Bride Rovers Notes (7th Dec)
- Dec 07,2025
BRIDE ROVERS GAA CLUB NOTES.
A Date For The Diary.
It’s a month since we won the County Final and the celebrations continue. Though the 2025 playing season is over and next week we’ll know our Premier Senior Championship Group for 2026 we are still on a high. Make sure to keep a very special night free to continue our celebrations well into the New Year. The Bride Rovers GAA Victory Social will be held in the Radisson Hotel, Little Island on Saturday 14th Feb. This will be a black tie event. We haven’t had reasons to hold too many big celebration nights in recent years so this should be a really mighty occasion.
Tickets, priced at €60, will be available in the coming weeks. Pencil the date in the diary and we will be back with a start date for ticket sales soon. Thanks to the Organising Committee who were appointed at our recent AGM and quickly went about their business.
BACK TO THE START. Last Sunday morning Conleith Ryan brought the Jim Forbes County Senior A cup, the Tony Walsh Cup and the County SHL Trophy back to where it all started in 1928. Conleith was back in Bartlemy on the site of the former Bartlemy band Room where the Bride Rovers Club was formed in 1928- truly ‘bringing it all back home’. Congratulations to Conleith and Clodagh on the birth recently of their daughter Fauna, a little sister for Lochlainn.
WEEKLY CLUB LOTTO. The Lotto Results for the last Tuesday of the month when we won the County, the 25th of November . The four Numbers drawn were 3, 6, 10 & 31 and there was No Winner of €18,200 Jackpot.
Congrats to our lucky dip €30 cash winners Sharon Dorgan, Bartlemy, May Browne, Bartlemy, Mary Hogan, Kildinan, James Carey, Monanig and Lucy Lyons, Bartlemy. This week's jackpot On Tuesday December the 2nd was an incredible €18,400. Christmas is coming and an Annual Lotto Ticket (€90 would make an ideal gift for a GAA Supporter. If your ticket has expired we would appreciate if you would enter again via Bride Rovers GAA Lotto
https://brideroversgaa.clubforce.com/products/lotto/bride-rovers-gaa
Thanks to all those who buy a ticket or two each week, your support is greatly appreciated.
FINAL IN PYNES. Well done to our under16 Ladies Footballers who were crowned East Cork champions on Wednesday night under lights on our new field at Pynes. Last days of November and as we now come to expect the pitch was in magnificent order. The girls had contested a County camogie Final against Youghal just a few weeks back. They were pipped by the Seasiders in that contest. The game on Wed night was great game of football. A fantastic display by our girls led to a great win over neighbours Lisgoold on a scoreline of 2-14 to 2-06. Well done to the team and their management for their commitment this year.
EAST CORK CONVENTION. The Annual Meeting of the East Cork GAA Board -we used to call it ‘The Convention’ in days gone by, was held in Castlelyons Community Centre on last Wednesday night November 26th. The outgoing Vice Chairman Dick Fitzgeral of Russell Rovers won the contest and retains his position. All the other Officers were returned unopposed. In former years Motions for discussion were always productive of heated debate but nowadays the options for Clubs to submit Motions is now very limited so none were on the Clar last week. It was workmanlike Meeting with detailed Reports from the Runai and Cisteoir, Pat Mulcahy and Oliver O Loughlin. The Board Cathaoirleach Avril Geary of St Itas in her address outlined the activities of the Board during 2025. Gerard Lane is one of the vice presidents of the East Cork Board. Gerard attended the Convention along with James Birmingham, Pa and Brendan O Driscoll and John Arnold.
JUNIOR A HURLING 2025. This is the report on our Junior A hurling campaign during the past year as reported in the Runai’s Report at the recent AGM.
Our Junior A Hurlers enjoyed a successful year reaching our first East Cork final in 27 years where we came up just short to a good Cobh team after a fine performance. This was the first time our club’s second team has reached the East Cork final and shows the great strides the club are making with what was a relatively young side. In all we played six championship games in the East Cork Championship with 4 wins and 2 defeats. We defeated Carrigtwohill and Killeagh in our first two round robin games. Our 3rd game of a group stage was a bit of a dead rubber with both teams already qualified and we lost to Cobh after a lacklustre performance. However, the two previous wins saw us qualify for a quarter final against Sarsfields. Our Quarter final against Sars was a hugely entertaining game, we start the game in a whirlwind and were 5 points up within 5 minutes, however after we conceded a goal in the 60th minute we required a late goal from Cian O’Connor to send the game to extra-time. Extra time didn’t disappoint either, Sars were probably the better team in extra time, but the lads never gave up, and we got a late goal in extra time to bring us back level, two more points would see us out winners. St. Ita’s were our opponents in the Semifinal; we had lost out 12 months previously to them in the quarter final by the bare minimum but there was to be no denying us this year. An early goal by Shaun Knox got us off to a great start, we held the lead for most of the game, but Itas did draw level with 15 minutes remaining but the lads, but the lads rallied to run out 3 points winners on the night. This was a great team performance of work effort and heart.
