.

Kilmore Junior Mixed Team

In the next two low scoring innings, only one runner got home for either team with some great catches from Kilmore pitcher Aidan Carr – literally everywhere on the pitch chasing down pop-ups and foul balls – and two outs on first by Nicola Craughwell, while Rapparees’ outs were spread between Ajay Kumar, Cat Carty and Greg Mannion as well as a foul out and an out on first after a great throw from Sorcha Dowd.

Into the fifth on a 5-0 scoreline, Kilmore brought another four home and Rapparees knew they needed a good scoring innings to give them a chance to get back into the game. Séamus Keegan up first made it safely on base, but Cat Carty’s hit was caught by Clodagh Sheerin. The next two batters made it to base and moved runners along but Mel Mannion’s third good ball was caught by James Jamieson while Greg Mannion was fouled out, giving Rapparees two runners home.

Galway City Rapparees Junior Mixed Team

Into the final innings Kilmore again brought four home, leaving Rapparees needing 11 to draw and force extra innings. Ajay Kumar was fouled out and Sorcha Dowd made it to first but was out on second. While the next four batters got home safely, Eimear Cuddy’s hit didn’t go far enough to prevent the ball getting to Nicola Craughwell on first before she did and the game ended 13-6 to Kilmore.

While the scoreline suggests a wide gap, the actual game was close and the lack of scores in the first three innings just left Rapparees with a mountain to climb once they started getting runners home. They can be very proud of their fielding with their customary blend of outs on first and super clean catches, but, for the Galway side, this match was dominated by their pitcher/catcher duo of Séamus Keegan and Sorcha Dowd who, between them were involved in seven outs. Maith sibh!

While the Rapparees are understandably disappointed with the result, I hope they take heart from the great campaign they had all year, the amazing performances they put in at both knock-out games and the fact that the future for this team is very bright and I have no doubt that we’ll see them in many more finals over the coming years. I’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again, both Junior Mixed finalists are great ambassadors for our game, embodying what is good about our sport in terms of skill, ability, dedication and excellent sportsmanship.

Slightly off topic but it’s only fair to give credit to all eighteen finalists this year – the level of sportsmanship, fair play and respect for officials and fellow players were very noticeable and very much appreciated. Anyone watching our games couldn’t help but notice the excellent manner in which all nine games were played and the positive way our game was portrayed so míle buíochas agus maith sibh go léir!

But Sunday belonged to Kilmore and nobody could doubt how much it meant to them or question the amount of hard work, effort and determination that brought them to that victory. Every player on the pitch made a contribution, every supporter on the sideline and watching online was willing them on and, no different to Gusserane who won the Junior Men’s title last weekend, it was clear that the disappointment of losing a 2025 final gave them just that edge and extra desire to make sure this one was theirs.

Junior Mixed Final Referee Shirley Lennon with Player of the Match, Kilmore’s Clodagh Sheerin

I refereed the game – and what an amazing game it was to have as my first ever All-Ireland final! My wonderful umpires were Hazel Hartigan of Kildimo Pallaskenry, Ian Sheehy of St. Senan’s and Michael Sheahan of St. Kieran’s. Our Player of the Match was Kilmore Second Baseminder Clodagh Sheerin, who had an amazing game, with four outs and some of her signature lightening fast running to get on base and home as well.

Intermediate Final: Emo vs Galway City Rapparees

One game in and we were so ready to keep the momentum going and get some more teams on the pitch! With only enough time to grab a snack and a drink, Galway City Rapparees were back, this time taking on Emo in the Intermediate Mixed final.

Emo’s 2026 squad is a blend of experience and youth and had been showing all year that they are more than capable of taking on established sides and winning. Their pitcher/catcher duo of Liam Horgan and Dan White have been fantastic to watch all season and for two 16-year-olds they have skill and talent in abundance. Backed up by seriously skilled male players like JP Tynan, Eoin Keenan and Aaron Keane outfield, and experienced and talented females – Niamh Horgan, Catherine O’Keeffe, Ava Murphy and Chloe Keenan – who have multiple All-Ireland titles between them infield, on paper this team looked strong.

Emo Intermediate Mixed Team

Galway Rapparees starting nine were the familiar setup we’ve seen over the season and with their four women part of the Intermediate Women’s All-Ireland winning team from two weeks ago, and their five men all part of the Senior team who reached an All-Ireland semi-final in their first year at the grade, this was another impressive lineup.

Emo fielded first and got off to a slightly rocky start when nerves led to an overthrow on what should have been an out on first. Rapparees batters were strong and base by base they managed to load the bases to allow Tomás Kenny bring their first score home. Up next, Jessie Pereira was fouled out by some excellent pitching from Liam Horgan while Pakie Killilea’s hit was caught by Eoin Keenan. Although Ryan Dennis made it on base, next batter up, Jenna O’Brien, was caught out by JP Tynan, meaning Galway finished their first at bat with four home.

Galway City Rapparees Intermediate Mixed Team

Emo’s first four batters all made it to first base but Eoin Keenan was out on Second after a great throw from Rory McGarvey to Jessie Pereira. Ava Murphy’s hit was caught by Catcher Cathal Creaven and Catherine O’Keeffe’s pop-up was caught by Ryan Dennis leaving Emo with three runs scored.

The second innings was low scoring with just one run in for Rapparees while their excellent fielding kept Emo scoreless. Cathal Creaven caught two fantastic outs while Tomás Kenny on Third Base also had an excellent catch.

In the Third, Rapparees upped their game and brought six runners home while Rory McGarvey outfield caught out two consecutive batters, keeping Emo runs to two. The score heading into the fourth was 11-5 to Rapparees.

In another low scoring innings, only Pakie Killilea made it home for Rapparees while Emo suffered three outs from four batters. Jessie Pereira and Aaron Keane were the sole scorers for their respective teams in the final innings and the game ended 13-6 to the Galway side.

While Emo didn’t get the result they were hoping for, their fielding at times was superb with excellent accurate pitching from Liam Horgan – involved in five outs – two great catches from the ever-reliable JP Tynan, excellent accuracy on base from Niamh Horgan and Chloe Keenan and good batting and base running from Liam Horgan and Dan White. As a young, settling in and blending together team, it is clear that with some continued practice and game play – no doubt helped along during the upcoming CWL Winter League – this team will be a force to be reckoned with next year.

Rapparees’ finely tuned batting and fielding was the key to their success in this game. Mistakes were instantly punished, any chance to steal a base was taken, pop ups were mostly caught and while outs on base were few, this is because Ryan Dennis’ pitching was so accurate, and Cathal Creaven’s catching so spot on, hits were sent high or long into the hands of ready outfielders and just making it on base was a massive achievement.

Bitten by the Senior Rounders bug in 2026, Galway City Rapparees will now join the elite group of six clubs with three Senior Teams for 2027 and we very much look forward to seeing how their Women’s and Mixed sides perform next season.

Intermediate Mixed Final Referee PJ Lalor with Player of the Match, Emo’s Niamh Horgan

Our Referee for our Intermediate Final was PJ Lalor, ably assisted by Hazel Hartigan, Niall Sheehy and Michael Sheahan and their well-deserved pick for Player of the Match was Emo’s Niamh Horgan who was responsible for four outs.

The anthem for this game, and the Junior Mixed Final, was sung by Elin Mulhall of Galway City Rapparees.

Senior Final: Breaffy vs Glynn Barntown

Our last final of the day, the 2026 Finals and the 2026 Season was our Senior Mixed game between reigning Champions, going for three in a row, Breaffy and Glynn Barntown.

Just as the Senior game began, the sun, which had been threatening to shine all day, broke through and it was a beautiful summer’s afternoon with two of the best Rounders teams in the country about to battle it out to be our Senior Mixed champions.

Breaffy Senior Mixed Team

Breaffy batted first and, while Colm Jordan got safely around the bases, Colin Cannon was tagged out on First while Daithí White caught Michelle Hopkins out. Victor del Rosal also made it around to score a run but Helen Gallagher was fouled out before anyone else got home. Two scored, Breaffy headed out to field and had a great start, with Colin Cannon returning the favour and catching Daithí White out and Chloe Doyle’s outfield hit going straight to Victor del Rosal. With Paul Delaney on Second, Paul Cooper came to bat and hit our first Home Run of the day! While the next two batters made it to base, Aileen Kelly was tagged out on Third and the innings ended 2-2.

