Gaelic Games

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Kildare held on to beat Limerick 1-24 to 2-19 in an entertaining Tailteann Cup final at Croke Park.

Despite a strong start from the Munster side, which included an early Cillian Fahy goal, the Lilywhites fought back to lead 1-13 to 1-9 at half-time, thanks to Alex Beirne's goal.

After an end-to-end spell at the start of the second half, Killian Ryan scored a fine individual goal to put Limerick two points up.

But that moment sparked Kildare into life, with a purple patch nudging them 1-24 to 2-18 ahead in the closing minutes.

Limerick pushed for a goal in the dying seconds, and nearly scored it when substitute Rory O'Brien found himself with a chance in front of the posts.

However, his effort struck Kildare's Brian Byrne and went over the bar as the hooter sounded, sparking ecstatic celebrations among the Leinster men as Limerick fell to the turf in devastation.

It caps a fine year for Kildare - for whom Darragh Kirwan top-scored with 0-8 - who earned promotion to Division Two before losing their Leinster semi-final to eventual champions Louth.

The game served as the curtain-raiser to the weekend's first All-Ireland semi-final between Tyrone and Kerry.

Kildare, who will play in the 2026 All-Ireland series, are the fourth Tailteann Cup champions after Westmeath, Meath and Down.

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Donegal preserved their All-Ireland SFC status for 2026 with a 2-15 to 1-12 victory against Leitrim in their relegation play-off at Kilcoyne Park.

Two first half goals from Suzanne White and Jodie McFadden proved crucial in helping James Daly's side to stay in the competition they have played in since 2011.

They led 2-7 to 1-5 at half-time after an end-to-end first half in the sun in Tubbercurry.

Clare Friel then saved a late penalty from Muireann Devaney in the second half as her side held on for the victory against last year's All-Ireland IFC champions.

The two sides traded scores early on before White fired home a goal for Donegal on nine minutes.

James Daly's side pulled further ahead but Leitrim responded with a goal from Laura O'Dowd.

After Leitrim got back to within two points, McFadden smashed home Donegal's second goal as they led by five at the break.

Donegal registered the first three scores of the second half, but Leitrim then managed four unanswered points to stay in the contest.

Friel's penalty save on 58 minutes from Devaney, who was fouled inside the square, proved crucial as Donegal saw out the win which relegated Leitrim to the All-Ireland Intermediate series for 2026.

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With Tyrone and Kerry braced to write the latest chapter in an intense and storied rivalry in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, here's a look back at the 2021 semi-final, which the Red Hands won 3-14 to 0-22 after extra-time.

After losing their three previous championship contests against the Kingdom, it seemed like we were suddenly back in the noughties in 2021 as the Red Hands, with Feargal Logan and Brian Dooher having taken over Mickey Harte, earned a truly epic semi-final victory after extra-time.

A couple of weeks earlier, it looked as though Kerry were going to be handed a bye to the decider following the Tyrone county board's announcement that it wouldn't be able to fulfil the fixture after close to 20 members of the Red Hands squad tested positive for Covid-19.

However, the Kerry county board agreed to delay the semi-final by a week and Tyrone somehow summoned up the energy to produce arguably the county's greatest ever win.

A Conor McKenna goal helped the Red Hands lead 1-7 to 0-9 at half-time and while Kerry forced extra-time after Cathal McShane had notched Tyrone's goal late in normal time, McShane's second goal proved decisive as the Kingdom were forced to play the final 20 minutes of action without injured David Clifford.

Originally published in June 2023

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All-Ireland winner and BBC Sport NI pundit Oisin McConville gives his prediction for Tyrone v Kerry in this year's semi-final:

"Tyrone will have to be much better than they were against Dublin in the quarter-final. It was a poor-quality game, but they won having not played well.

"They find themselves in an All-Ireland semi-final having not really hit the heights yet, but they still have a forward line to be reckoned with and they can bring Tyrone on to the next level.

"From what I've seen of Kerry this year, I wasn't massively impressed with them but against Armagh, they went to a completely different sphere that a lot of people probably couldn't think they could get to.

"I don't think they can get to that place again, but if they are a little bit off and Tyrone hit the heights with their forward-line then they have a great opportunity to win the game.

"But I do think when an All-Ireland is there to be taken, Kerry will sniff blood at this stage.

