West meets South in quest for currentaccount.ie All-Ireland club glory

West meets South in quest for currentaccount.ie All-Ireland club glory

• Clubs from Cork, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Waterford in the race for honours

CAPTAINS representing the six clubs set to compete in the 2023 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Football Club Finals have gathered at Croke Park ahead of three eagerly-anticipated fixtures.

Clubs from five counties – Cork, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Waterford – have their eyes firmly set on silverware as they look ahead to the Senior, Intermediate and Junior deciders.

And it’s very much a case of West meets South in the capital next weekend as each Final pits a Connacht club against Munster opposition.

First up next Saturday, December 16, Croke Park will play host to a double-header as the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Intermediate and Senior Finals are down for decision.

The action gets underway at 3pm when Leitrim’s Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins pit their wits against Cork’s Glanmire in the Intermediate decider.

That’s followed by the Senior showpiece between current holders Kilkerrin-Clonberne from Galway, who are chasing a third successive title, and ten-time winners Ballymacarbry from Waterford at 5pm.

Both games will be televised live by TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/

On Sunday, December 17, attention switches to the 2023 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Final between Mayo club Claremorris and opponents O’Donovan Rossa from Cork, a fixture that will be played at Parnell Park (2pm).

The Junior Final will be available to watch live and simultaneously on the LGFA’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LadiesGaelicFootball/ and YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3GG5cUB

For Kilkerrin-Clonberne, managed by Willie Ward and captained by his daughter, Louise, this will mark the club’s fourth successive appearance in a Senior All-Ireland Club Final.

They lost out to Mourneabbey in 2019 but beat their Cork opponents to claim the 2021 title before defeating Monaghan’s Donaghmoyne at Croke Park last December to retain the national crown.

Willie’s twin daughters Nicola and Louise, will lead the Kilkerrin-Clonberne charge while the Divilly sisters, Olivia and Siobhan, are both experienced county players, and joined by sister Niamh on the club team.

The Kilkerrin-Clonberne side is sprinkled with inter-county talent from various grades, including the Noone sisters, Hannah, Eva and Lynsey, Lisa Finnegan and goalkeeper Lisa Murphy.

Standing in Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s way as they go in search of three successive All-Ireland titles are Ballymacarbry, the ten-time winners who are back in an All-Ireland Senior decider for the first time since 1998.

Ballymac captured back-to-back Munster Senior titles before going on to defeat Clann Éireann from Armagh at the All-Ireland semi-final stage, as Kilkerrin-Clonberne required extra-time to get past Dublin’s Kilmacud Crokes.

Just like the holders, Ballymac are a team with a potent mix of youth and experience.

Goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick plays inter-county football for Tipperary while the club team is captained by long-serving Waterford player, Aileen Wall, who excelled against Clann Éireann, scoring a vital goal on the day.

The vastly-experienced Michelle ‘Hopper’ McGrath and Michelle Ryan are other key players to look out for, as well as Bríd McMaugh, Kellyann Hogan and Sadhbh Hallinan.

This will be a 13^th All-Ireland Final for Ballymac – and their first at Croke Park.

Down through the years, Ballymac have played All-Ireland Finals in Cashel, Tullamore, Callan, Athy, Thurles, Carlow, Dungarvan, New Ross and Birr.

This fixture is also a repeat of the 2022 All-Ireland semi-final between the sides, won comfortably by Kilkerrin-Clonberne on a 2-10 to 0-2 scoreline, with a much tighter game expected this time.

Both Intermediate Finalists, meanwhile, are gracing this stage for the very first time.

Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins are the first club from Leitrim to appear in an All-Ireland Club Final since Aughawillan in the 1997 Junior decider, as Glanmire, Junior champions in 2018, aim to add the Intermediate crown to their roll of honour.

Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins came through a thrilling semi-final against Derry’s Steelstown Brian Ógs, with a last-gasp winning goal sending them to Croke Park, as Glanmire defeated Meath outfit Na Fianna.

In the Junior decider, Claremorris will aim to become Mayo’s first All-Ireland Junior club champions.

MacHale Rovers (2019) and Knockmore (2008) both fell short but hopes are high that Claremorris can end the county’s junior drought.

