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Wide open Kerry Club Championships reach knockout stage

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2 years ago

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Spa's Evan Cronin in action against Kenmare Shamrocks last weekend. Photo: Anne Holland/Spa GAA.

by Eamonn Fitzgerald

The group phase of the very competitive Kerry Club Championships were completed last weekend and the draw has now been made for the knockout stages.

For some, the road to Croker and the prospect of an All-Ireland title is the focal point. However, winning out in Kerry usually proves to be the hardest hurdle of all.

In 2022, Rathmore and Fossa had their moments of ultimate glory when they banished the January blues by winning the All-Ireland Intermediate and Junior titles. They were both promoted to the next grade up for 2023 and they have shown in the last three weeks that they are well able to compete.

Others will be fighting for their lives to avoid relegation. The top team in each group has the added bonus of a home tie in the next round, which takes place this weekend.

SENIOR SEMI-FINALS

Spa v Dingle (Saturday 6pm, Tullig)

Spa have been catching the eye of late, scoring very highly in all three rounds of the group stage. They won last weekend by just about edging out Kenmare Shamrocks by a single point (1-14 to 1-13).

Kerry players Dara Moynihan (scorer of Spa’s goal) and ace free taker Seánie O’Shea played central roles in this game; O’Shea scored ten points but his side still lost.

Dingle have been the most consistent top senior club team in recent years and after losing to Crokes in Round 1, they bounced back by hammering Kerins O’Rahillys 2-18 to 0-14 in Round 2. (That result means that Strand Road lost all three of their games and they now face a relegation battle against Tralee rivals Na Gaeil.)

Barry Dan is a key man for Dingle, so Spa will need to be at their best i lár na páirce. Elsewhere the Geaneys pose the greatest dangers and it isn’t just Kerry star Paul. Mikey, in particular, is a trump card.

Tom O’Sullivan will line out at corner back as per programme but is well capable of moving up the wing to score two or three points as he does so regularly with Kerry.

Dara Moynihan is now showing his county form with Spa and Dingle will be keen to curtail his influence. Evan Cronin is top scorer for Spa. This will be their greatest test and a welcome win would catapult them onto the big stage. This game is too close to call, and it may not be resolved at the end of normal time.

Dr Crokes v Kenmare Shamrocks (Saturday 3pm, Lewis Road)

Dr Crokes remain unbeaten after a 1-15 to 1-11 win away to Rathmore on Sunday. It is never easy to win in Rathbeg where the home side were expected to call the tune. However, Crokes held off the challenge and copper fastened victory late in the game when Micheál Burns converted a penalty after being fouled himself.

Like so many other clubs, Crokes have been badly hit by long term injuries to key experienced players and great and all as last week’s win was, it may well be a Pyrrhic victory with the loss of Gavin White. Unfortunately, a damaged a hamstring will keep him out of action for the knockout stages of this competition, and it remains to be seen if he will be recovered in time for the County Championship.

This is a further blow to Crokes after top scorer Tony Brosnan was also ruled out of action. Former Kerry star Fionn Fitzgerald suffered a very severe knee injury against Kenmare in last year’s championship and he has yet to play a full game this year. He did come on as a late substitute in recent games.

Crokes - as table toppers - will have home venue versus Kenmare, who knocked them out in the closing stages of this competition last year.

Kenmare will be depending on Kerry stars Seánie O’Shea and Stephen O’Brien to win this one, but home venue may be decisive on this occasion, especially when Crokes will now be missing two of their Kerry players.

Last week they also had to go without the injured Neil O’Shea, but Mark Fitzgerald did very well on Kerry All-Star Shane Ryan. Goalkeeper Shane Murphy and forward Micheál Burns will be central to Crokes’ ambitions.

Home advantage would normally swing this one in Crokes’ favour but the loss of Brosnan compounded by the injury to White could be significant factors on the outcome.

INTERMEDIATE

Kilcummin teed up a home quarter-final against Milltown/Castlemaine (Sunday 4pm, Kilcummin) by defeating Legion at home on Sunday last (0-13 to 0-9).

Key to this win for Kilcummin was the manner in which the defence performed. It was a big win for the former All-Ireland Intermediate champions, who were missing their key player Paul O’Shea. He suffered an ankle injury in Round 2.

Young Cian Foley and Mark O’Shea impressed up front, each kicking two fine points in the first half to give them a half-time lead of 0-9 to 0-6.

Will Shine was a prolific scorer for Legion when they won their first two games in Group C but the Kilcummin defence kept a tight rein on him. Dara O’Callaghan and Seán O’Leary, who has battled back courageously after his horrific car accident, caught the eye.

Former Kerry star James O’Donoghue kept Legion in contention with three points from frees. For Kilcummin former Kerry goalkeeper Brendan Kealy was as assured as ever at number 1 and he scored a fine point from a 45.

Legion will be away to Beaufort in their quarter-final (Sunday 1.30pm) and that will not be an easy assignment against a team that missed out last year. The Mid Kerry team topped their group with Milltown/Castlemaine finishing second.