The East Cork Junior A final was on Sunday the 26th of October in Midleton in front of a fine crowd. We played against the breeze in the first half and despite conceded an early goal this didn’t deter us as the lads played some great hurling. Goals from Cillian Barry and a penalty from Shuan Knox had us in front at half time 2-8 to 1-10. We conceded another early goal in the 2nd half, but the lads didn’t panic, and they continued to hurl well. When Daniel Dooley flicked home our 3rd goal and points from Cormac and Shuan, we were level 3-11 to 2-14 in the 50th minute. However, injuries were mounting up and unfortunately, we lost 4 defenders during the game to knocks and we lost a lot of our shape for the last 10 minutes. The lads never stopped trying but to no avail and Cobh ran out winners on a final score of 3-19 to 3-11. Overall, the team must be very proud of a fine championship run full of heart and determination and will no doubt enjoy success in the near future
BARTLEMY BINGO. Tonight Thurs 4th December - Christmas Bingo with bumper jackpot €150 and great raffle prizes. Doors open at 7.30. eyes down at 8pm.
EAST CORK TEAMS WIN. Congrats to Dungourney on winning the County Junior B Grade Hurling Final with a mighty win over Newtownshandrum. Also to Midleton under 21 team on defeating Ballincollig. A big shock in this Competition was Valley Rovers defeating Glen Rovers.
WELL DONE ORAN. Christian Brothers College Cork had a very special School function recently when all the recipients of this year’s College awards were presented with their trophies. We in Bride Rovers were delighted to learn that Oran Kielty was declared the Brother Reynolds Student of the Year 2025. This is a great honour for Oran and for his family and his involvement with Bride Rovers was praised at the presentations ceremony. Well done Oran and best of luck in your future academic pursuits over the coming years.
PHOTOS, PICTURES, SNAPS! We are putting together a collection of photographs and video clips of the 2025 County Senior A Hurling Campaign with a view to having an extensive archive for the future. From the first game against Blarney to the Final replay and the homecoming and the three weeks since- if you have and pictures on your phone, camera or video recorder please, please send them on or just ring 087 9538077 and we’ll arrange to copy and file as many images as possible.
HOGGY IS BACK. Great to see recently retired Cork hurling legend Patrick Horgan back in a key role with Rebel GAA. This past week Pat was named as one of Noel Furlong’s selectors for 2026 along with Dónal Óg Cusack (Cloyne) Tadhg Óg Murphy (Sarsfields) and Seán Guiheen (Na Piarsaigh)
SHANOWEN PLAYERS.
Well done to the Shanowen Players with their wonderful presentation of Brian Friel’s ‘Philadelphia Here I Come’ in Rathcormac Hall over the last two weekends. It was simply magical drama.
SYMPATHY. The Bride Rovers Club extends deepest sympathy to the O Sullivan and Kenneally families on the death of Margaret O Sullivan nee Kenneally of Montenotte and formerly of Ballyduff Upper Co.Waterford. Margaret was wife of the late Garda Donal (Donie) O Sullivan who served in Rathcormac in the late 1960’s. A native of Doneraile, Donie was very involved with Bride Rovers in an era when we won two in a row of east Cork JAHC titles in 1968 and 1969. Donie was a great supporter of the Club and always followed our fortunes. May Margaret rest in peace.
SPONSORS. The Bride Rovers GAA Club sponsors are Fermoy Print & Design, Rathcormac Tyres, Gerard Gubbins Construction and Veoila -please support our sponsors whenever you can.
RIDE ROVERS JUVENILE GAA CLUB NOTES.
Pictures 1,2 and 3 - 2025 Cul Camp
Picture 4 A Month Ago- will we ever forget it? Co Final Win on NOv.1st.
Picture 5 'Mol an Oige' Donal Arnold showing the true Bride Rovers colours before the County Final.
Pic6 2026 Juvenile Officers.
The Juvenile AGM was held in the Clubrooms on last Monday night. The annual Report for 2025 was presented, a magnificent 36 page booklet which outline in a very comprehensive manner the activities of the Club for the past year.