"The way they got it so right the last day against Armagh, it's difficult to see them being beaten but Tyrone, at their best, have a great chance."

Oisin McConville will be part of BBC Sport NI's team for the semi-final, which can be watched on BBC Two NI and BBC iPlayer on Saturday from 16:25 BST.

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Donegal have been handed a boost ahead of their All-Ireland semi-final against Meath as Caolan McGonagle returns to the panel.

The defender is named on the bench after missing the last four games with a foot injury sustained in the defeat against Tyrone in the first game of the round robin series.

He takes Aaron Doherty's place amongst the replacements.

Jim McGuinness has named an unchanged starting side from the comeback win over Monaghan in the quarter-finals, with captain Patrick McBrearty again benched.

Meath have also named the same starting side from the one that enjoyed a stunning win over Galway last time out with the same substitutes too.

There is a positional change with Keith Curtis moving to left half forward and Matthew Costello coming in at full forward.

Donegal: S Patton; F Roarty, B McCole, P Morgan; R McHugh, E Ban Gallagher, C McColgan; H McFadden, M Langan; S O'Donnell, C Thompson, C Moore; C O'Donnell, M Murphy, O Gallen.

Subs: G Mulreany, S McMenamin, O McFadden Ferry, E McHugh, C McGonagle, O Doherty, P McBrearty, J Brennan, N O'Donnell, D O Baoill, J McGee.

Meath: B Hogan; S Lavin, S Rafferty, R Ryan; Donal Keoghan, S Coffey, C Caulfield; B Menton, A O'Neill; C Duke, R Kinsella, K Curtis; J Morris, M Costello, E Frayne.

Subs: S Brennan, B O'Halloran, E Harkin, J McEntee, C McBride, C Gray, A Lynch, D McGowan, S Walsh, D Moriarty, C Hickey.

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Michael McKernan has been passed fit to be a part of Tyrone's panel for Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final against Kerry.

The Coalisland clubman, 27, was a doubt for the game at Croke Park (17:00 BST) having missed the quarter-final victory over Dublin thanks to a shoulder injury picked up in the round-robin stage against Cavan.

Red Hands' coach Colm McCullagh had appeared to rule the half-back out of the semi-final earlier this week but he has been named among Malachy O'Rourke's replacements.

Mark Bradley is also on the bench having been a late scratch from the win against Dublin two weeks ago.

O'Rourke has named an unchanged starting line-up from the one that beat the Dubs in what proved to be Dessie Farrell's last game in charge of Dublin.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Cormac Quinn, Padraig Hampsey, Niall Devlin; Peter Teague, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seanie O'Donnell, Peter Harte, Ciaran Daly; Darren McCurry, Mattie Donnelly, Darragh Canavan.

Subs: Oisin O'Kane, Aidan Clarke, Michael Rafferty, Frank Burns, Michael McKernan, Ben McDonnell, Michael O'Neill, Conor Meyler, Eoin McElholm, Mark Bradley, Ruairi Canavan.

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With Tyrone and Kerry braced to write the latest chapter of an intense and storied rivalry in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, here's a look back at the 2008 final, which the Red Hands won 1-15 to 0-14.

Tommy McGuigan's goal a minute after half-time helped Tyrone maintain their winning championship sequence against the Kingdom in the 2008 All-Ireland decider with man of the match Sean Cavanagh's five points also proving crucial for Mickey Harte's side.

Tyrone's build-up to the match had been dominated by Stephen O'Neill's return to the squad for the decider, although he was relatively subdued after being introduced for the injured Colm McCullagh on 23 minutes.

Kerry led 0-8 to 0-7 after a first half which included an astonishing score by Brian Dooher moments after a superb save by Finbarr McConnell as the Tyrone skipper burst down the right-hand sideline, brushed off three challenges, before arrowing the ball over the bar.

McGuigan's goal put the Red Hands ahead immediately after the resumption and while a Colm Cooper point saw the Kingdom regain the advantage in the 56th minute, Tyrone finished the stronger to clinch their third title in six seasons.

Originally published in June 2023

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With Tyrone and Kerry braced to write the latest chapter of an intense and storied rivalry in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, here's a look back at the 2005 final, which the Red Hands won 1-16 to 2-10.

