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Munster masters Kerry trounce Cork

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8 years ago

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Kerry sent us all searching through the record books after defeating Cork 3-18 to 2-4 in a runaway victory in the magnificent revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday last. It’s the biggest winning margin since 1938 and Kerry were complete masters in the one-sided match.

Cork got off to a dream start playing into the city goal in the first half. The game was just 80 seconds old when they worked the ball up the left wing. Following good work by Ruairí Deane and a nice ball across the Kerry goalmouth, it was an easy tap-in for Jamie O’Sullivan and there was little Shane Murphy could do about the inevitable goal. It was the dream start for Cork, but it did not rattle Kerry. They responded well in the 5th minute when David Moran made a mark with a clean catch from the kick-out and parted to Stephen O’Brien, who set of on his trademark runs through the Cork defence and scored Kerry’s opening goal. Cork bounced back for their second goal in the 9th minute and once again it was Ruairí Deane who did the good approach work. It was a replica of the first goal with Mark Collins adding the final touch.

At this stage it looked as if Cork were going to make a real game of it as they led 2-0 to 1-2. They added a point and it is hard to believe that they went to 2-1 and that was their last score until the 45th minute when they added another point. They scored three more points late in the game and that was all Cork could manage. Just six scores in total over 70 minutes tells its own story for a bewildered Cork team as they were brushed aside by a rampant Kerry side who took complete control and scored at will. They chalked up the points with good support play all-round and led 1-11 to 2-1 at the interval.

They lost the influential Stephen O’Brien to a black card in the 27th minute and he was replaced by Kevin McCarthy. Cork also lost two players to black cards. Sam Ryan gave way to James Loughrey in the 19th minute and Deane was replaced by Paul Kerrigan in the 32nd minute. They seemed to be harsh calls. Ruairí Deane in particular was a big loss to Cork, as was Stephen O’Brien for Kerry.

Darran O’Sullivan came on for Micheál Burns at half time but he made little contribution. He was a good player in his younger days but last lost that dash. The same can be said for Donaghy and Killian Young who came on in that second half. Once again I was impressed by Seán O’Shea and David Clifford. They are blending in well . O’Shea ended with four points and Clifford scored two points, but once again it was Paul Geaney who shone brightest of all, ending with a remarkable tally of 2-5 and all of these scores were from play. The Dingle man is invaluable for the Kerry attack.

Kerry did well at midfield as they were up against Aidan Walsh and Ian Maguire. When the Cork goalkeeper Mark White went long with the kick-outs, David Moran and Jack Barry were able to win clean ball. White also tried the short kick-out but Kerry were so dominant that they pressed up on these and for the most part they were able to deny Cork possession.

The Kerry defence settled well after the first 10 minutes and once again Gavin White was the outstanding defender. He can solo with both legs and his up-field sallies, especially in the second half, were a joy to behold. He has a wonderful turn of speed which is so much part of today’s game. He scored a point from one of these long runs out of defence. Kevin McCarthy did well when he came in but I would like to see him take his own score instead of passing it off. He is unselfish but needs to score more himself to nail down a place in the starting 15.

My match notebook showed a succession of Kerry points including two from Paul Murphy who was caught for the first goal but recovered well. James O’Donoghue was on the ball quite a lot and ended with three points, one from a free. Barry John Keane kicked a point after coming in late in the game for O’Donoghue in the 59th minute.

How good are Kerry? They have done what has been asked of them and brought in huge scores against Clare and Cork. They have not been tested in a close contest so the next game in two weeks’ time against Galway will provide a closer examination of their progress. They have exceptionally good scoring forwards and there is an intensity to their game in the tackle which will stand to them throughout the field. The two goals they conceded early in the Cork game would have knocked another team but Kerry have youth in their side. Remember there is no one over the age of 30 in the starting 15.

Last week alone, the Kerry U-17s, the juniors and the seniors all recorded big wins. Meanwhile, the Dubs are winning by big margins also and what we have seen to date suggests that Kerry are the only team capable of taking on the All-Ireland champions. Well done to Kerry.

The newly revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a credit to the Cork County Board.

KERRY: S Murphy (c); J Foley, P Murphy, T Morley; B Ó Beaglaoich, P Crowley, G White; D Moran, J Barry; M Burns, S O’Shea, S O’Brien; D Clifford, P Geaney and J. O’Donoghue.

Subs for Kerry: K McCarthy for S O’Brien (black, 26); D O’Sullivan for M Burns (h-t); M Griffin for J Foley (54); K Donaghy for D Clifford (55); BJ Keane for J O’Donoghue (59); K Young for T Morley (64).

Scorers for Kerry: P Geaney (2-5); S O’Shea (0-4, 1 free, 2 45s), J O’Donoghue (0-3, 1 free); S O’Brien (1-0); D Clifford, P Murphy (0-2 each); G White and BJ Keane (0-1 each).

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Fossa Swimmers make a splash at County Finals

The Fossa Swim team pictured at the Tralee Sports Complex following their successful outing at the County Finals of the Community Games on Sunday, February 15. The 25-strong squad delivered […]

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2 weeks ago

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21 February 2026

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The Fossa Swim team pictured at the Tralee Sports Complex following their successful outing at the County Finals of the Community Games on Sunday, February 15.