Gneeveguilla were the unlucky team to miss out on qualification from this pool, despite their game against Glenbeigh-Glencar very easily (3-10 to 0-9). They needed Beaufort to beat Milltown/Castlemaine in the other game if they wanted to advance but Fergal Hallissey kicked a late equalising point for Beaufort.

A very interesting game last week was Desmonds v Stacks, both former All-Ireland Club winners at senior level. Desmonds have struggled ever since but they came good last weekend with a convincing 2-11 to 1-8 victory.

Stacks won the County Championship in 2021 but were subsequently relegated last season. They bounced back to win their first two games and were odds on to get back to senior status until they were well beaten by Desmonds.

What is most remarkable is that Desmonds won this game even though they played with just 14 men from the 25th minute when Michael Walsh was shown a straight red.

The key score here was a goal by Rory Burke at the very end of the first half to give them their deserved 1-8 to 1-3 lead. They maintained their superiority throughout the second half, stunning Stacks who seemed to be on target to return to senior status.

Stacks won’t relish the next round away to Glenflesk (Saturday 3pm) with a young enough team who are going well. They racked up a huge score at home last weekend, 4-12 in all with goals by Luke Crowley, Darragh Roche, Patrick Darcy and Brian O’Donoghue.

Paudie Clifford (0-5) kept Fossa ticking over until O’Donoghue scored the late, crucial goal for Glenflesk. Emmet O’Shea had equalised for Fossa late in the contest, but Glenflesk upped their game once more to secure top spot.

Fossa now face an away quarter-final against Desmonds (Sunday 4pm). This will be a step up away from home. Rising tides lifts all boats and Fossa have proved that in 2022 when the prowess of the Clifford brothers boosted the rest of the team.

The whole team is playing much better now with the coincidence of winning the All-Ireland title in January. Look out for Emmet O’Shea. He showed his class at minor level and is now a key man at senior level. Away to Desmonds will test Fossa, but the Cliffords’ influence may still be the deciding factor in this one. Fossa to win.

The IFC relegation semi-finals will see Currow up against Glenbeigh/Glencar while Ballydonoghue face St Mary’s. Toss a coin.

JUNIOR PREMIER

In my view Listry were the best team in the junior ranks last year and they should have beaten Fossa in the best club of 2022. Only the magic of the great David Clifford denied them the Kerry title, which was a big disappointment for Listry and then manager Marc Ó Sé. Victory is within their sights and ambitions for this year.

They will be at home to Listowel Emmets in the quarters (Saturday 6pm) and even though the latter had a surprising win over Firies last weekend, Listry will prove too strong.

Firies had been going great guns but were surprisingly beaten by a single point 0-15 to 1-11, and that game was at Farranfore.

I also expect Ballymacelligott to win at home to Ballyduff (Saturday 4pm). I have been impressed by the quality of Ballymac’s style of play and expect them to have too much football nous against Ballyduff.

In the other quarter-final match-ups, Ardfert host Churchill (Sunday 1.30pm) and Annascaul travel to Dromid (Sunday 3pm).

STREEET LEAGUES

The Street Leagues continue at Dr Crokes tonight (Friday) with games beginning at 6.30pm. The tournament concludes with a grand finale on Friday, September 8. A big club night is planned at the clubhouse after the games conclude.

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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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2 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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LUKE MANGAN recently caught up with Kerry FC’s manager, Colin Healy. 

  He spoke to him about his careers as a player and manager. Here’s how it went: When you began your career, was there ever a player or manager you idolised? […]

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2 weeks ago

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5 February 2026

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He spoke to him about his careers as a player and manager.

Here’s how it went:

When you began your career, was there ever a player or manager you idolised?

‘When I started my career, not really, I was 18 with Celtic and you know a lot of good players were there. Henrik Larsson was one. It was more important for me to get to that level and stay at that level, and it was a great experience’.

Tell me how it felt to play for Ireland while Mick McCarthy was manager.

‘It was very good. I began working with him in the Irish camp, and then when I joined Sunderland he would have been the manager there. So he’s been fantastic’.

Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of?

‘I’m just proud as always that I had a long career, a lot of injuries aswell, so probably getting back from those injuries. Along with playing for Cork City and playing internationally for Ireland which is always a good thing’.

When you went into managing, was there ever a manager or manager’s style you idolised?

‘Well we had a few, obviously Martin O’Neil at Celtic, and of course he’s still coaching today. Martin was a very good man and a very good manager. So I’d probably say Martin’.

Describe to me what it felt like to represent your country at an international level.

‘Yea, it was probably the proudest day and one of the biggest achievements’.

This will be your first full season with Kerry, what would you like to being to the club?

‘We recruited well, we still look to bring in more players, but listen i just want to get us as far as we can and get higher up the table and improve on last year’.

What do you believe is Kerry’s strongest capability?

‘We’re still in pre-season so we got some good goals, there’s still some stuff we can improve on, but its still early doors for us. Obviously we got new players, and they need the type of time as the players that are here. So overall it was good to get into the next round (of the Munster Senior Cup), but as I say, we can always be better’.

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