After regaining the All-Ireland title in 2004, Kerry faced up to Tyrone again in the 2005 decider but once again the Red Hands proved too good as Peter Canavan's classy finish for his first-half goal ultimately proved the difference between the sides.

Dara O Cinneide's early goal helped the Kingdom lead 1-2 to 0-2 but Mickey Harte's side dominated the second quarter with Canavan's precise low strike past Diarmuid Murphy after an Owen Mulligan pass contributing to the Red Hands' 1-8 to 1-5 half-time lead.

A couple of Stephen O'Neill points kept Tyrone in control despite Kerry's best efforts and, while Tomas O Se did blast in a second Kingdom goal in the 56th minute to cut the margin to one, scores from Canavan, O'Neill, Brian McGuigan and Philip Jordan helped the Red Hands close the game out.

After notching his first-half goal, Canavan was substituted but the Errigal Ciaran star was introduced again during the closing stages of the second half in what proved his final inter-county appearance before his retirement.

Tyrone clinched the title after a remarkable 10-game campaign which saw them requiring replays against Cavan and Armagh in the Ulster semi-final and final, with the Orchard men winning the provincial title, and then having two contests against Dublin in the quarter-finals.

Originally published in June 2023

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Paudie Clifford has once again missed out on selection in Kerry's starting line-up for Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Tyrone (17:00 BST).

The Fossa player made a telling impact from the bench in the Kingdom's quarter-final victory over Armagh but Jack O'Connor has opted for the same again going into this weekend's last four match.

The Kerry manager makes two changes to his starting team with Mike Breen, who missed that victory over Armagh through injury, in at centre-back and Michael Burns named in the half-forward line.

Mark O'Shea and Tom O'Sullivan make way with captain Gavin White starting at half-back.

Tony Brosnan and Tadhg Morley return to the match-day squad and are alongside Paul Geaney and Clifford in the replacements.

Kerry: S Ryan; P Murphy, J Foley, D Casey; B O Beaglaioch, M Breen, G White; S O'Brien, J O'Connor; M Burns, S O'Shea, G O'Sullivan; D Clifford, C Geaney, D Geaney.

Replacements: S Murphy, K Spillane, E Looney, A Heinrich, TL O'Sullivan, P Clifford, M O'Shea, T Kennedy, T Morley, P Geaney, T Brosnan.

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With Tyrone and Kerry braced to write the latest chapter in an intense and storied rivalry in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, here's a look back at the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final, which the Red Hands won 0-13 to 0-6.

A year after squandering a half-time lead to lose the All-Ireland Final against Armagh, the Kingdom were to endure an even more chastening afternoon as the Red Hands dominated the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final from the start despite losing talisman Peter Canavan to injury early on.

Tyrone's insatiable desire saw them hit the opening six points and the lead was 0-9 to 0-2 at half-time as the Kingdom had no match for the Red Hands' running game and ferocity in the tackle.

One lengthy sequence of play in the first half saw Kerry's firstly Dara O Cinneide and then Eoin Brosnan, while in their own half, become surrounded by a posse of Tyrone players as they fruitlessly attempted to gain ground with ball in hand.

A furious Pat Spillane delivered his verdict to the TV audience afterwards but there had been no doubting Tyrone's superiority on a day when Paidi O Se's side had no answer to the game plan devised by Mickey Harte.

Originally published in June 2023

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With Tyrone and Kerry braced to write the latest chapter in an intense and storied rivalry in Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, here's a look back at their first championship meeting in the 1986 All-Ireland final, which the Kingdom won 2-15 to 1-10.

Kerry's 1986 triumph proved the last hurrah for Mick O'Dwyer's legendary band of Kingdom players as they clinched an eighth Sam Maguire in 12 years but they were already creaking that day as Tyrone's inexperience saw them contrive to lose a seemingly insurmountable seven-point advantage with just over 20 minutes left.

Granted, McCabe's skied penalty over the bar was the obvious turning point but it shouldn't necessarily have been as his point had increased the Red Hands' advantage to seven.

McCabe, who was Tyrone's first All-Star in 1980, later said that Tyrone had factored in every possible scenario that day apart from having to hold onto a big lead.

Sam did indeed seem on his way north of the border for the first time since Down's 1968 triumph as Paudge Quinn's goal helped the Red Hands take their big lead.