Breaffy came in to bat in the Second determined to get ahead and they did that with six runners home, which Glynn Barntown could only answer with getting Garry Jordan around the bases. In the Third, Breaffy again got three home while keeping Glynn Barntown scoreless with two outs on Second Base by Mark Jennings, including a great double out from Victor del Rosal.

Into the fourth with the score 11-3 it was the Wexford side’s turn to have a powerful fielding innings and all the action was with Daithí White on First base who caught the first three batters out on clean catches. In to bat they brought two runners home to narrow the gap to 11-5.

Glynn Barntown Senior Mixed Team

Similar scores for both sides in the Fifth and Sixth – with a second Home Run, this time by Breaffy’s Victor del Rosal – brought us up to the final innings with Glynn Barntown trailing by eight runs. Breaffy at bat scored three with two super catches by Garry Jordan, now moved to Pitcher, and one by Aileen Kelly at right outfield. In to bat for the final time and with two out and nobody home the pressure was on substitute Keira Donnelly. Michelle Hopkins’ pitching was just too good and she fouled out on her third good ball giving the win to the Mayo team with a final score of 18-7.

It was evident how heartbreaking this defeat was for the Wexford team and it was difficult to watch them bow out of the Championship on such a low but, as Referee Michael Dowling said after the game, both teams are part of Rounders royalty and we know they’ll be back, stronger and better, next year.

As befits a Senior All-Ireland final, the fielding in particular in this game was superb. Balls were caught out of the sky, at awkward angles and after excellent runs to be in the right place, we saw two amazing Home Runs, balls hit over 80m, a double out and some amazing pitching from all three pitchers. This is what Senior Rounders is about and this is what all Junior teams aspire to. While they may not always realise it, Senior players who showcase our sport at the highest level are the top tier, the ones we all look up to and the reason why Junior and Intermediate players get better.

And as befits defending Champions there were multiple stand-out Breaffy players on the day. Most impressive runner was Victor del Rosal who came home six times, once as a Home Run. He also had involvement in three outs. Colin Cannon at Short Stop had a great day with three outs while Colm Jordan was his usual magnetic self to any balls sent to left outfield with four clean catches for outs, and three runs scored.

In a very long overdue Senior All-Ireland Final Refereeing debut Michael Dowling (The Heath) was his calm, decisive self and the game ran like clockwork. His umpires were Danielle Keane, Serena Lewis and Grace Salmon of The Heath. Their pick for Player of the Match was Home Run Hero Victor del Rosal, who had a phenomenal day for Breaffy. The final anthem of the day was sung by Clíodhna Henry.

Senior Mixed Final Referee Michael Dowling with Player of the Match, Breaffy’s Victor del Rosal

While Sunday’s games drew the smallest crowds of our three weekends there was still a significant number of supporters for all five clubs and the atmosphere for all three games was electric.

Once again, all three games were live streamed on TG4 Sport’s YouTube Channel by Click Zoom with commentary from PJ Lalor, Danielle Keane, Shirley Lennon, Ian Sheehy and Emma Perrin.

For the final time, huge thanks to the following who made sure the day went off without a hitch; Craig Davis, Gretta Davis, Paula Doherty, Michael Dowling, Martin Hoban, PJ Lalor, Shirley Lennon, Rebecca O’Connell, Michael Sheahan, Ian Sheehy and Peadar Waters

And that’s an official wrap on our 2026 Championship season – and what an unforgettable year it’s been! We’ll have a full recap of the Finals later in the week, but for now, let’s take a moment to reflect on everything we’ve experienced and achieved since it all kicked off back on April 19th. We are so lucky to be part of this incredible GAA Rounders community – a family that brings us together to share the sport we love, forge lifelong friendships, and make memories that last far beyond the final whistle.

 

GAA Rounders Mixed All-Ireland Finals Previews – 13 September 2026

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We’ve made it lads! We’re at the last of our three weekends of Finals and there’s every chance the best has been saved for last. That’s a lot of pressure!

Both our Women’s and Men’s Days were amazing in every way – close games, excellent catches, fantastic batting and decent enough weather! – but as our USP, our code that marks us apart from any other Gaelic game at adult level and the GAA’s most inclusive sport, our Mixed finals will be a very special day in our calendar. The first year all three Mixed finals have been played on the same day in the same venue, this promises to be a thrilling, fast-paced and excitement-packed day for players, officials and spectators alike.

Moving out of Leinster, our venue for Sunday will be Mallow GAA and we’re very much looking forward to playing in their excellent facilities. With use of the main pitch, with a covered stand and terrace, we’re anticipating some amazing Rounders all day.

Junior Final: Galway City Rapparees vs Kilmore

I really should have told someone in March so you could believe how impressive my future telling skills are, but this was the Junior Mixed final I had hoped to see from before the 2026 season started! Two über-skilled squads with talent to burn on both sides, both highly entertaining to watch and both made up of some of the nicest people you could meet. Having watched, and refereed, both throughout the season, they have only improved as the year went on and are, without a doubt, our two best Junior Mixed sides from the 22 teams which started the year in May.

GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty with Jamie Sharkey and Nicola Craughwell of Kilmore and Mel Mannion and Ajay Kumar of Galway City Rapparees

Kilmore, from Roscommon, topped Mixed Group B winning all six of their games….without needing to ever play five innings. Hitting the knockout stages at the end of July, their quarter-final was against Carlow side Myshall who had also impressed all season. Tight until the fourth innings, Kilmore then found another gear and pulled ahead, going on to win the game 30-12 with a bat in hand.

Kilmore Junior Mixed

This led to a semi-final match-up against Na Piarsaigh of Limerick who had impressed in their quarter-final against Carrickmacross Emmets, winning by the tightest of margins. Having lost their Women’s semi-final to eventual winners St. Kieran’s of Limerick that morning – and having also lost their First Base minder, Ana Carr, to a broken leg and dislocated ankle that morning – the Roscommon side were fired up to ensure that this result went their way. And went their way it did, running out winners on a 16-1 scoreline. On fire that day, Oisín Boland missed nothing and was responsible for six outs from clean catches. A few others helped him out on the day but safe to say Oisín was Player of that Match!

Galway City Rapparees played less matches to get to the knockout stages – their Mixed Group A only had four teams but with three wins in the bag, they were quarter-final bound and met Emo of Laois in Tymon Park. In a fairly clinical display of both batting and fielding skill, they won that game 15-3 with standout performances from Ajay Kumar, Greg Mannion and Cat Carty. Their semi-final pairing was against Monaghan side Inniskeen Grattans who had overcome Leighlinbridge in an exciting and fast-paced quarter-final. Once again, Rapparees hit the ground running and cruised to an 18-7 win with a bat in hand.

Galway City Rapparees Junior Mixed

And now, here we are, with the two top teams facing off in the ultimate challenge to see who is the top Junior Mixed team in Rounders for 2026.

We’re really looking forward to seeing the skill, ability, tactics, game awareness and speed of these players. We can’t wait for the catches – from infielders and outfielders alike. We know we’ll be bowled over (see what I did there!) by the pitchers and the quick reflexes of the back catchers. And we’re expecting top class batting, speedy running and a bit of base stealing! But most of all, we know this will be a display of sportsmanship of the highest level because as well as talent in abundance, these two sides have displayed all year just how sporting and respectful they are – to Referees and their opponents. And win, lose or draw, that’s one of the most important things we could have in an All-Ireland final.

I can’t tell you how excited and honoured I am to be Referee for this game and I’m delighted to be joined by local umpires, St. Kieran’s Michael Sheahan, St. Senan’s Ian Sheehy and Kildimo Pallaskenry’s Hazel Hartigan.

Ádh mór oraibh go léir

Intermediate Final: Emo vs Galway City Rapparees

Nope, not a typo, those Galway City Rapparees will be back again at 1pm in yet another final – three in one year, not too shabby! This time their Intermediate Mixed team will be hoping to take the leap to join their Men in the Senior Ranks in 2027. And standing in their way will be last year’s Intermediate Mixed beaten finalists, Laois’ finest, Emo.

