Under 21
Kilruane MacDonaghs claimed the U21 ‘B’ title with a 4-17 to 2-13 victory over Drom & Inch in Templederry on St. Stephen’s Day. A large crowd assembled in Keynon country for this eagerly awaited clash. Drom had captured ‘A’ title in 2023 while MacDonaghs last sampled U21 success in 2010 with a victory over Thurles Sarsfields in the ‘A’ decider.
On a day that could have been borrowed from summer, the pitch was in pristine condition for this encounter. Kilruane got the perfect start when midfielder Cian Moyles cut through the heart of the Drom defence and bisected the posts with just sixteen seconds gone. In the second minute, a point from Drom talisman Cormac Fitzpatrick had the sides level. Cormac and Shane Cleary had a terrific tussle for the hour, with Shane limiting the Drom star to just one point from play while slotting over a point himself for MacDonaghs.
Drom were very dependent on Cormac for scores in the opening half. He hit six points from placed balls while Darragh Fitzpatrick chipped in with two points from play. In the same period, the Magpies had six players who contributed to their total. The crucial green flags came in the fourth and twenty-third minutes. Fiachradh Ahearne Woods scored the first goal after another surging run from Cian Moyles. Sean Dempsey saved Cian’s shot, but Fiachradh whipped the rebound to the net. Tommy O’Meara scored the second goal. Jack Mulcahy won a turnover in the right corner to create the opportunity for Tommy, who soloed in along the endline, rounded a defender, and deftly batted the sliotar to the net for a sublime finish.
As halftime loomed, Drom were dealt a severe blow when wing-forward David Kinnane was given a straight red card after a late challenge on Shane Cleary. Referee Anthony Owens (Solohead) consulted with an umpire before dismissing the Drom player. The teams retired to the dressing rooms with MacDonaghs leading by 2-7 to 0-9. With a four-point cushion and a numerical advantage, the odds favoured the North champions. However, wise old heads in the large throng of Magpies supporters surged caution. They often they had witnessed teams fail to make the extra man count.
On the resumption, the sides traded a brace of points with Michael Cleary (free after foul on Charlie Kennedy) and Eoin Carroll on target for Kilruane. In the thirty sixth minute, MacDonaghs took a firm grip of the game with a third goal. Brian O’Meara delivered a quality ball to Charlie Kennedy, who slipped his marker and brought a great save out of Sean Dempsey. However, Eoin Carroll pounced on the rebound to whip the sliotar to the net. Five minutes later, the game was over as a contest when Tommy O’Meara scored his second goal to put the Magpies eleven clear. Johnny Nauhgnane, who had replaced the injured Jack Mulcahy, created the opportunity when he dispossessed the Drom Keeper. Tommy emerged from the ensuing ruck, cut in from the right, and buried the sliotar in the roof of the net.
With seven minutes of normal time left, Kilruane had a fifteen-point cushion. To Drom’s credit, they kept battling away and were rewarded with goals in the 54th and 59th minutes. When the referee blew the long whistle, Kilruane had ten points to spare and were County champions with the Roll of Honour amended to read 64 County titles.
After the game, County Chairman Jimmy Minogue presented the Mick Brophy Cup to Eoin Carroll while Shane Cleary was named Clubber Man of the Match.
This was a wonderful team performance. Congratulations to the panel of players and to the management team of Niall O’Meara (Manager), Eanna Hogan, Conor Doheny, Paddy Ryan and Darragh Peters. Thanks to June Whelan (Physio) and all the backroom team. It was great to have so many adult players involved in both the management and backroom. Thanks to our supporters for the tremendous vocal backing.
Team: Tom Austin, Paul Molloy, Eamonn Coonan, Cormac Kennedy, Ross Austin, Shane Cleary (0-1), Cathal England, Brian O’Meara (0-1), Cian Moyles (0-1), Fiachradh Ahearne Woods (1-2), Tommy O’Meara (2-0), Michael Cleary, (0-7, 0-6 frees), Charlie Kennedy (0-3), Jack Mulcahy, Eoin Carroll (1-2). Subs: Johnny Naughnane, Sean Hayes, Cormac Gaynor, Jack Quinlisk, Michael Hennelly.
Remainder of panel: Cillian Healy, Danny Cahalan, Stasik Setikas, Shay Óg Kennedy, Rayn Quinlivan, Paraic Nevin, William Jones, Fearghal Doheny, Cathal McIntyre, Donnacha O’Meara.
Remember the Team
Kilruane MacDonaghs won the 1993 U21 ‘B’ County final replay with a 1-5 to 1-3 victory over JK Brackens in Moneygall. The miserable conditions contributed to the low scoring as neither team played a sweeper.
Team: Kevin O’Brien, Michael Haverty, Sean Gaynor, Paddy Ryan, Matt Cleary, Brian Gaynor (Capt) (0-1), Eoin Kennedy, Michael Ryan, Sean Sheppard, Martin Haverty, Noel Conroy, Kieran Nevin, Mark O’Leary (1-4), Pat White, Cathal McLoughney. Subs: Dermot Troy, Finbarr McLoughney.
Remainder of the panel: Lenny Gaynor, John Casey, Declan Troy, Niall England, Conor Williams, Edward Troy, Damian Lawlor. Manager: Dinny Cahill, Selectors: Michael Elebert, Martin Cahalan.
Family Connections
Several family links exist between the 1993 and 2025 (in brackets) teams:
Matt Cleary (Shane), Eoin Kennedy (Cormac & Charlie), Kieran Nevin (Paraic Nevin), Lenny Gaynor (Cormac), Niall England (Cathal nephew), Martin Cahalan (Danny).
Bingo
The weekly Bingo session continues on Saturday night in the Fr. O’Meara Centre, Kilruane at 8.00pm. The jackpot is now a very attractive €1,250.
Lotto
The jackpot stands at €5,600. Tickets are available from the usual outlets, or you can play on Club Spot. Thanks for your continued support.