A successful McCabe penalty past Charlie Nelligan would have put Tyrone nine ahead but within seconds that man Spillane has palmed the ball to the net past Aidan Skelton at the other end to cut the Red Hands' advantage to four.

Mikey Sheehy, finally given room to express himself after the injury-enforced departure of teak tough Tyrone defender Lynch, soon blasted in Kerry's second goal as the Kingdom outscored their shell-shocked opponents 1-11 to 0-2 in the closing 20-odd minutes of action.

Originally published in June 2023

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Oisin McConville has extended his stay as Wicklow senior football manager for another two years, taking him through to the end of the 2027 season.

The Armagh All-Ireland winner was appointed in 2022 and led the county to the Tailteann Cup semi-finals in June, where they lost to Limerick.

The Leinster county also narrowly missed out on promotion to Division Three earlier this year.

Following that loss, McConville questioned whether he would continue in the role given the travel commitments.

McConville was co-manager of his own club Crossmaglen when they won the Ulster title in 2015.

He also managed Seneschalstown in Meath and had a spell in charge of Monaghan outfit Inniskeen Grattans.

"This year, under his leadership, Wicklow came within a score of promotion and delivered a thrilling Tailteann Cup semi-final display, only to be edged out by Limerick in the closing minutes," Wicklow GAA said.

"The progress achieved on and off the field has been widely commended by players, supporters and county board delegates alike."

Their statement added: "His commitment to fostering emerging talent, refining our tactical identity and driving a high-performance culture gives us every confidence that Wicklow football will continue to flourish."

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Derry GAA football manager Paddy Tally has left his role with the Oak Leafers after spending a sole season in charge.

After a protracted search, Tally was appointed as Mickey Harte's successor in November for what was to be a three-year term.

Instead, his time at the helm lasted only eight months during which the side failed to win a game.

After winning the Allianz League in 2024 under Harte, they were relegated from Division One this season before a 10-point loss to Donegal in the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship and a round robin exit from the All-Ireland.

"I want to thank my management, backroom and medical team and most importantly the players for their commitment and dedication over the past season," said Tally.

"Thank you to Derry County Board and the staff in Owenbeg and Celtic Park for their hospitality and support. I wish the Derry senior footballers the best for the future".

A Derry statement said Tally "brought integrity and energy to the role along with a deep commitment to the players".

Harte also only spent one campaign in charge, meaning Derry are looking for a new permanent manager for the third time in as many seasons.

Orla Bannon
BBC Sport NI Journalist

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Tyrone coach Colm McCullagh said that "time is running out" for defender Michael McKernan in his battle to be fit for Saturday's All-Ireland semi-final game against Kerry.

McKernan was substituted after picking up a shoulder problem against Cavan three weeks ago.

It had been anticipated that if Tyrone could beat Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final, it would give McKernan a chance to feature in a last four tie.

However, McCullagh has dashed Tyrone fans' hopes just a few days out from their semi-final showdown against the Kingdom in Croke Park.

"Michael is improving, he is coming on, but this weekend will be too soon for him," he said.

"Unless there is a major improvement in the next couple of days it is looking very unlikely.

"He picked up a fairly serious enough shoulder injury early on against Cavan and it's no contact stuff for him at the minute."

Tyrone have been patchy all season mixing the good with the poor, but McKernan has been one of their most consistent performers all year.

A notable man-marker, he has also enjoyed the new rules and kicked a string of monster two-pointers for the Red Hands.

However, his bright season came to an abrupt end when he shipped a heavy knock against Cavan and left the field in Brewster Park in real distress.

With quality players like David and Paudie Clifford as well as Sean O'Shea on the opposing team on this weekend, McKernan's absence will be a real blow.

"Michael is trying his best to make it work for him, he is doing all he can and the medical team are doing all they can," added McCullagh.

"It's just the time could be running out for him possibly.

"We have a clean bill of health otherwise, a few wee niggles but nothing serious."

Meanwhile, Mark Bradley has declared himself fit to feature having sat out the last two games.

"I've had a few niggles throughout the year with my calves, it's very unpredictable," he said.

"You could be doing a warm-up and you just feel it. It's not like sprinting or like with your hamstring where you know you're going to hurt it, but it's all good at the minute, I'm training away."

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Kerry have been handed a double injury blow with Tom O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Connor ruled out of their All-Ireland semi-final against Tyrone on Saturday.