GAA Rounders president Paula Doherty with Intermediate Mixed finalists Tomás Kenny, left, and Alex Stewart of Galway City Rapparees and John Paul Tynan and Claire Hyland of Emo

Since losing out last year, by just one run, to Erne Eagles, Emo have spent this year honing their skills, practicing hard, recruiting a few new players – The Heath’s Austin O’Meara and Aaron Keane – and just doubling down on the great play that got them to last year’s final.

With two geographically split groups in Intermediate Mixed, Emo were drawn against Dublin Metropolitans, Glynn Barntown, Gusserane and Raheen and won all four of their games by at least five runs, setting them up for a semi-final rematch of last year’s final against Erne Eagles. On that August morning in Galway, Emo showed their grit and resilience by winning 17-10 and marching on into the final.

Emo Intermediate Mixed

And what of the Galway Rapparees and their path to the final? In Intermediate Mixed Group B, consisting of Connacht, Munster and Ulster teams they also won all four of their games – against Erne Eagles, Michael Glavey’s, St. Clare’s and St. Senan’s – comprehensively in some cases, and got themselves to a semi-final against Dublin Metropolitans. Another decisive victory (28-6) saw them move one step closer to another title and set up a final against Emo.

Having met last year at the semi-final stages, a game which Emo won by one run, Rapparees will be anxious to overturn that result and take the win and the title. Both sides show excellent game knowledge and we can expect to see clever play, smart batting and some base stealing if infielders are slow.

One of the interesting things about this game is that both teams have very different styles and come at the sport from different angles, but it still has the makings of a very close contest and of being a fine example of how spectacular our game is when played well.

Galway Rapparees Intermediate Mixed

As with the Junior Mixed final, this Intermediate decider will be contested by the top two teams in the country at this level which, on paper, means that we’ll see the best of the best battle it out for the title. In reality what we’ll hopefully see is two teams that really want to play senior next year, 18 players, and substitutes, that want to give their all for their club to take the cup and the honours, and two clubs who have spent an entire year preparing for and working towards this moment showing us just how ready to be part of our 2027 Senior Championship they are.

Ádh mór gach duine…bainigí taitneamh as an cluiche!

Our Intermediate final Referee will be PJ Lalor of Myshall, and he will be assisted by umpires Hazel Hartigan, Michael Sheahan and Niall Sheehy.

And for the final time in these articles I need to recognise and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the five Club Secretaries of the teams involved in Sunday’s finals for their help and assistance all year. Anyone who hasn’t held the title of Club Secretary really can’t understand the number of hours, the commitment, the patience and tenacity and the sheer determination that keeps them going through an entire season of organising, emailing, WhatsApping, chasing, writing, replying and sometimes just annoying people until they get a response. You – and the 62 other Club Secretaries of our 2026 affiliated clubs  – are the backbone of our organisation and I’m in awe of the amount of work you all do voluntarily, for no other reason than that you love Rounders. But today, my special thanks are extended to Joe, Ruth, Claire, Ciara and Aileen – superstars every one of you!

Senior Mixed Final: Breaffy vs Glynn Barntown

Our Final game of the day, and of the Championship season, will be our Senior Mixed final and the honour of lifting the Dympna Reilly Cup will fall to either the defending Champions, Breaffy of Mayo, or Glynn Barntown of Wexford.

As a wise man once said “you don’t just accidentally show up in the finals”! And he’s right – it takes a lot of hard work and dedication – winter leagues, pre-season strength and conditioning, training all season long, hours of travelling, the highs and lows of winning and losing, injuries, arguments, difficult decisions and a lot of jersey washing! And these teams have seen all that, and more, since April when we started back for 2026.

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

The year started with seven Senior Mixed teams – from Breaffy in the north west to Glynn Barntown in the south east, Limekiln on the east coast to Kilmeena on the west coast, Carrickmacross Emmets, and Erne Eagles in Ulster and Cúchulainn in south Leinster. With everyone playing everyone else, a lot of miles were driven and 21 games played over three and a half months.

Our semi-finals took place on 23 August in Monaghan GAA Centre of Excellence with the first match being contested by Breaffy and Carrickmacross Emmets.

Unbeaten all year, Breaffy won all their league games. With the exception of their May encounters with Cúchulainn and Glynn Barntown, both of which had tight scorelines, they won by multiple runs and often with a bat or more in hand. Their ability to punish mistakes, spot opportunities and work together as a team is why they are going for their third Senior Mixed title in a row. Champions don’t stay Champions unless they put in the work, continue to develop their skills, develop their squads and show up continuously.

Breaffy Senior Mixed

The Breaffy team who won their semi-final against Carrickmacross Emmets was a tried and tested formula of players who know what to do and how to do it, who can anticipate each other’s moves and know how to win games. Leading from the first innings and adding to their score in each successive at bat they kept Carrickmacross bringing home no more than two runners in any innings and scoreless for the final two. While most of the outs were from clean catches – Colin Cannon, Colm Jordan, Michelle Hopkins, Katie Groonell, Victor del Rosal and John Gibbons all getting in on the action – there were also outs on base – from Mark Jennings and Gráinne Gavin – showing their speed at getting the ball to base.

Glynn Barntown’s route to final was similarly impressive with only their defeat to Breaffy marring their perfect record. Their final scores were mostly tighter but a win is a win! Their semi-final was against Carlow side Cúchulainn and it was a cracker, as we knew it would be. Although the Wexford team lead from the first innings, it was one of those games that always had the potential to turn around and every innings was hard fought, by both sides. Glynn Barntown set down a marker in the first with three up, three out which is the start every team wants. But Cúchulainn made them work for their victory with some spectacular catches and outs on base of their own. At their seventh time to bat, Cúchulainn needed five to draw but with two catches and an out on base Glynn Barntown closed that down within the first four batters and booked their place in Sunday’s final against Breaffy.

Glynn Barntown Senior Mixed

As we’ve seen for the past two Sundays in our Senior Finals, coming into a final as defending Champion brings its own level of pressure and Breaffy will be aware of this. They will also want to complete this three in a row while Glynn Barntown will be anxious to take the title – which they last won in 2019 – back to Wexford.

We know that both teams can produce the goods – we’ve seen how skilful and strategic they can be, we know they can catch balls from the sky, hit sliotars 80m, run fast and throw long, we know they both support their fellow players through good and bad and we’re really looking forward to seeing all that, and more, from 3.30pm on Sunday in Mallow.

Beirigí bua gach duine!

A special final deserves a legendary Referee and we’ve kept the best til last and asked our Vice President Michael Dowling to officiate for this game. Keeping it in The Heath family, his umpires will be Danielle Keane, 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 Mixed All-Ireland Finals 2026 – Universe

For the last time this year, the very best of luck to all five clubs involved in Sunday’s finals. One last day of top-quality Rounders, one final Championship Sunday of standing pitchside, one last day of sandwiches and coffee in a tent in the wind and rain…what are we all going to do on 20 September?!! Luckily, we have the InterPros to look forward to on 27 September😉

But first, let’s enjoy our day in The Rebel County and all the excitement and thrills of our Mixed All-Ireland Finals Day. For players and managers alike, what we hope for you for Sunday is that you have a great game, that you do yourselves proud, that you leave it all on the pitch and that you show the entire world watching – in person and online – what a great game Rounders is when it’s played by passionate, talented, committed players.

And the last word goes to Babe Ruth – “Never allow the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game”.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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 – Mixed All-Ireland Finals

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Our last day of Finals for 2026 will be Sunday 13 September and Mallow GAA will host our Mixed deciders. As the only GAA code played at adult level by Mixed teams, this will be a showcase for our sport and a day not to be missed. Starting at 11am with our Junior Final, Intermediate teams will take to the pitch at 1pm and our Senior clash will take place at 3.30pm, closing out three amazing weekends of All-Ireland Finals.

Junior Mixed

Contested by two Connacht clubs – Galway City Rapparees and Roscommon’s Kilmore – our Junior Mixed final will be refereed by GAA Rounders National Secretary, Shirley Lennon.

Shirley Lennon

Refereeing since 2024, Shirley has taken on Senior reffing duties this year but really enjoys travelling the country to cover games at whatever level is being played. With one of the highest mileage counts of any Referee this season, Shirley has reffed matches in 11 different counties, and three provinces, since April. Cork will complete the full set of provinces!

