Killeagh Notes (27th Jul)
- Jul 27,2026
Killeagh GAA Club Notes July 27th 2026
CLCG Cilliath, Nuacht an Chlub, Iúil 27, 2026
SHEILA SPILLANE RIP
We begin our notaí this week with a reflection on the passing of one of the true “laochra Gael” we were privileged to have in our midst, the great Sheila Spillane, who passed away recently in her 97th year. Sheila was best known as a greyhound and a camogie legend, involved for years and years with Killeagh Camogie, culminating in that famous All-Ireland title in 1980. She also provided the grounds for many exciting matches played in Burgess when camogie was 12-a-side and before Páirc Uí Chinnéide became the home of camogie in Killeagh. Sheila, along with her daughters Mary and Shelley (RIP), were centrally involved in Killeagh camogie throughout the glory days and the tough days, a true camogie family. Sheila was also a huge supporter of the wider GAA family, with her son Con very involved with Youghal GAA, while her grandsons Kevin Fennelly and Dermot Motherway have worn the Killeagh jersey with pride (see below for Dermot’s continuing exploits). Sheila and her family suffered a huge loss when her granddaughter Tracey collapsed in Páirc Uí Chinnéide in 1998 while at U13 Killeagh camogie training with Con and Sheila present. Only the previous week, Sheila, Mary and Shelley had all completed defibrillator and CPR training with an Inch Ladies group, and Sheila put her CPR training into action in an attempt to save Tracey. Sadly, it was not to be, and Tracey tragically passed away. In the following months, Sheila showed remarkable foresight and fortitude by donating a defibrillator to the GAA and Camogie clubs for use in the clubs and the wider community. It was a mark of her character and her passion and concern for her community. We extend our sympathies to Con, Mary and their families and to all who were privileged to have known Sheila. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sí.
WE’RE GOIN’ DANCIN’!
Save the date! August 22nd 2026 will see Páirc Uí Chinnéide turn into a field of dreams for singin’ and dancin’, with our very first live music concert, featuring the brilliant Bog The Donkey and Generation Rewind. Tickets are a steal at just €16.50 and are flying out the door, so don’t be disappointed! Get in now for our End of Summer Sounds celebration!
And now to some on-field action!
ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONS!
Congratulations to Davy Kelleher and Padraic Carroll who were part of the Cork Masters Hurling panel who won the All Ireland Challenge Cup last weekend, defeating Limerick by 0-20 to 1-12! One Cork team able to bring home the bacon! First trophy for the End-Of-Year Social!
O’CONNOR MOTOR FACTORS EAST CORK JUNIOR B FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday July 26th in Lisgoold Glenbower Rovers 3-09, Glenville 0-04
Remember the date and where you were for Mayo’s historic Croke Park Sam Maguire exploits! What some may recall is that the history was bookended by two great wins for our adult football teams in Lisgoold in the morning and Ballynoe in the evening. An rud is annamh is iontach!
In all championships with a group format (almost all nowadays), winning your opening match in your group is critical. We will return to Lisgoold on Saturday evening next with our Senior A hurlers hoping to get off to the best possible start against Fermoy. Our hurlers can take confidence from the strong performance by our Junior B footballers (eventually) in Lisgoold on Sunday morning last. Playing with the wind and the hill in the opening half, we struggled to find our rhythm with some missed opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, despite dominating possession. Matthew Murphy opened our account with a well-drilled penalty on 6 minutes, with Richie Long and Matthew pointing on 9 and 12 minutes respectively. Glenville’s goalkeeper saved a second penalty on 17 minutes while our wide count increased (eight in total in the first half) and the frustration built on the sideline. A good closing eight minutes saw points from Fionn Murphy, John Ogbebor and Sean Walsh extend our lead, while thankfully our mean defence, and poor shooting from Glenville, kept their account blank. 1-05 to 0-00 at this point. The question for all present was – would an eight point lead be enough in 2-point football times, against the hill and the wind and the Glenville football intelligence? All was answered in the opening four minutes of the second half, where we doubled our tally from 1-05 with the wind, adding 2-02 in a blistering spell. It started from the throw-in with Dara Motherway winning the catch, then Brendan Delaney and Sean Walsh involved in setting up Matthew who blasted to the net after just eighteen seconds. Another point from Matthew was followed by our third goal from Richie Long, with Brendan also centrally involved once again. Jamie Fogarty’s point on 34 minutes moved the dial from 1-05 to 3-07 in just four minutes, all against the hill and the wind! The scoring drama abated thereafter, although Glenville may have made their own little bit of history in scoring a brace of two-pointers and nothing else. Has a team scored only two-pointers before? Excellent kick-outs i gcoinne na gaoithe from Fionn Brennan, aided by strong defending from the whole team, particularly George Walsh, Ben Walsh and Robbie Treacy, kept the Glenville threat at bay. We only added two points of our own, one from Matthew Murphy (left foot this time) and Jamie’s second to wrap up matters on 56 minutes. Job done for now, until our next match against Bride Rovers on Saturday August 15th at 4.00 p.m. in Ballynoe. Well done to Colin Brennan and his management team and to all the players who gave their very best throughout.
