The month of January is not the perfect time of the year to be playing All-Ireland finals, but with the split season in the GAA there is no way of avoiding it. The GAA could certainly do with at least 54 weeks in the year to cater for all the competitions that they organize. Back in the 1940s and ‘50s, the Railway Cup finals were the big attraction at Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day. Later the national holiday was given over to the club finals, but now the GAA is trying to play the club finals in the same calendar year. They are not there yet, but they are getting close.
On Sunday, Ballygunner from Waterford and Galway champions Loughrea will be first into action in the which gets under way at 1.40 p.m. in Croke Park. This will be Ballygunner’s first final appearance since 2022 when they won the Tommy Moore Cup for the first time, beating Kilkenny’s Ballyhale Shamrocks. Meanwhile Loughrea have yet to win a final, losing to Ballyhale in their only previous final appearance in 2007. Ballygunner has two Waterford players in their team; Pauric O’Mahony is an excellent free-taker and another prolific scorer in another Dessie Hutchinson. I fancy them to win title number two on Sunday.
In the football final, beginning at 3.40 at Croke Park, Dingle will probably start as favorites against St Brigid’s of Roscommon. The West Kerry team will have Aussie Rules player Mark O’Connor in their team. O’Connor travelled home from Australia for their Munster final win over Nemo Rangers and their All-Ireland semi-final win over Ballyboden St Enda’s and has been allowed by his club to stay in Ireland for the final. There are six Geaneys in the Dingle squad and the best known are Kerry county players Paul, Conor and Dylan.
East Kerry were the first to win the club football final in 1971, but they were a divisional side and after that win the rules were changed. Only four Kerry clubs have won since then: Dr. Crokes, Austin Stacks, Desmond’s of Castleisland and Laune Rangers. Meanwhile St Brigid’s will be hoping for better luck than they had two years ago, when they lost by a point to Glen from Derry. The Roscommon club did win the Andy Merrigan Cup back in 2013 when beating Ballymun Kickhams in the final. They have a very experienced manager in Galway-born Anthony Cunningham. An All-Ireland hurling winner with Galway Cunningham also managed his home county hurling team. He previously took Westmeath club Garrycastle to an All-Ireland club football final in 2012 where they lost to Crossmaglen Rangers.