This will be Shirley’s first time to referee an All-Ireland final, an honour she is delighted to have been given, and she will bring her knowledge of the game, her love of the sport and her sense of humour to the day!

Fun Fact: Shirley played in the first ever GAA Rounders Junior Mixed All-Ireland final in 2021, so this is a competition very close to her heart!

Intermediate Mixed

Featuring in their third All-Ireland final of the season, Galway City Rapparees will take on Laois side Emo in this eagerly anticipated game and the man behind Home Base will be Myshall’s PJ Lalor.

PJ Lalor

Refereeing since 2025, PJ quickly proved that his calm manner, knowledge of the rules and ability to control a game makes him a great Referee. Stepping up to cover Senior games this year, he has been a regular at fixtures of all grades all over south Leinster and the midlands and is delighted to be appointed to his first All-Ireland final.

Fun Fact: PJ will feature in two All-Ireland finals this year – as well as refereeing the Intermediate Mixed game, he will captain, and play with, the Myshall Men’s team in their Junior final against Gusserane on 6 September.

Senior Mixed

Although the teams who will contest this game have yet to be decided – Senior Semi-finals will take place on Sunday 23 August and the final will be between Breaffy/Carrickmacross Emmets and Cúchulainn/Glynn Barntown – the Referee has been chosen and will be none other than GAA Rounders Vice President Michael Dowling.

Michael Dowling

Within our community, nobody knows our game better, has dedicated more time to the organisation, both at club level and nationally, or loves our sport more than Michael and his years of experience make him an excellent choice to referee this, our final Final of 2026.

Fun Fact: Although involved with GAA Rounders for more years than most of us can remember, this is Michael’s first time to referee a Senior All-Ireland Final. We’re very glad we got the chance to rectify that this year.

And there you have it, all nine All-Ireland Finals Referees revealed. With a blend of experience and enthusiasm, long-time veterans and first-time appointees, the two things all our Referees have in common are a love of our game and a great knowledge of our rules! We wish them all the very best and hope they enjoy their games.

  • Junior Women – Jay Hall
  • Junior Men – Mark Jennings
  • Junior Mixed – Shirley Lennon
  • Intermediate Women – Darryl Dolan
  • Intermediate Men – Philip Keane
  • Intermediate Mixed – PJ Lalor
  • Senior Women – AnnMarie Brennan
  • Senior Men – Danielle Keane
  • Senior Mixed – Michael Dowling

Tickets available as follows:

Women’s Finals – 30 August Buy tickets here

Men’s Finals – 6 September Buy tickets here

Mixed Finals – 13 September Buy tickets here

GAA Rounders Championship Semi-Final Preview – 15 & 16 August 2026

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GAA ROUNDERS • 2026

ALL-IRELAND
SEMI-FINAL WEEKEND

10
ALL-IRELAND
SEMI-FINALS

2
MASSIVE
DAYS

20
TOP
TEAMS

2
HOST
VENUES

With the exception of our three Finals Sundays in August and September,this weekend coming is the highlight of our calendar.

Ten All-Ireland Semi-finals over two days.

Twenty of our top Intermediate and Senior teams will take to a pitch in
Galway or Monaghan
and for anyone lucky enough to be in either venue, or both, this will be a weekend of Rounders to remember!

●
GALWAY		 INTERMEDIATE
& SENIOR		 MONAGHAN
●

ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL WEEKEND • AUGUST 2026

Intermediate Women

Interesting statistic number 1 – three of the four semi-finalists were playing Junior Rounders in 2025

That’s impressive – 2025 All-Ireland winners, Inniskeen Grattans, Runners-up, Elphin, and semi-finalists, Castletown Liam Mellows, join 2024 All-Ireland Runners-up Galway City Rapparees as the top four Intermediate Women’s teams for this year. No matter the results on Saturday, or Sunday 30 August in Abbotstown on Women’s Finals day, those are facts to be proud of ladies!

Our year started with two geographical groups, where all teams played each other, and the top two teams from each group qualified to Semi-finals. Group A was topped by Castletown Liam Mellows (Wexford) with Inniskeen Grattans (Monaghan) in second place while Group B winners were Galway City Rapparees, followed by Elphin (Roscommon).

Galway Rapparees women’s team

Galway Rapparees women’s team

First up, at 12pm, will be Galway City Rapparees vs Inniskeen Grattans

Both teams can boast a Junior All-Star (Clodagh Naughton in 2024, Julianne Smith in 2025). Both teams have strong pitchers (Katie Jessop and Julianne Smith).

Both teams can bat (96 and 69 runs scored over the season) but the stand-out statistic in Rapparees’ favour is that their fielding is far sharper (17 runs conceded over four games, to Inniskeen’s 49).

Rapparees pitcher/catcher/first base out rate is very strong with over half of their outs from their past two games involving Foul outs, third good ball outs or throws from Sorcha Dowd or Hazel Kilduff behind the batter to Mel Mannion on First.

While Inniskeen’s Back Catcher, Catherine Deery, gets her share of outs, and Julianne Smith’s pitching leads to foul outs in every game, their rate of outs on First Base is low. Siobhán Cunningham and Carol McKeown are both accurate with catches to outfield and infield, but most of Inniskeen’s outs come from catches or foul outs and this likely explains their high rate of runs scored against them.

To contain the Rapparees they will need to ensure that outs on bases are improved as fast runners like Clodagh Naughton, Hazel Kilduff and Eimear Cuddy will punish an inability to do that. For their part, the Galway women will have to watch Julianne Smith’s excellent fast pitching, and minimise the number of foul outs.

Prediction: Galway City Rapparees

Referee: Shirley Lennon

Our second Women’s game will be at 2pm and will be Castletown Liam Mellows vs Elphin

Interesting statistic number 2 – this is a rematch of last year’s Junior Semi-final, in the same venue and on the same pitch

While Castletown will be aiming to shake off the bad memories of that loss, Elphin will be hoping for a repeat performance. Strong all season, Castletown only lost to Emo but took every other game comprehensively. Their pitcher, Mandy Callanan, has been consistently strong and accurate, while Sarah Kavanagh on Second Base is a powerhouse to catch and ensure outs on her base. Short Stop Edel Coade Morris has had a great season with multiple outs in several games and any ball hit high and infield is likely to land in her hands. Back Catcher Sandra Nugent has similarly had great success this year punishing clips and back hits.

Elphin’s first year in Intermediate didn’t start as they would have liked with a comprehensive defeat to Galway City Rapparees but they regrouped and won the rest of their games well, defeating established Intermediate sides Michael Glavey’s, Kilmeena and St. Clare’s.  Pitcher Áine McDermott, Catcher Ciara Butler and Second Base Georgina McDermott are consistently reliable, while the experience of Avril Coyne and Gretta Davis, and their excellent communication on the pitch making sure everyone knows where every ball should go, have contributed immensely to Elphin’s confidence and strength this year. Twins Katie and Kirsten Cronin are both strong fielders, and even stronger batters and base runners, and should be watched for their ability to clear bases and, on occasion, score home runs!

From a statistics viewpoint, Castletown have been the stronger batters this season, scoring 86 runs to Elphin’s 63 (although they have batted more innings), but both teams have similar numbers of runs conceded (Elphin – 57; Castletown – 54, with two more innings fielded) and the winner on Saturday is likely to be the team that manages to get the outs on base and contain base running as much as possible.

Prediction: Elphin

Referee: Jay Hall

Intermediate Men

The last four standing in Intermediate Men are Emo, Kilmore, St. Senan’s and St. Clare’s – two brand new to Inter teams and two teams seasoned at the grade.

One of each will play in each semi-final, Kilmore vs St. Clare’s at 2pm and Emo vs St. Senan’s at 4pm

Interesting statistic number three – both of these games are rematches of league games that took place during the first two weeks of July

Kilmore Intermediate Men

 

Kilmore and St. Clare’s met when both played away from home in Mullahoran. That day the victory was Kilmore’s and they won 21-14 with a bat in hand. Seven of the 15 outs that day involved pitcher Aidan Carr who is integral to Kilmore’s success. His fast and accurate pitches – with a few wayward ones thrown in to keep batters on their toes! – are hard to hit and lead to multiple foul outs or pop ups which he or Third Base Kevin White mopped up in that game.