Team: Fionn Brennan, Ciaran Leahy, George Walsh, Jack Coleman, Jamie Fogarty, Ben Walsh, Cathal Fitzgibbon, Robbie Treacy, Dara Motherway, John Ogbebor, Sean Walsh, Matthew Murphy, Fionn Murphy, Richie Long, Brendan Delaney, Cian O’Riordan, Cathal Brennan.
Now, like a good Mass leaflet, you have the option of skipping the next bit if you want the short Gospel. But just in case you would like to have your brain messed with, read on. This was a good opening day win in this strangely configured championship. Howerver, the six team championship doesn’t follow the usual format of two groups of three playing each other (i.e. Group A teams playing the other two Group A teams, Group B teams playing the other two Group B teams). In the format which we are now tied in to, the three teams in Group 1 play the three teams in Group 2 but not the other two teams in their own Group, while the Group 2 teams play the three teams in Group 1 but not the other two teams in Group 2. Confused yet?? Simple, innit?? Top two teams in each group will face each other in the semi-finals. All fine, except ……. The configuration allows for the possibility that all matches are won by the three teams in one Group, and all matches are lost by the three teams in the other Group. So what, says you! So three teams in one Group could end up with six points each, with two qualifying for the semi-final and one eliminated despite having a 100% record. Meanwhile, on the other side, three teams in this scenario would end up with no points each, but the two with the better negative scoring difference qualify for the semi-finals. Figure that one out now! So while there is only a possibility that all nine matches will be won by the three teams in one Group, and lost by the three in the other Group, a possibility is enough to see that this process is inherently flawed. Egg may not land on faces this year, but it surely will if this format is retained in future. East Cork Board, please take note, or explain!
O’CONNOR MOTOR FACTORS EAST CORK JUNIOR C FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday July 26th in Ballynoe St. Catherine’s 0-8, Glenbower Rovers 6-03
A brilliant up-top performance from our lethal attack may have taken the headlines in this crazy encounter, with six green flags shared by the forwards, but the real heroes on this evening of football fun were the back ten (two goalkeepers), with outstanding performances in defence from everyone, particularly Michael O’Donovan, Ian Landers and the ageless Kieran Lane. Our scoring came in short bursts, with our only three scores in the first half coming in three minutes from the 5th to the 7th minute, following St. Catherine’s opening three shots flying over the bar which gave them a quick head start. Paudie Mackey scored the opening goal which was as good as any seen, with Kieran Lane’s mark beginning the move and the excellent Lee Cooney also involved in the build up. Paudie added a quick point courtesy of the hard work of Kieran again and Diarmuid Buckley (also excellent throughout). Amazingly, within a minute we had our second goal, Manus Darby finishing confidently after great work by Dermot Motherway. We then decided that we had enough scored for the opening half and the defenders went to work, limiting the Saints to just three further points. Leading by 2-01 to 0-06 at half time, Manus Darby added a point on 36 minutes, which was the only score by either side until the 43rd minute, when the Saints replied to reduce the margin to one. Having squandered a number of scoring chances, we woke up the scoreboard operator again in the last ten minutes, with quick-fire goals from Ciaran O’Rourke (52 minutes), Paudie (53), Darragh O’Connor (54 minutes) and then a late cameo from Dermot Motherway who kicked a fine point and followed up with a well-taken goal within a minute to wrap up the scoring. Brian Murphy, introduced on 20 minutes to replace the injured bainisteoir Colm Crowley, fulfilled his task of keeping a clean sheet, aided by outstanding defensive work from everyone, while Ciaran O’Rourke and Danny Fitzgerald both contributed very effectively after their introduction in the second half. Overall, a brilliant team performance from all involved. Well done to player-manager Colm and player-turned-assistant manager Harry Donegan for great leadership on the line! We host Youghal in our second game in this championship on Sunday August 16th at 11.30 a.m. If it’s excitement and effort you’re after, follow our Junior Cs!
Team: Colm Crowley, Ian Landers, Ben Budds, Ian O’Keeffe, Conor Meade, Paul Keniry, Michael O’Donovan, Kieran Lane, Dale McMahon, Diarmuid Buckley, Lee Cooney, Manus Darby, Dermot Motherway, Paudie Mackey, Darragh O’Connor, Ciaran O’Rourke, Brian Murphy, Danny Fitzgerald.