Standing in their way are O’Donovan Rossa – and the Cork club will present formidable opposition.

It’s the second successive season that a Cork club has reached the Junior decider, as Naomh Abán lost out to Galway’s Salthill-Knocknacarra in 2022.

Donoughmore, in 2019, were the last Cork club to land the Junior club crown.

At a Croke Park photocall ahead of the games, Ballymacarbry and Kilkerrin-Clonberne were represented by their respective captains, Aileen Wall and Louise Ward.

Captain Gráinne Prior made the trip on behalf of Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins, while Glanmire had their captain, Ellen Twomey, in attendance.

The Junior Club Finalists, Claremorris and O’Donovan Rossa, were represented by respective captains, Lisa Harte and Laura Kelly.

Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Mícheál Naughton, was also in attendance, alongside Kira Magennis, Head of SEPA Payments, representing competition sponsors currentaccount.ie.

Looking ahead to the games, Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Mícheál Naughton, said: “I would like to wish the six participating teams in the 2023 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Club Championship Finals the very best of luck.

“We have three terrific games in store and there’s a real sense of anticipation in the air with three Connacht clubs pitting their wits against three from Munster across the Finals.

 “It’s been a long journey for all six clubs to reach Dublin on All-Ireland Finals weekend and the standard of football across the board has been of the very highest quality.

 “I would also like to pay a special word of thanks to our sponsors, currentaccount.ie, whose representatives will join us at Croke Park and Parnell Park over the coming weekend.

“There’s a wonderful synergy between the Credit Unions and the LGFA, with a huge emphasis on the volunteer spirit in action.

“I wish continued success to currentaccount.ie CEO, Mr. Seamus Newcombe, and his entire team, who are playing a vital role in local communities across the country with their suite of financial services.”

Speaking on behalf of currentaccount.ie, Chief Executive Mr. Seamus Newcombe commented: “Currentaccount.ie and our participating Credit Unions – almost 280 offices throughout Ireland – are delighted to sponsor this year’s All Ireland Club Championships. 

“Payac, a Credit Union owned company, is represented by the currentaccount.ie brand, and this is an exciting finale to the club season after some hard-fought matches and overseas travel along the way, with teams from the West and South of the country featuring strongly.

“Community is at the heart of Irish culture and currentaccount.ie is proud to help promote community enhancement with the availability of our excellent Current Account service from participating Credit Unions throughout the country. 

“These Finals are a great opportunity for communities to come together and support their local and neighbouring teams, a sentiment that greatly resonates with our Credit Unions, as one of their focal points is building strong and stable communities.

“The Credit Union Current Account with its globally accepted debit card, competitive fee and friendly service has been embraced by Credit Union members across the country and currentaccount.ie continues to expand its participation, products and availability in all four provinces.

“For anybody who may be considering moving their Current Account or opening a new current account, I would urge you to engage with your local Credit Union and enjoy the personalised and exceptional service they continue to offer their Members for their day to day financial services. In addition, Currentaccount.ie continues to expand the range of services available, so stay in touch with your Credit Union to ensure you know the full range of services on offer.”

Saturday December 16

Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Club Final – Ballinamore Sean O’Heslins (Leitrim) v Glanmire (Cork); Croke Park, 3pm.

LIVE TG4 https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/

Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Final – Ballymacarbry (Waterford) v Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway); Croke Park, 5pm.

LIVE TG4 https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/

Sunday December 17:

Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Junior Club Final – Claremorris (Mayo) v O’Donovan Rossa (Cork); Parnell Park, 2pm.

LIVE ON FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/LadiesGaelicFootball/  and YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/3GG5cUB

Ticket info: 

Intermediate and Senior Final tickets available at: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/

Junior Final tickets available at: https://bit.ly/3t3svEN

About currentaccount.ie

Currentaccount.ie is the trading name of Payac Services, a shared services company established by Credit Unions.

It is the only Credit Union Services Organisation (CUSO) of its kind in Ireland that is directly-owned and operated by participating Credit Unions. Payac Credit Unions have almost 2 million members and a presence in over 280 locations throughout the country.

Details of the Credit Unions offering the full-service Current Account, as well as details of fees and charges for the new Current Account, are available at www.currentaccount.ie.

Official website: https://currentaccount.ie/