Catcher James Jamieson was pinpoint accurate with catches and throws that day too and was involved in three outs, while the last out of that day was an unbelievable catch from Centre Outfielder Oisín Boland. St. Clare’s top fielder that day was Back Catcher PJ Kelly who proved that playing with a broken finger was no obstacle and nothing got past him, with six clean catches for outs.

For their part, the Cavan side had a few spectacular catches from Bryan Dolan outfield and Jason Cawley at Short Stop. Darragh Johnston pitched well and, while Kilmore managed to hit balls into the outfield for their runs, there were no walk-ons from either side. Looking at both teams’ statistics over the season, Kilmore have scored 80 runs to St. Clare’s’ 67, with one less inning batted. Runs conceded is much closer, with four less for St. Clare’s who fielded one more innings.

Both sides will have learned from their July encounter, and both will know the key players to contain, where to strike and, hopefully, how to make the most of the opportunities that come their way on the day.

Prediction: Kilmore

Referee: Michael Slevin

St. Senan’s Intermediate Men

 

The 4pm match will be between Limerick’s St. Senan’s and Laois’ Emo who, although they came bottom and top of the table respectively, are only sitting two points apart.

St. Senan’s lost their first game at Intermediate to Dublin Metropolitans and lost a subsequent game to Mayo’s Kilmeena but beat St. Clare’s and Kilmore while Emo only lost one game to St. Clare’s. Most interesting, when these teams met in July in Emo, the result was a 14-14 draw.

From a statistics point of view, Emo scored eight more runs, over three less innings, than St. Senan’s but conceded 86 runs to Emo’s 58, which points to the skilled fielding for which the Laois men are renowned.

Emo’s 2026 Intermediate Men’s team is made up of several of last year’s All-Ireland winning Minor team and particularly strong this year have been pitching and catching duo Liam Horgan and Dan White, both only 16 years old, and impressing all season with their in-sync pitching, catching and throws for outs on base. Also habitually strong for Emo are JP Tynan and Barry Ryan who, no matter what position they line out in, are likely to catch anything that comes their way. St. Senan’s pitcher, John Paul Mulvihill has had a great year with multiple foul outs and, together with Back Catcher, Niall Sheehy, has been responsible for outs in every game. John Hanlon on First and Ian Sheehy on either Second or Third are clinical with catches for outs on base and Kevin Doody outfield rarely misses a high ball sent his direction.

This has the makings of a very close contest and is likely to be won, and lost, on the teams’ ability to bat smartly and field fast.

Prediction: St. Senan’s

Referee: Shirley Lennon

 

Intermediate Mixed

Contested by two clubs playing in other Intermediate Semi-finals – Galway City Rapparees and Emo along with a club who has involvement in three of the Senior Semi-finals over the next two Sundays – Erne Eagles; and one with no other involvement in any other qualifier – Dublin Metropolitans – our Mixed semi-finals will take place at 12pm and 4pm.

Interesting statistic number four is that Intermediate Mixed Semi-final Number 1 is a replay of the 2025 Intermediate Mixed Final in Dunganny which was won, by a single run, by Erne Eagles

As Eagles already have a Senior Mixed side, this team did not move up to Senior but have continued their Intermediate journey for another year.

Back in Galway only two weeks after they lost to Rapparees, Erne Eagles will be hoping that this journey into the west will lead to a better result for the Cavan side.  Captained by Emma Perrin and Damien McArdle, they have had a mixed season with two losses – to Galway City Rapparees and St. Senan’s – and two wins – over Michael Glavey’s and St. Clare’s.

Pitcher Karl Dolan is consistently accurate and reliable and while Back Catching duties have been shared by David Dolan, Ronan Halton and Damien McArdle, all three have been successful in getting outs from catches and throws to base. Rachel Reilly on First Base is cool and collected and Gerard Clerkin at Short Stop is a powerhouse, that very few balls pass. Owen Roe O’Reilly is a phenomenon – his catches this season have been nothing short of amazing and the other mainstays of the team – Emma Perrin, Maggie Brady and Geraldine Goldrick – have performed well all year, while newcomers Ayeisha Lonergan, Amy Lynch and Dylan McKeever have slotted seamlessly into the existing lineup.

Emo’s Intermediate team is a perfect mix of youth and experience with the Men’s pitcher/catcher duo of Liam Horgan and Dan White controlling home base while the experienced JP Tynan, Barry Ryan, Claire Suda, Catherine O’Keeffe and Gillian Keenan manage the game both infield and outfield.

The signing of The Heath’s Austin O’Meara has been a great asset to Emo this year and his contribution cannot be underestimated. Recent transfer Aaron Keane, also formerly of The Heath, is rumoured to make his first appearance in the red and white this weekend and will also add significantly to Emo’s outfield strength. Statistically, Emo are the superior batting team having scored 71 runs from 14 innings batted to Eagles’ 57 runs from 17 innings.

Eagles have conceded 45 runs from 20 innings fielded to Emo’s 31 from 15 and Emo’s Run Rate of 3, to Eagles’ 1.1, would suggest superiority in both ends of an innings. What cannot be overlooked from an Erne Eagles point of view is their experience and knowledge of what an All-Ireland semi-final feels like.

Nerves are less likely to bother these players, and this may give them the all-important edge on Saturday.

Prediction: Emo

Referee: Seán Bailey

Intermediate mixed team

Galway Rapparees Intermediate mixed team

Our final Galway Semi-final will be played between hosts Galway City Rapparees and Dublin Metropolitans at 4pm

Rapparees topped their group with four wins from four while Dublin Metropolitans were runners-up in theirs with two wins and two losses.

Rapparees are a well-trained, disciplined side who can bat and field. Their women play Intermediate while their men come from both their Senior and Junior sides and this depth of experience shows in their ability to read the game, leave the bad balls, steal bases and field expertly.

The Rapparees have so many high class combinations, it’s impossible to predict who starts. Pitches from both Ryan Dennis and Vishal Pathare are accurate and difficult to hit and fielding from talents like Cathal Creavan, Pakie Killilea, Rory McGarvey, Clodagh Naughton and Tomás Kenny is smart and fast.

Back Catchers Jay Hall and Ili Tuimauga miss nothing, and third good balls not hit are punished with accurate, strong throws to First Base.

Dublin Metropolitans’ Men were promoted to Intermediate in 2025 following their All-Ireland win and their Mixed and Women’s teams followed them up in 2026. Beating Glynn Barntown and Gusserane they lost to Emo and Raheen and their Run Rate of 0.1, to Rapparees’ 2.5, shows their less impressive performances both at batting and fielding. Always strong are the Carley brothers – Beau at Short Stop and Asa outfield – Gráinne Martin, Laura Cuddihy and Jessica Maddock but the overall team performances this year have been hit and miss in places, and they don’t impress in the same way as the Galway side always does.

Prediction: Galway City Rapparees

Referee: Seán Bailey

By Saturday evening, the names of all six Intermediate All-Ireland finalists will be known, and we can add their details to those of the Junior All-Ireland finalists who will take to pitches in Dublin, Offaly and Cork this month and next. GAA Rounders is very grateful to Galway City Rapparees who are hosting our Intermediate Semi-finals, and we very much appreciate the chance to have such an important day in our annual calendar in their venue.

GAA ROUNDERS • 2026
SENIOR
SEMI-FINALS

DATE
SUNDAY 16 AUG
FROM
1PM
LOCATION
MONAGHAN

With no time for a rest, all eyes will be on Monaghan GAA’s Centre of Excellence in Cloghan, Co. Monaghan from 1pm on Sunday for our Senior Men’s and Women’s Semi-finals.
For the first time, this year Ard Chomhairle decided to separate our Men’s and Women’s semi-finals from our Mixed semi-finals, to prevent any player from having to play two seven innings games on the same day.

7
INNINGS
All Senior Semi-finals & Finals
According to our Constitution, all Senior Semi-finals and Finals are decided over seven innings games. Men’s and Women’s deciders will be this Sunday, 16 August, while Mixed Semi-finals will be held on Sunday 23 August, in the same venue.