Age Group Reports
Under 6s - Hurling and Football
The U6s started training on the 1st March mixed with the u5s. Initially, the group started out with
numbers in the high 20s but they grew to 40 across both age groups. We trained twice a week over the year combining both hurling and football. We played in 6 blitzes during the year Fermoy, Aghada and Castlelyons away and St. Catherines, Carrignavar and Watergrasshill at home. Overall, the U6s are a great bunch of lads who have picked up new skills throughout the year, had fun and enjoyed every session with player turnout at training sessions consistently high. Thanks to Donncha Carr, James Birmingham, Andy O Regan, Michael Carey, KevinCarey, Tracy Radley and Clodagh Birmingham who all put in great time with U6s and U5s and to Warren Boles, Sean O Brien, Mike Lyons and John Cullinane who looked after the U5s throughout the year. (Paul Radley)
Under 7s - Hurling and Football 2025 was a very successful year for the U7 boys’ group. We started the year with 29 boys and finished with 28 following Marti Esquerra’s family returning to Spain. All 28 boys were fully active and participated in trainings and blitzes throughout the year. We had a total of 61 sessions which included 9 blitzes (6 hurling & 3 football) with an average attendance of 22 kids per session over the full year. Bride Rovers hosted an U7 Go-Games Football blitz on 13th June which was a huge success. Special thanks to all who helped with this event especially on the parking co-ordination. Skills wise we made a lot of progress throughout the year in both codes which we hope to build on in 2026. Like every age group we are trying to encourage kids (and parents alike) to get out at home to help build on what they are doing in the field on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Thanks to all the coaches who made huge contributions to the success of the group in 2025 and I look forward to working with them again in 2026. Thanks a million to the club for providing all the gear and the wonderful facilities. We had a number of the heavy weight clubs like Sars and Blackrock visit us during the year and they were in awe of the facilities we now have. (Michael Liddane)
Under8s - Hurling and Football
The U8s had a really successful year, retaining 19 boys playing both codes. We started training on Saturday 1 st March, adding the second Wednesday night training after a couple of weeks. Throughout the year we played twelve blitzes against teams including St Catherines, Killeagh and Ballylanders. We also took part in the Monster Blitzes organised by Rebel Óg and got the opportunity to play teams like Midleton, Kiltha Óg and Sars. In August, we were invited down to Shamrocks in County Waterford to play on the new KGK AstroTurf and played Cois Bhríde and Castlelyons in a number of matches. The lads really enjoyed all of these games and it was encouraging to see how much they improved as the year went on. The highlight of the year was probably when the lads got the chance to play in Pairc Uí Chaoimh for the half-time game when our Senior team played against Courcey Rovers. This was a great experience for all the lads and we would encourage all groups to take the opportunity whenever it comes around.2025 was the second year that the lads had the opportunity to participate in the Cúl Camps and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Like last year, it was a highlight of their summer. Well done and thankyou to all of those who helped to organise the week and to all the coaches who were so generous with their time. We finished up the year on Saturday 15th November with a fun session in the large astro where we presented each of the boys with a medal. The lads also got to lift the Senior A County final trophy which was a great thrill for all of them! Thanks to all our coaches for their time and dedication – Ciaran Manley, Ian Bennis, Elaine Burke, Eamon O’Neill, Kevin Hickey, Brenda Ryan, Dave Burke and Damien Healy. Thanks to all the parents. Thanks also to the club for its continued support and guidance. Looking forward to next year already! (Tomás Kearney & John Baldwin)
Under 9s - Hurling and Football The u9's began their year in February and finished with an end of year blitz out in Pynes with Killeagh, Skeheenarinky, Fr O'Neills, Youghal where the boys played brilliantly. A small group with loads of heart and determination. There was never a game where they didn't do their best and constantly work together. On top of this, they are an extremely skilful group who are talented at hurling and football equally. Special mention to Ronan, Olan, Sean & Ashling who always were available to help out in training if we were short numbers. Thanks to the coaches Andy, Ross, Alan, James & Adam, and the parents who supported them at every game and training. These young players have plenty of big days ahead of them in the Bride Rovers colours. ( Jamie Peters)
Under10s- Hurling and Football
We started the 2025 season with 27 players. We started with 10 weeks of fundamental movement sessions under the guidance of Pat Walsh. These sessions were thoroughly enjoyed by the players. We have had a very good season where the players continue their development. We joined up with the U9s where we were able to field multiple teams throughout the season. We got to the final of the Ballyduff hurling tournament where we lost on the day to a very good Mount Sion team. We hosted the likes of Ballygunner, Na Piarsaigh, Dúrlas Og and Kilworth in a blitz at Pairc Na Bride and it was a great success. We also participated in the Celbridge Football tournament which was a great day out for all concerned. We travelled a lot this year to play teams from limerick, Tipperary and Waterford along with other teams within Cork. We found these games were brilliant for the development of our boys coming up against teams with different styles. On behalf of the coaches I’d like to firstly thank the players and parents for their commitment. We have travelled far and wide and the support we got is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank the following for the great work that they carry out who were very helpful to us: Michelle O’Connor, Brendan Lyons and Jerome O’Driscoll. To our referees Mike Carey, young whistlers Hannah and Finn O Driscoll, Cormac and Cathal Barry and Ciaran Mohally a sincere thank you for officiating our games and not blowing the whistle too much. I’d like to thank Pat Walsh for his contribution and guidance this season. The boys thoroughly enjoyed his sessions and as we go forward we will continue with these sessions. To everyone within the club the facilities that we now have are something to be proud of. A lot of hard graft has gone in to getting to this stage with plenty more to do. To Denis Ahern and the grounds committee thank you very much. Finally, to all the coaches Brian Murphy, Brennie O Driscoll, Kieran Wolfe, Justin Hogan, Kevin McNamara, Fergal Somers, Andy O Regan and Jamie Peters thanks for all your efforts throughout the season. We finished our season on the 15th of November. Well done to our Seniors County Champions a great boost for everyone in the club; Rovers Abú.
(Raymond Hegarty)
Details of teams from under 11 to under 18 next week with more news from the AGM.