Defender O'Sullivan misses out with a calf problem, which forced him to come off in the quarter-final win against Armagh.

Midfielder O'Connor will be absent with a shoulder problem that has hindered him throughout the season.

They join Barry Dan O'Sullivan on the sidelines after the Dingle man ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the campaign.

The Kingdom's boss Jack O'Connor is also sweating on the fitness of the likes of Tony Brosnan, Tadhg Morley, Mike Breen and Paul Geaney for the last four tie, although all four are back in training.

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Raymond Galligan has stepped down as Cavan senior football boss after two years at the helm.

The Breffni County's former Ulster Championship-winning captain's departure was confirmed in a statement by Cavan on Monday afternoon.

"Cavan GAA would like to put on record their appreciation and gratitude for the huge commitment and effort Raymond and his management have given to Cavan football," it read.

"We wish Raymond, his wife Niamh and their two young children the best in the future and thank you again from all in Cavan GAA."

The former All-Star goalkeeper, who made 119 appearances for Cavan, succeeded Mickey Graham as manager ahead of the 2024 season.

Last year, Cavan finished third in Division Two, lost to Tyrone after extra-time in the Ulster quarter-finals and failed to progress past the All-Ireland group stages.

Following a fourth-place finish in Division Two this year, they again fell to Tyrone in the last eight of the Ulster series, but reached the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals after a shock round-robin win over Mayo in Castlebar.

His last match in charge was the preliminary quarter-final loss to Kerry in Killarney last month.

Galligan is the second managerial change in Ulster in recent weeks with Andy McEntee having stepped down as Antrim boss after three years in the role.

The GAA has admitted there was "confusion" over the final score of Tipperary's All-Ireland Hurling Championship semi-final win over Kilkenny.

The full-score at Croke Park has been confirmed as a 4-20 to 0-30 victory for Tipp, but it had been recorded as a 4-21 to 0-30 win.

The confusion came after Tipperary midfielder Noel McGrath's effort in the 70th minute was waved wide but was registered as a point on the scoreboard in the stadium - which left the eventual winners with 4-21.

That left Kilkenny chasing a goal in the closing stages thinking they were four points behind, when in theory they could have taken points to draw level in additional time as there were three points between the sides.

"The GAA can confirm that the official score at the end of the Tipperary v Kilkenny GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final was 4-20 to 0-30," the statement read.

"The GAA acknowledges there was confusion over the final score.

"The CCCC is awaiting the full referees report in order to establish how the initial mistake occurred."

Speaking on the GAA Social podcast, two-time All-Ireland winner Jamesie O'Connor said: "This type of thing shouldn't happen, especially at Croke Park.

"If it's three points with four minutes left you are more inclined to tap it over the bar. With the time that was there Kilkenny have every right to feel aggrieved.

"It shouldn't take away from Tipp's win, which was merited, but this type of controversy, in a game of this magnitude and at headquarters with the technology that is available to us, it shouldn't have happened."

When asked if he would go off the scoreboard in the stadium if he was playing at Croke Park, Limerick's five-time All-Ireland winner Seamus Flanagan said: "100%".

"It has a massive bearing on the game, it really does," he added.

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Tipperary forward John McGrath reacts to Sunday's dramatic win over Kilkenny:

On the end of the match: "It's unbelievable. The finish to that game you just didn't know what was going to happen. We got a couple of really good scores to push ahead, they had chances to level it or get ahead. There was some serious defending back there. It was mayhem at the end and it's kind of hard to get your head around at the moment. It's unbelievably satisfying to get through."

On Oisin O'Donoghue's goal after Tipp were reduced to 14 players: "The youth and the bravery of him, he's still under-20 next year again. I don't even remember him hitting the ball, I just saw the net shake. It was a huge score at the time and it gave us that bit of breathing room. He's been doing that all year. You need those moments and those breaks, especially as we were under pressure near the end."

On facing Cork in the final: "The form is with them, I suppose. We've had a couple of tough outings against them already this year, but we've regrouped and found a little more along the way. They are probably a couple more years down the road than us. It took us a little to get into our stride as the season has gone on. There's a huge rivalry there going years back, between the teams and supporters, and a great bit of banter in it as well. It's a quick enough turnaround, so it'll be on you before you know it. It's great to be looking forward to it."