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST
MEN & WOMEN
SENIOR SEMI-FINALS
SUNDAY 23 AUGUST
MIXED
SENIOR SEMI-FINALS

VENUE
MONAGHAN GAA CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
CLOGHAN • CO. MONAGHAN

Senior Women

Semi-finalists from Mayo, Dublin, Cavan and Monaghan will all arrive in Monaghan to do battle in our two Women’s semi-finals at 1pm.

Breaffy Senior Women

Group toppers, and reigning (and four in a row) All-Ireland Champions Breaffy come from the group unbeaten and with an impressive Run Rate of 3 from their seven league games.

They will meet fourth place Erne Eagles, whose Run Rate of 1.3 is second best in the group. Both of these sides can rack up scores, but while Eagles have conceded 78 runs all season, Breaffy have only allowed in 2.5 times less than that, with 31 runs home in their games.

Much of this can be attributed to Breaffy pitcher and catcher duo Michelle Hopkins and Katie Groonell who are experienced professionals at home base. However, the entire Breaffy squad is a well-oiled machine that knows how to field, bat and run and it’s no accident that they are chasing their fifth All-Ireland in a row.

Erne Eagles are no strangers to All-Ireland finals and their Women’s team are a slick outfit who can hit and catch with the best of teams. Lisa Flood outfield has a powerful catch and throw, while Eagles’ baseminders are all skilled fielders. Some of Eagles’ women will have played in Galway on Saturday but don’t expect that, whatever the result of that game, to affect their performance on Sunday.

Prediction: Breaffy

Referee: Philip Keane

Semi-final two features local ladies Carrickmacross Emmets and “not seen for a few years in Senior Women knockouts”, Limekiln from Dublin. Newly promoted to Senior this year, Carrickmacross Emmets found their first game tough, losing to Breaffy. They bounced back and beat The Heath – who defeated them in last year’s Intermediate Women’s All-Ireland final – and Erne Eagles, before losing to Limekiln but then winning their remaining games against Cúchulainn, Raheen and Glynn Barntown. The confidence gained from beating five experienced Senior sides cannot be underestimated and it is to the Carrickmacross Women’s credit that they stayed strong and qualified to semi-finals in their first year at the grade.

Having lost to Limekiln already this year, they will be aware of what they need to avoid. Limekiln pitcher Serena Costelloe was responsible for eight outs, mostly foul-outs and her excellent, calm and controlled pitching will be Carrickmacross’ challenge again on Sunday.

A Limekiln recruit from Kevin’s, who failed to field a team in 2025 or 2026, Serena and her Kevin’s teammates, Erica Meslin and Merilin Neiland, as well as Colette McCaul who moved from Cavan team St. Clare’s to join the Dublin side this year, have helped Limekiln to back where they belong at the top level of Senior Women’s rounders.

Short stop Erica was responsible for two outs against Carrickmacross while Left Outfield Colette got home an unmatched four times.

If Carrickmacross can steady their nerves and put the June defeat behind them, they can give Limekiln a good run but expect the more experienced and Senior match tested side to produce the goods and win.

Prediction: Limekiln

Referee: Danielle Keane

 

Senior Men

Erne Eagles Senior Men

Our four Senior Men’s teams take to the pitches at 3pm and while three – Breaffy, Erne Eagles and Carrickmacross Emmets – are tried and tested Senior sides with multiple senior All-Ireland titles to their names, our fourth Semi-finalists – Galway City Rapparees – are making history as the first team from their club to contest a Senior semi-final, in only their first year playing Senior Rounders.

Galway City Rapparees Senior Men

Having qualified fourth in the group, Rapparees will face league toppers Erne Eagles. On a mission after narrowly losing last year’s All-Ireland final to Carrickmacross Emmets, Eagles have only conceded 28 runs all season and their Run Rate of 2.8 is almost double that of their nearest competition. Rapparees lost to Breaffy, Carrickmacross and Erne Eagles, but won well against Limekiln, Glynn Barntown and Cúchulainn showing that their promotion to Senior has been well deserved and breaking the streak of recently promoted to Senior teams who lost most of their first year games.

Erne Eagles have had Darryl Dolan back pitching for most of this season and that has made a great difference to their performance. While other established players like Shane Sheridan, Paul Mollaghan, Karl Dolan and Gerard Clerkin contribute in every game they play, the one to watch from almost every game this season has been Owen Roe O’Reilly at Left Outfield. Responsible for the majority of outs in most games, any ball sent out between Second and Third base is likely to land in his hands and Rapparees will need to ensure that they avoid that where possible.

The Galway side have some powerful fielders of their own – Pakie Killilea, Cathal Creavan, Rory McGarvey and Ajay Kumar have all performed well outfield, while Tomás Kenny on Third Base, Cathal Creavan on Second and Ili Tuimauga on First are a super experienced infield crew. Similar to Carrickmacross Women, if Rapparees can contain the inevitable nerves of being in their first Senior semi-final, facing the legendary Erne Eagles, and play their best, they have the ability to make Eagles work hard and, who knows, maybe even steal a win.

Prediction: Erne Eagles

Referee: Philip Keane

Our second Men’s Semi-final is between reigning All-Ireland Champions, Carrickmacross Emmets and Mayo’s Breaffy. Starting the year strong and winning all around, Breaffy lost their last two games played to Glynn Barntown and Erne Eagles.

They haven’t played a Championship game since June – is there a fear they might be a bit rusty and out of practice?! With Breaffy, the answer is probably no, but certainly Carrickmacross’ win last Sunday in Wexford over Glynn Barntown will have their confidence high that they can retain their title this year. Well matched on paper, statistically there’s very little in it between both sides’ runs conceded and won. Carrick’s pitcher/catcher duo of Barry Lambe and Colm Kiernan are highly experienced and well able for any batter and between foul outs, catches and throws to base are generally responsible for multiple outs per game. Justin Burns on Third, Ronan Kiernan on Second and Frank Duffy on First are all excellent Base Minders who can be relied upon in any tense situation to get the out. Paddy Birmingham at Short Stop is another ever reliable fielder.

Breaffy’s pitcher/catcher Colin Cannon and Jamie Murphy are also ever ready and are powerful at home base while Breaffy’s fielders like Mark Jennings, Colm Jordan and Victor del Rosal can always be relied on to catch and gather. With depth of squad on both sides, this might just come down to who wants it more!

Prediction: Carrickmacross Emmets

Referee: Danielle Keane

Wow, even writing all that was so exciting that we just know it’s going to be some weekend of Rounders! By Sunday evening we’ll be one step closer to our All-Ireland line ups and ten more teams will have taken one more step towards their All-Ireland dreams for 2026 coming true.

Just a reminder that, although these are very high stakes games and everyone wants to win, respect is paramount. Our Referees and Match Officials are giving up their time to officiate at these games, and their decisions should be respected. While courteous queries are welcome, nobody should have to tolerate abuse or being shouted at and Referees will issue cards to anyone – players, managers or spectators – who breach the GAA Code of Conduct.

Best of luck to all of you lining out on Saturday or Sunday – reaching an All-Ireland semi-final is some achievement, enjoy the experience and the weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAA Rounders Championship Preview – 9 August 2026

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We’ve made it to the last Sunday of our league! Over 260 games played in 16 short weeks – take a bow all of you who have organised, played in, refereed or travelled to watch one of those matches. You are the lifeblood of GAA Rounders and what keeps our organisation such an amazing community and our sport so exciting and compelling to watch and play.

Sunday will see Senior and Intermediate league games and Junior semi-finals all take place, all in Leinster when Dublin, Offaly and Wexford play host to 12 promising games. Let’s have a look at who’ll be taking to the pitches.

Senior Games – Dublin & Wexford

Wexford’s Glynn Barntown will host Monaghan’s Carrickmacross Emmets who will have an early start to travel the 235km between both clubs. First up at 12.30pm will be the Women from both clubs, followed, at 2pm, by the Mixed teams and the day will close out with the Men at 3.30pm.

In the Women’s competition, Breaffy and Limekiln have already qualified for semi-finals. A win or draw for Carrickmacross will mean they will also go through, leaving Erne Eagles taking the final spot. If the Wexford side win, it will leave a three-way tie between Erne Eagles, Carrickmacross and Glynn Barntown, meaning that Run Rate will decide the final two spots in the semi-finals. We love these “couldn’t be closer” final matches of the league!!

