Kehoe Cup victory
TWO YOUNG Wexford hurlers had the distinction of helping their third level college to win a trophy which honours the memory of a fellow countyman in Pearse Park, Arklow, on Sunday.
Kevin Sheridan (Oulart-The Ballagh) and Ross Donohoe (Buffers Alley) flanked Kilkenny’s Paddy Deegan in the half-back line as Maynooth University captured the Kehoe Cup with a 1-23 to 2-11 victory over the Wicklow side managed by Rathnure’s Seamus Murphy.
The Kehoe in question is Micheál Mac Eochaidh who was the second Wexfordman to serve as President of the G.A.A., following in the footsteps of P.D. Breen.
The sat nav was in good working order for the students on Sunday, unlike their well-publicised trip to Jordanstown earlier in the week when the team bus ended up on the Coleraine campus.
Brian Molloy knew where the posts were for the winners as he was deadly accurate from placed balls throughout on the same day as his Galway colleagues were losing the Walsh Cup final to Kilkenny in Nowlan Park.
Pádraig Walsh, who lined out against Wexford in New Ross on Sunday week, was another key figure for Maynooth, showing a serious turn of pace to break through for a goal at a crucial stage of the first-half when matters were tight.
Walsh had started at corner-back but was moved to midfield to curb the threat posed by Wicklow’s Christy Moorehouse.
The half-back line of Sheridan, Deegan and Donohoe was steady throughout, fielding well and keeping a steady flow of ball to the forwards.
The silverware will be a boost to Maynooth ahead of their final Fitzgibbon Cup group game today (Tuesday). A win is required if they want to progress, but it will be a huge upset if they manage to pull off that feat.
They will be hoping to have regular corner-back Emmet Moloney available again after he opted to play Senior football with his native Tipperary against Antrim on Sunday. Maynooth were also without injured pair Michael Campion (Tipperary) and Paul Kinsella (Offaly).
Apart from Donohoe and Sheridan, numerous Wexford hurlers have been prominent with their colleges in the Fitzgibbon Cup thus far.
D.C.U. Dóchas Eireann have the biggest contingent, with Gavin Bailey (Ferns St. Aidan’s), St. Martin’s duo Aaron Maddock and Joe O’Connor, Pádraig Foley (Crossabeg-Ballymurn) and Tony French (Adamstown) all featuring so far. Their panel also includes Harry O’Connor (St. Martin’s) and Aaron Murphy (Shelmaliers).
D.C.U. St. Patrick’s also boasted a good representation in Rúairí Tubrid (Fethard), Glen Malone (Shelmaliers), Jake Firman (St. Martin’s) and Martin Og Storey (Oulart-The Ballagh).
Jack O’Connor (St. Martin’s) and Brian Quigley (Rathnure) are assisting U.C.D., while county Senior colleagues Mark Fanning (Glynn-Barntown) and Simon Donohoe (Shelmaliers) are with W.I.T. and John Doyle (St. Patrick’s) is on their squad.
Niall Redmond (Oulart-The Ballagh) and Eoin Kelly (HWH-Bunclody) are with Trinity College, while John Farrell (Buffers Alley) came on for D.I.T. and Michael Redmond (Rathnure) made an appearance off the bench for I.T. Carlow who also number Seamus Casey (Oylegate-Glenbrien) among their ranks. GLYNN-BARNTOWN, last year’s beaten Senior football championship finalists, will make the big trip south west to compete in the Lidl Comórtas Peile Páidí Ó Sé 2017, the famed club Gaelic football tournament and festival which takes place on February 17-19 in Comórtas HQ at Páidí Ó Sé’s pub in Ventry and various G.A.A. venues across the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry.
Glynn-Barntown will compete in the Dermot Earley Senior men’s cup which also includes 2016 Laois Senior county champions Stradbally, Down’s Downpatrick who are managed by former inter-county footballer Conor Deegan, Dublin’s Fingallians, Kildare’s Sarsfields, and Kerry’s An Daingean (Dingle) and host club An Ghaeltacht of West Kerry.
A total of 32 teams in all will compete from 14 counties across all four provinces as well as teams from the UK and the United Arab Emirates in ladies’ and men’s Senior, Intermediate and Junior competitions
Pádraig Óg Ó Sé commented: ‘ We are thrilled to have Glynn-Barntown who are competing at the highest level in Wexford.
‘For a team on the up, we hope the tournament will be a good yardstick as to their progress as footballers when they go up against successful Senior sides from other counties.
‘We are delighted to bring on board our new title sponsors Lidl who are already great supporters of Gaelic Games in Ireland, as well as Grant Thorton who are both helping to maintain one of the oldest club tournaments in the country.’
The football festival, which is also supported by Lee Strand Milk, Fáilte Ireland and Kerry County Council Tourism Unit, has attracted over 13,000 club players since it began in 1989 and is a big boost for tourism in the area with over 1,800 bed nights created over three nights.
This year, as well as nightly music and entertainment in Comórtas HQ at Páidí Ó Sé’s pub, there will also be a special excerpt from a John B. Keane play hosted by the late playwright and author’s son, Billy Keane, on Sunday evening in the pub.