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Killarney RFC girls enjoy trip to Limerick

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1 year ago

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The Killarney RFC U18 team who participated in a tournament at Takumi Park.

On Saturday last the U18 girls teams from Killarney RFC, Tuam/Oughterard and Port Dara (an amalgamation of Cill Dara and Portarlington) took part in a 15-a-side tournament hosted by Old Crescent RFC at Takumi Park, Limerick.

Facilities and pitches at Old Crescent were excellent, but weather conditions in the morning were challenging for rugby with a lot of rain and a strong breeze. Despite this, the three teams served up a very close and entertaining series of games with great skill and endeavour on display.

The format was three round robin games of 35 minutes and first up was Killarney v Tuam/Oughterard. The two sides were evenly matched in a physical contest that looked like it might finish scoreless until Tuam’s Keannagh Irons capitalised on a rare Killarney handling error inside their 22 to cross for a try and give her side the win (0–5).

Next, Killarney faced Port Dara in a game that was a real display of hard-running, offloading rugby. Port Dara took the lead with an unconverted Ellie White try but Killarney levelled with Niamh Dorrian finishing a good team move. Fia Whelan slotted the conversion to secure a 7–5 win for the Kerry side.  

The final match saw Port Dara take on Tuam/Oughterard in another close, end-to-end contest with scoring opportunities created by both sides. The Connacht outfit proved more clinical in converting their chances and tries from Irons and Ailbhe Gannon plus a conversion from Chloe Conneely gave them a 12-0 victory.

After the tournament all three squads enjoyed a trip to Thomond Park for the Munster v Barbarians double-header and they were treated to really exciting try fests in both games.

Speaking after the games, Killarney coach Josh Whelan said the event was a “great opportunity” for his squad to get a run out against quality opposition from Leinster and Connacht.

“The girls really enjoyed it and we’re sure it will serve as great preparation for our regular season games starting in October. It was great to connect with players and coaches from outside Munster, and from what I saw this morning I’d say the future of female rugby in Ireland should be in a good place. The standard of rugby played by all three teams in difficult conditions was really high.”

Killarney RFC extends their gratitude to Owen Lydon and Marie Hayes for refereeing and to Old Crescent RFC for hosting.

KILLARNEY: Marina Eagar, Isabella O’Leary, Holly O’Sullivan, Niamh Dorrian, Mary Ellen McDonnell, Fia Whelan (Co-Captain), Bronagh Dorrian, Annie O’Reilly, Ella Guerin-Crowley, Emer O’Keefe, Jasmine Dwyer, Jess O’Sullivan, Joanne O’Keefe, Melissa McCarthy, Lily Morris (Co-Captain). Team Manager: Elaine Clifford. Coaches: Diarmuid O’Malley, Josh Whelan.

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Numbers Game: How Kerry can reach league final – or get relegated for first time in 24 years

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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by Adam Moynihan

Men’s NFL Division 1

Galway v Kerry

Sunday 3.45pm

Salthill

Live on TG4 YouTube

Kerry travel to Galway on Sunday knowing that defeat could well consign them to relegation for the first time since 2001. Win and they could be Croker-bound. It’s that tight heading into the final day of Division 1 of the National Football League. Anything could happen.

Let’s get the lay of the land before we wade into the murky waters of permutations. We currently have a three-way tie at the top of the table with Galway, Dublin and Donegal all level on eight points. Next up are Mayo on seven, followed by Kerry on six, Armagh and Tyrone on five, and already-relegated Derry on one.

PWDLPDPts
1Galway6321178
2Dublin640288
3Donegal640248
4Mayo6312-37
5Kerry6303116
6Tyrone621305
7Armagh6213-85
8Derry6015-291

In the seventh and final round of the league, Galway play Kerry, Mayo are at home to Donegal, Armagh host Derry, and Tyrone welcome Dublin to Healy Park, Omagh. All four matches are being played simultaneously at 3.45pm on Sunday.

So, who will be joining the Oak Leafers in Division 2 in 2026?

If Kerry lose they will remain on six points, which means that if Armagh and Tyrone both win, they will move onto seven points, relegating the Kingdom. However, if Kerry lose they will stay up if one or both of Armagh or Tyrone lose.

If Kerry lose and either Armagh or Tyrone draw and the other win, Kerry are safe on the head-to-head rule. If Kerry lose and both Armagh and Tyrone draw, there will be a three-way tie on six points. In this event, points difference will come into play, and Kerry will survive if they lose to Galway by less than 20.

If Kerry draw with Galway, they will almost certainly be safe. Such a result would move them up to seven points, and even if Armagh and Tyrone both win, Kerry’s superior points difference would, barring an incredible set of results, see them over the line. Kerry are currently on +11 with Armagh on -8 and Tyrone breaking even on zero. So Armagh would need to beat Derry by 20 points and Tyrone would need to beat Dublin by 12 for them both to overtake Kerry.

Now, let’s fix our gaze upwards rather than down. A place in the league final is also on the cards – if all those cards fall kindly.

If Kerry win, they will wind up on eight points, guaranteeing their status as a Division 1 team for the 24th year in a row. If they win by three points (or more), that’s where things get interesting. Such a margin of victory would see them overtake their direct opponents, Galway, on ‘points for’ (if they win by three) or ‘overall points difference’ (if they win by more than three).

It would also guarantee that they would slip in between Mayo and Donegal, with the winner of that game moving into first, and the loser missing out on the league final. (A draw would be enough for Donegal, but not enough for Mayo.)

Kerry’s fate (again, if they win) would then depend on the result in the Tyrone v Dublin game. If Dublin win, they will advance to the league final. If Dublin draw, they will advance to the league final. But if Dublin lose, they will be passed out by Kerry, and Jack O’Connor’s men will sneak into the Croke Park decider via the side entrance.

That would be a remarkable turn of events considering the team’s spotty form up to this point, but the main priority will simply be to win and ensure survival. Anything on top of that would be a hard-earned bonus.

Tyrone v Dublin will be shown on TG4 with all other Division 1 and Division 2 games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.

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Spa GAA Club unveil hi-tech solar panels

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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This week has seen Spa GAA swap their traditional blue and gold colours to go green, all for the sake of climate change and the environment.

In partnership with solar energy specialist REC Ireland they have just installed a 28.5 kW Solar PV system at their club grounds in Tullig.

The system, comprising 60 PV panels and supported by 10 kW battery storage, is mounted on the south-facing roof of their multi-purpose sports hall. It represents a state-of-the-art installation and it comes on foot of the club being one of the first GAA club recipients of Kerry County Council’s Climate Action Grant Scheme, launched in 2024.

“This is a hugely positive initiative in terms of reducing our on-site carbon footprint, promoting renewable energy and reducing our dependency on oil and gas,” club chairman Tadhg Hickey said.

In a further sign of Spa’s commitment to the green agenda, the club have recently been shortlisted as the only GAA club in Kerry in the Shared Island Sports Club Electrical Vehicle charging scheme, under which funding is provided to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for communities through local sports clubs.

Along with ramping up public EV charging facilities in local communities, the scheme offers significant potential for clubs to generate income, and is another example of the positive contribution of sports clubs in their locality.

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