In Mixed, Breaffy, Cúchulainn and Glynn Barntown are all through and a win, or loss, for Carrickmacross will see them join that list of qualifiers.

Men isn’t straightforward either! Erne Eagles, Breaffy and Galway City Rapparees have already booked their semi-final slots, but the final place will go to the winner of Sunday’s game so there’s absolutely everything to play for in all three games.

Referee: Cúchulainn’s AnnMarie Brennan

Predictions: Women & Men – Carrickmacross Emmets; Mixed – Glynn Barntown

In Dublin, Limekiln will host Raheen in their final league games and, while the Dublin Women have already qualified for semi-finals, both sides’ Men’s teams are out of contention for this year. Don’t expect that to make it any less exciting to watch though!

Referee: GAA Rounders Vice-President Michael Dowling

Predictions: Limekiln to win both

Tymon Park will host one final game on Sunday when Intermediate Men from Dublin Metropolitans play Cavan’s St. Clare’s in the very last Intermediate league game of the year. St. Clare’s need to win to join Emo, Kilmore and St. Senan’s in the semi-finals next Saturday in Galway. A win for Dublin Mets will leave a three-way tie between St. Clare’s, Kilmeena and Dublin Mets for fourth place and so the qualifier will come down to Run Rate. This make-or-break game starts at 3.30pm.

Referee: GAA Vice President Michael Dowling

Prediction: St. Clare’s

Junior Semi-Finals

Rapparees Junior mixed team

Rapparees Junior mixed team

Cracking Junior games will take place all day in Edenderry GAA when our top twelve teams take to the two pitches for our Junior Men’s, Women’s and Mixed semi-finals.

We are very grateful to Edenderry GAA’s Committee for inviting GAA Rounders to their fantastic facility and for allowing us to host our Junior Semi-finals in Offaly.

At 11am Junior Women – Kilmore and St. Kieran’s – and Junior Men – Galway City Rapparees and Gusserane – will commence our day’s Rounders.

The Women’s match will see the unbeaten Roscommon side take on Limerick’s St. Kieran’s, runners-up in their league group. While Kilmore were favourites to win their quarter-final against Wexford’s Gusserane, St. Kieran’s were expected to have a harder time getting past Carrickmacross Emmets. Kilmore have demonstrated all year that they are excellent fielders – spectacular catches from Ruth McElhone, Clodagh Sheerin, Nicola Croughwell and Ana Carr in the quarter-final pay testament to that – and super base runners but they are also excellent batters, able to place balls outfield in the gaps between fielders. St. Kieran’s are also skilled batters and their pitcher, Deirdre Ambrose, is accurate and fast. With back catcher Siobhán Halligan, the two make a formidable team for getting outs. On the day, Kilmore’s experience, cool heads, calm fielding and strong batting should see them take the win.

Referee: National Secretary Shirley Lennon

Prediction: Kilmore

The Men’s match will also see unbeaten Galway City Rapparees take on Wexford’s Gusserane, runners-up in their league group. Topping their group and bypassing the quarter-finals, Rapparees will be rested and ready for this challenge while Gusserane had a tough fight on their hands in Tymon Park two weeks ago to get past Monaghan side Inniskeen Grattans. With pitcher Séamus Keegan and back catcher Colin O’Halloran working in sync to get outs on home and straight to first, Rapparees are a well-oiled fielding machine that also have the batting skills to get runs on the board. Gusserane, who played Intermediate Mixed this year, are also a tight outfit with a strong pitcher in Karel van der Merwe and excellent fielders in Conor Murphy and Morgan Nash Colfer. Expect neither side to give an inch in this potentially tight and super close game.

Referee: The Heath’s Danielle Keane

Prediction: Galway City Rapparees

After a short break, or not depending on how long the first games take, we’ll be back to action with two 1pm games – again one Women’s and one Men’s match.

In Men, Carlow’s Myshall will take on Dublin’s Na Gaeil Nua. Group toppers Myshall also skipped Quarter-finals, while Na Gaeil Nua beat Limerick side Na Piarsaigh to earn their place on Sunday. With an excellent pitching/catching combo in PJ Lalor and Matthew Roberts, Myshall have the potential to punish third good balls not hit or clips that go backwards. Newcomers to Rounders, Na Gaeil Nua have proved that experience isn’t everything and have shown all season that they can bat and catch like seasoned professionals. Shortstop Ryota Yamagochi and 2nd Base Javier Isern can both bat far and run fast and it will be containing them and their teammates that will cause Myshall problems.

Not the first time these sides have met, having played each other last month in the league, the victors that time were Myshall. Have Na Gaeil Nua learned from their mistakes that day or will Myshall be ready to win again?

Referee: The Heath’s Danielle Keane

Prediction: Myshall

Our lunchtime Women’s game is between unbeaten Carlow side Leighlinbridge and unbeaten Limerick team St. Senan’s so this really will be unchartered territory for the team on the wrong side of Sunday’s scoresheet.

Leighlinbridge Junior Women

St. Senan’s pitcher, Louise Kelly, has been their secret weapon all season and her ability to pitch fast and accurately has caused problems for all the sides they have met so far. Many of St. Senan’s women also play Intermediate Mixed and the skills honed at the higher grade have worked to their advantage in ensuring smart batting, fast fielding and quick outs. However, they have yet to come up against an opponent like Leighlinbridge who can also field and bat and have won several league games by more than double scores and with multiple bats in hand. Their quarter-final defeat of Skryne was clinical in its tactical efficiency with three up three out and no mercy given for any errors made. This will be both teams’ toughest battle to date – who will be strong enough to make it through?

Referee: The Heath’s Philip Keane

Prediction: St. Senan’s

And finally, at 3pm it will be time for our two Mixed semi-finals with repeat appearances from Kilmore and Galway City Rapparees, this time taking on Limerick’s Na Piarsaigh and Monaghan’s Inniskeen Grattans respectively.

The Galway side comprehensively beat strong Laois team Emo in their quarter-final with excellent performances from Ajay Kumar – scoring a Home Run, pitcher Séamus Keegan, back catcher Sorcha Dowd, Mel Mannion on 1st Base and 3rd Baseminder Cat Carty. Shortstop Greg Mannion missed nothing outfield and, at bat, had some great hits. While Inniskeen also had an excellent performance against Leighlinbridge to make their way into the semi-finals – shortstop Trevor Hilliard was a one-man wall past which few balls made it, it wasn’t quite as impressive or comprehensive. Their fielding was just a bit less tight and their batting not quite as sharp, but the intervening two weeks may have given them time to hone those skills and be ready for the Rapparees.

Referee: National Secretary Shirley Lennon

Prediction: Galway City Rapparees

Kilmore have impressed all season with their excellent fielding and clever batting and comprehensively won through their group, not losing a game. Their depth of squad is such that even on days when key players are not available, they can make it work and still get the runs in and outs needed to secure the win. Key to their success is pitcher Aidan Carr and his accurate, fast and smart bowling. His ability to catch short pop-ups and throw to base has caught many batters out. Outfield Mark Harrington is a powerhouse and has both an excellent catch and throw. Keeping it in the family Mark’s son, Eli, and Aidan’s wife, Ana, are both important infielders who can be relied upon to catch, throw and bat accurately. Jamie Sharkey at shortstop is dangerous if a ball is batted short and Oisin Boland is not an outfielder you want to direct a ball towards! Na Piarsaigh have their share of excellent fielders and Patrick Fitzgerald has been responsible for many outs. At shortstop Ian Jennings was formidable during their quarter-final defeat of Carrickmacross Emmets, while pitcher/catcher Alan Healy and Sarah Stanley were both responsible for multiple outs. Although Na Piarsaigh’s ability to keep calm during what was the most tense finish to any of the ten quarter-finals that day was seriously impressive and won them the match, they weren’t facing a team as collectively strong as Kilmore and it’s hard to see how they will have the batting power in particular to overcome the Roscommon side.

Referee: The Heath’s Philip Keane

Prediction: Kilmore

And then there’ll be six – our six Junior Finalists. The best of the best who will bring their A game to Abbotstown, Kilcormac and Mallow and aim to be crowned All-Ireland Champions for 2026. All we can say is bring it on! Sunday will be some day of Rounders and we can’t wait to be there to see every bit of it.