The 25-strong squad delivered an impressive performance, securing a total of 37 medals across various individual and relay events.
Two Fossa swimmers captured gold medals, officially qualifying them for the National Community Games Finals scheduled for later this year.

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On the Ball Part 2 of the Mikey Daly Interview

Éamonn Fitzgerald EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel, meals, etc. MD: It is great to be invited, showing […]

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4 weeks ago

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8 February 2026

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Éamonn Fitzgerald
EF: Killarney Celtic are invited to participate in an Irish competition. That has big financial implications for travel, meals, etc.
MD: It is great to be invited, showing the quality of our squads, but travel costs are very high. I have been looking at clubs like ours in Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and elsewhere for a regionalised competition so that travel costs could be reduced, but I don’t see any commitment to that idea. It’s up in the air at the moment.
EF: Running an amateur sports club is very expensive, especially if you have so many successful teams in competition.
MD: You are well aware of that yourself, but with all of our activities, we are funded by the usual sources used by all sports to collect money. We are in a very good financial state.
EF:How good?
MD: As a trustee of the club, I am very proud to say that we are almost debt-free and we expect to be clear of any debt by October this year, marking our 50th anniversary. In saying that, whether you are an Under 12 or a senior player, all you have to pay for a training session with Killarney Celtic is €2.

EF:The women in Celtic appear to do great work developing soccer for all.
MD: Yes, they do marvellous work in so many parts of the club, led by trojan worker Mary Lyne. On Wednesday night last, the Mothers, Others and Friends started a weekly non-competitive fun game under lights at Celtic Park, and that is great.

EF: Can, can you see some ex-Celtic player is going to make it with a top Irish club and then cross Channel?
Md: I have to compliment Killarney Athletic here right away because Brendan Moloney and Diarmaid O’Carroll did just that. We haven’t had any such shining light yet, but we know that we will in the future because we have great young successful players coming through.
EF: Reverting back again, to 1976, you would have come up at the time The ‘ban’ was abolished. That rule prevented GAA players from playing soccer. If they did, they were suspended. However, it must have been difficult for a player to play both codes when it was permitted.
MD: Fair dues to Seán Kelly, he removed the “ban’, and we were very fortunate that there were some great players from Spa in particular, like Billy Morris, Seán Cronin, the Cahill brothers, James and John, Seánie Kelliher and others. They wanted to play football and soccer. The way we worked it in Celtic was that if the football season was over, then they always played soccer with us, and vice versa
EF: Why do you think that club soccer has become so popular in Ireland? It is climbing the rankings as a sport in Ireland.
MD: Because it’s on television the whole time, and the coverage is getting is precedented. Anytime you turn on the TV, you will find a soccer game from all parts of the world, not just cross channel. The 11-a-side is probably easier to organise than we say 15-a-side in the GAA, and some small clubs, particularly in rural areas, find it hard to get 15 to form a team. See what they’re doing in places. Two neighbouring teams get together as one team, and that’s understandable because all people want to do is play. Of course, not all young people wish to play soccer; they have different hobbies, learning the guitar or whatever, and that is great for them. That’s my experience anyway.

EF: The real crunch time comes when they get to roughly 18-years-old, completing their post-primary education and moving away from Killarney for third-level education. They may be in college, anywhere in the country, making it difficult to come down and play with their local club. So that’s one big reason for the fall off.
MD: Some fall away before that, believe it or not.
EF: Do you think Celtic are doing well, promoting the club?

Yes, for all sexes, but particularly for the girls, so that they can stay on longer for valuable coaching. We’re very fortunate to have David McIndoe as coach for the Celtic girls, and he is outstanding, absolutely fantastic.
EF: The FAI seems to stumble from one crisis to another, but at local level soccer is alive and well in towns, as well as in rural areas. Ballyhar and Mastegeeha are very good examples where great facilities have been developed by enthusiastic volunteers and that attracts the players
MD: So I think once you get to the stage where you have a facility and committed club people, you’re there. We have a very good membership, and we’d be well organised for parents who support their kids playing, and they do. We have two stands, as you know, one dedicated to our former great Celtic man, John Doyle (RIP). That’s important nowadays that you have a clubhouse where the spectators can get that welcome cup of coffee they will relish, especially on cold days.
EF: Where do you see Celtic in 2076?

MD: As I said earlier in Killarney Celtic, we are welcoming for everyone, the local Irish, of course, but it’s open to all. We have great people originally, from China, Europe, and the Middle East. We have an exceptionally good committee at the moment. We had people with foresight like Dermot O’Callaghan (RIP), who were progressive, and of course, that family continues the Celtic tradition. Obviously, we like to push the thing on a bit further, but we’re very conscious that we spent 50 years putting this together and we want to make sure that when we go, the structures are in place in (Killarney) Celtic for the next 50 ( years)As a trustee I am very proud of how we have developed and will celebrate that achievement this year. We will also remember the Celtic players and supporters who have passed away since 1976 and look forward to whatever challenges and opportunities face Killarney Celtic in the years ahead. It is hard to believe that it all started from our conversation (with Billy Healy and Tommy O’Shea) that a new club was needed in Killarney, so that all players who wish to play soccer will be able to play at whatever level they wish and join us at Celtic Park.
EF: Thanks, Mikey, and wish you good health on your daily cycles with your good friend Mike O’Neill.
That’s Mikey Daly, always a pleasure to chat with him on a variety of sports.

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