MINORS ON THE DOUBLE!
Our minors have had a great fortnight with two opening round wins in their Premier 2 Football and Hurling Championships. Here are the reports from the multi-tasking bainisteoir Ger Geary.
Rebel Óg Premier 2 Football Championship Round 1, July 15th Killeagh 1-17, Kinsale 2-12
Killeagh defeated Kinsale in the opening round of the Premier 2 Minor Football championship on July 15th in Killeagh. We got off to a good start with a point each from Ben and Adam before Cathal kicked an excellent 2 pointer to see us lead by 2 after 11 minutes. Kinsale settled and then scored 1-5 without reply to leave us trailing by 6. Two superb individual points from Andrew (who was brilliant throughout) just before half time left us trailing by 4 at the short whistle. The lads came out fighting in the second half. Four quick points from Alex, Cathal, Ben, and Ruben saw us level with 20 minutes remaining. Kinsale went 2 up before 5 points in a row from Cormac, Alex (2), Ben, and Ruben were followed by superb goal from Alex after a driving run through the centre of the Kinsale defence. Kinsale responded with 3 points in a row before Ben clipped a lovely point from a narrow angle to leave us 5 ahead. Seanan produced a couple of excellent saves but there was still time for Kinsale to score a penalty to leave us 2 ahead at the full-time whistle.
This was an excellent team performance, our middle eight worked incredibly hard. The lads showed great character to recover from 6 points behind. The defence was solid with Rian, John (in a new position), Ryan, and Patrick to the fore. Alex and Andrew were outstanding throughout. Cormac covered every blade of grass with a superb performance, Cathal kicked some great scores, Ruben had a brilliant last 20 minutes, and Ben was a constant threat inside. Next up is Round 2 of the P2 Minor football championship versus St Colums in Kealkil, next Wednesday, 29th July.
Team: Seanan McDonnell, Alex Howey, Rian O’Connor, Ronan O’Riordan, John Farquhar, Patrick Dineen, Ryan Murphy, Alex Fogarty (1-3), Andrew Brenner (0-2), Jack Farquhar, Cathal Brennan (0-1-2, 0-2f), Cormac Deane (0-1), Ruben O’Riordan (0-2), Ben Geary (0-4), Adam Barry (0-1) Subs: Sean O’Leary, Cathal Murphy, Eoghan Murphy, Oisin Conlon, Kerry Asibor.
Rebel Óg Premier 2 Hurling Championship Round 1, July 22nd Killeagh 3-22, Douglas 1-11
Killeagh hosted Douglas in the opening round of the Premier 2 Minor hurling championship on July 22. After 9 minutes we were tied at 2 points each after scores from Jay and Ben. A clever pass from Jay released Ben to finish emphatically to the net. The teams shared the next 8 points with a great score from Ronan and three from Ben. Further points from Andrew, Alex and Ben (2) were followed by an excellent solo goal from Ben. Douglas responded with a goal on the stroke of half time to leave it 2-11 to 1-7.
We started brightly with points from Jay, Ben and Andrew replied to by 2 points from Douglas. In the 38th minute we received a harsh red card. The lads responded superbly by outscoring Douglas by 1-8 to 2 for the remaining 22 minutes with Ben (4), Alex, John Farquhar with an excellent goal and 2 points and Cormac Delaney with a point. There was still time for Eolann to produce a brilliant save from a penalty.
This was a positive team performance. Eolann was his usual composed self in goals. The defence was solid. Patrick, Rian and Adam kept a tight rein. Dillon and Cathal hurled well. Cormac anchored the defence superbly and had an outstanding hour, delivering excellent ball to our forwards. Ronan and Andrew won the midfield battle. Great work by Sean, Jack, John and Alex delivered great ball to the inside line. Ben was in great scoring form, with Jay clipping 3 good scores also. Cormac, Billy and Ruben made positive impacts late on.
Team: Eolannn Deane, Patrick Dineen, Rian O’Connor, Adam Barry, Cathal Brennan, Ronan O’Riordan (0-1), Andrew Brenner (0-2), Sean O’Leary, Alex Fogarty (0-2), John Farquhar (1-2), Jack Farquhar, Ben Geary (2-11,0-2f), Jay Geary (0-3) Subs: Cormac Delaney (0-1), Billy Guerin, Ruben O’Riordan, Seanan McDonnell, Charlie Lawton, Cathal Murphy, Eoghan Murphy, Oisin Conlon, Liam Lynch.
LOTTO
The Lotto Jackpot has now reached €11,600! We’re ready to give it away, all you have to do is pick the correct 3 numbers between 1 and 36! Sort out the summer holidays and some left over! You know what to do! Play now, online or in shops. Draw every Tuesday at 8.00 p.m.