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GAA Rounders Championship Preview – 2 August 2026

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After a two Sunday break – while we let the limelight fall on some county hurlers and footballers – we’re back to league action and the last two Sundays of games before we start Intermediate and Senior knockout stages.

While last Saturday was a fantastic day of quarter-finals, our Junior teams can take this weekend off and we’ll focus on our Intermediate and Senior grades.

13 games will take place in Wexford, Carlow, Mayo and Galway and Men’s, Women’s and Mixed teams will all take to the pitch to fight it out for semi-final places in those six competitions.

The West Is Most Definitely Awake!

After a fantastic Junior Mixed win in Dublin last weekend, no rest for Galway City Rapparees as their Senior Men, Intermediate Mixed and Intermediate Women all line out this Sunday. Hosting neighbours Kilmeena, slightly further away neighbours Michael Glavey’s and not neighbours at all Erne Eagles, this promises to be a brilliant day of Rounders in Galway – never mind Race Week, this is the Galway sporting action everyone will be watching!

Galway City Rapparees Senior Men

With two pitches on the go for the day, action starts at 12pm with Senior Men when the hosts take on Erne Eagles. Undefeated this season, the Cavan side are the team to beat. Just showing up on Sunday will take them to the top of the table while a win for Rapparees will put them on level points with Breaffy. As Breaffy won their head-to-head match, they’ll still be higher placed. However, for a team in their debut year at Senior, that would be some achievement. A loss on Sunday will leave the Galway men dependant on whether Carrickmacross Emmets beat Glynn Barntown on 9 August to see if they qualify in third or fourth place out of the group for Semi-finals.

The second Senior match of the day in Galway, at 1.45pm, will be between Erne Eagles and Kilmeena in Senior Mixed. In April, who would have predicted that Eagles, last year’s beaten finalists, would find themselves at the bottom of the table in July? With both teams propping up the table, this game will be played for pride and not having the ignominy of finishing last!

Galway City Rapparees Intermediate Women

Galway City Rapparees’ Intermediate Women have had a fairly quiet summer up to now, not having played since May. Having beaten Elphin and St. Clare’s, their season got off to a great start but will the two-month break, as well as playing two games in the same afternoon, mean that they’re fired up and ready to march on to semi-finals or that they’ve lost their edge? Smart money is probably on the first option! Kilmeena have had a disappointing year, and injuries and player unavailability has left them struggling. A win at the end of the season would definitely boost confidence for next year and for their Senior Mixed game which follows the Women’s game. No matter the result of this game, the Galway girls will have to keep their heads high and their gamefaces on and get ready for a second Women’s game against Roscommon’s Michael Glavey’s at 3.30pm. Another side that hasn’t had the best season, Glavey’s would undoubtedly love to record a win and sneak up the table to match St. Clare’s on points. With neither Kilmeena nor Glavey’s in a position to qualify out of the group, wins on Sunday will just make everyone feel a bit happier and will end the season on a high. Normally so kind and positive, it seems unlikely that Rapparees will grant those wishes!

Erne Eagles Intermediate Mixed

The final Intermediate game of the day, at 1.45pm, features Galway City Rapparees’ and Erne Eagles’ Mixed teams. Another group where Rapparees have had a quiet summer – they haven’t played an Inter Mixed game since May either – they still have two games to play to finish out their league fixtures. They also play St. Senan’s next Tuesday and losing to both the Limerick and Cavan sides would mean that Rapparees would be out of the Championship. Erne Eagles lost to St. Senan’s but beat both St. Clare’s and Michael Glavey’s and will be hoping for a third win in a row to bring them into their second consecutive semi-final.

Predictions:

  • Senior Men – Erne Eagles
  • Senior Mixed – Erne Eagles
  • Intermediate Mixed – Galway City Rapparees
  • Intermediate Women – Galway City Rapparees to win both

Referees:

  • Senior Games – Seán Bailey
  • Intermediate Games – Shirley Lennon

Also in Connacht there will be one game at 1pm in Mayo – where they’ll probably still be celebrating – when The Heath head to Breaffy for both sides’ final game of this year’s league. Undefeated Breaffy meeting ‘yet to register a win’ The Heath looks predictable but, sometimes, it’s those very games that surprise everyone and, while the ladies from The Heath have struggled with player availability and the jump from Intermediate to Senior this year, they have a fantastic never-say-die attitude that has served them well this year. It would be great to see a really good contest here and for both sides to play their best and show what they can do!

Prediction: Breaffy

Referee: Gretta Davis

Sunny South-East Showdown!

370km away, in southern Wexford, Glynn Barntown will be hosting their near neighbours Raheen in Senior Men’s and Women’s, and Intermediate Mixed games. Starting at 12.30pm with Men, form would suggest that the hosts will be victorious. Raheen have yet to win a match this year and, while Glynn Barntown’s performances haven’t always been amazing, a win would bring them to midtable and, with Carrickmacross Emmets still to travel to them next weekend, would give them a fighting chance of qualifying for semi-finals.

Raheen Rounders

Senior Women is still a bit difficult to predict qualifiers from, and with two games each left to play, Glynn Barntown and Raheen have more opportunities than most to work their way up the table. Raheen won’t qualify but Glynn Barntown, if they can win this Sunday and the following weekend against Carrickmacross, will hope to make a semi-final. Raheen’s Women’s team this year has seen plenty of new faces who have stuck with it all season and are improving but it will likely take until next year before they start winning against seasoned Senior Women’s sides. But, for a team only in their second year at Senior, they are holding their own, have fielded every game and played their best.

The middle game in Wexford on Sunday is between both club’s Intermediate Mixed teams. A win for Raheen will guarantee them a semi-final place while a loss will leave three teams – Dublin Metropolitans, Glynn Barntown and Raheen – on 16 points and every run scored on Sunday could prove vital. Raheen know a defeat would see them eliminated on Run Rate, while Glynn Barntown would need to record a double-digit victory to overtake Dublin Metropolitans and claim a semi-final spot.

Predictions:

  • Senior Men – Glynn Barntown
  • Senior Women – Glynn Barntown
  • Intermediate Mixed – Raheen

Referee: PJ Lalor

Leinster Clashes: Carlow vs Dublin & Laois vs Wexford

And finally, to Carlow, where Cúchulainn are giving Galway City Rapparees a run for their money in the hosting stakes and putting on four games, starting at 11am. Dubliners Limekiln will head south and the day will start with Senior Men. This is the Carlow men’s final group game while Limekiln still have to host Raheen next weekend. While Erne Eagles, Breaffy and Galway City Rapparees all qualify for semi-finals, the fourth place is between Glynn Barntown and Carrickmacross Emmets and will be decided next weekend. Neither Cúchulainn nor Limekiln will qualify but this won’t stop them from playing a competitive match for the five points and a higher place on the table.

Men’s game over, the Mixed teams will take to the pitch at 12.30pm. As with Men, Breaffy and Glynn Barntown have definitely qualified, so the rest of the pack is chasing third and fourth places and a win here would keep both sides in the mix. The only thing separating both teams now is Run Rate with Cúchulainn’s keeping them ahead for now. Expect neither side to give anything in this must-win game.

Cuchulainn Senior Women

The final Senior game of the day will be between both sides’ Women’s teams at 2pm. Limekiln’s Women have played so well this season – for a side containing so many players who never played together before this year. Cúchulainn’s last outing – against The Heath – was a masterclass in excellent batting, with four Home Runs scored, and they’ll be looking for a similar performance again on Sunday. Unlikely that Limekiln will give them that opportunity, but it should be a great game between two well-matched sides.

Predictions:

  • Senior Men – Cúchulainn
  • Senior Women – Limekiln
  • Senior Mixed – Limekiln

Referee: Michael Dowling

And that’s it for our penultimate week of league action. ‘Must-win’ games, ‘result doesn’t matter at all’ games and ‘last day out this season’ games – all will be played with the same heart and determination that our players have shown all season. And all will be worth heading out to watch and support our players give it their all.

Whether you’re on a sideline in Connacht or Leinster, we hope you enjoy Sunday’s games and whether you’re playing on a pitch in the west or the south-east we wish you all the very best of luck!

 

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