St. Kierans GAA Club Notes:

As many of you are probably aware by now St Kierans GAA have launched their car draw fundraiser with a Ford Kuga or €40000 cash up for grabs.

Tickets are €50 each but we have put together two special Family/Group packages to give great value for those buying in bulk.

These packages are not just for families – friends, colleagues or neighbours can easily come together to buy a package.

Example: if 15 people team up to buy two €500 packages, each person contributes €67 and gets TWO tickets (which would normally cost €100 if bought separately)

If you are interested in purchasing a family/group package please contact David Woulfe 086 2205572 or Deirdre Ambrose 087 9509218.

All tickets purchased before November 30th will be entered in an early bird draw on December 1st for one night’s B & B for two af the Heritage Hotel Killenard, including afternoon tea, evening meal & €500 spending money. Your support for this important fundraiser is greatly appreciated.

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St. Kierans 0.11 Fr. Caseys 0.14

The senior footballers made their return to knockout football on Saturday afternoon as they travelled to Athea to take on 2024 county finalists Fr. Casey’s in a West Limerick derby.  The prize on offer for both sides was a semi-final berth against another West Limerick side, Newcastlewest. With four of the six sides who qualified for the knockout stages all hailing from the west division it shows the healthy state of the game in west Limerick at present. We came into Saturday’s game on the back of two extremely disappointing performances that saw us on the wrong side of heavy defeats to Kildimo / Pallaskenry and Mungret / St. Pauls. Written off by most in one respect the pressure was off as we were given very little chance of progression. But given it was out first quarter final appearance in three years and having performed so disappointingly in our last two outings pressure was high to perform. The Fealesiders played with the assistance of a strong breeze in the opening half as they played into the Carrigkerry end of the Athea venue which was once again excellently marshalled by club officials. Alan Daly opened our account early on following an excellent turnover in the middle third before the Abbeyfeale side equalised and would soon take the lead. The game was hard fought with the conditions making it difficult for either side to play an attractive expansive brand of football. Casey’s experienced campaigners at this level and containing several Limerick seniors amongst their ranks showed good composure in the opening half taking the right option in front of goal to keep the scoreboard ticking over and punish our indiscretions when required. Centre back Brendan McCarthy would find himself in an unusual position bearing down on the Casey’s goal as the half time whistle approached only to have his effort snuffed out by the Fr. Casey’s keeper who would prove to be our kryptonite throughout the game. A John Hayes two pointer from a free kept us intact before two late Casey’s points ensured that we trailed by five points at the interval. We would take confidence from the fact that we would have the wind at our backs and were it not for some wayward shooting in front of goal we could have been level. We began the second half brightly with scores from John Hayes and Alan Daly before Liam Kennedy would be brought down inside the penalty box as he made goal. Alan Daly stood up to the mark, but his left legged effort would be saved once again by the Casey’s keeper before John Hayes slotted over the subsequent 45. Putting the missed opportunity behind us, we continued   to press forward and regained momentum as second half substitutes Kevin Meade and Seán Long struck for points at the end of sustained attacks. As we came down the final stretch the Abbeyfeale side showed their experience as they maintained possession excellently as we couldn’t get our hands on the ball despite our best efforts. At the final whistle we bow out of the championship at the ¼ final stage. While we are undoubtedly disappointed to lose out in a game in which we had the opportunities to win we can take solace from the fact that we put in a drastically improved performance from our previous two. Our 2025 campaign comes an end having secured five points from our five group games. We played excellent football in our opening three games, blitzing Galtee Gaels and Ballylanders in the opening two rounds before showing great resolve to claw our way back into the game against Newcastlewest to secure a draw which would be enough to secure qualification. Undoubtedly the two performances against Kildimo / Pallaskenry and Mungret / St. Pauls were major disappointments. On both occasions we simply failed to perform to the level we know we can and were punished as a result. While one season ends another one begins as we already begin to look ahead to the 2026 season where progress is achievable but not without hard work throughout the winter. Many thanks to the players and management team of Mikey Greaney, Patrick Histon, Martin Kelly and Seamus O’ Donnell for their hard work, dedication and professionalism throughout the season and to team captain Darragh Treacy who continues to drive high standards within the group. While we are disappointed not to make the final four, we can look forward to 2026 with optimism. Team v Fr. Caseys Donie Nolan, Mossie Shine, Shane Fitzgerald, Aaron Heffernan, Mike Shanahan, Brendan McCarthy, Sean Ryan, Darragh Treacy, Liam Kennedy, Mike Long, John Hayes, Adam Lacey, Eoin McEnery, Conor McMahon, Alan Daly, Dylan Moloney, Kevin Meade, Sean Long, Jack O’ Sullivan, Anthon Mullins, Cormac Mann, Lorcan Murphy, James O’ Connor, Luke Corrigan, Bryan Sheehan, Jack Mulqueen, Shay Greaney, Darragh McMahon, Darragh Breen.

St. Kierans 3.14 Ballylanders 0.11

The Junior footballers renewed rivalries with Ballylanders on Bank Holiday Monday in Kilmallock. Both sides last championship encounter was in 2023, on that occasion the southerners took the spoils en route to winning the County Junior ‘B’ Championship. Fielding a much-changed side from that afternoon in Cappamore we began the game brightly and soon gained a foothold around the middle third with James O’ Connor and John Doyle performing well in midfield while up front the six forwards were winning their individual battles putting the defence under pressure which was duly punished by ace free taker Anthony Molyneaux. We led at the interval, 1.8 to 0.5 with a Mikey Kelly goal just before the break giving us some breathing space. A second Kelly goal just after halftime would put us in a commanding position as we moved the ball excellently which the Ballylanders side found very difficult to manage. Up front scores from Molyneaux, Cathal McEnery, Oisin Ryan and Ray Cahill increased our tally before a Darragh McMahon strike sealed the victory and progression to the penultimate stage of the championship this weekend. Our semi-final opponents will be group 1 table toppers Adare who like their senior counterparts enjoyed a rest weekend and progression directly to the semifinals with four wins from their five group games. The only blemish on their record came in the opening round when they suffered defeat at the hands of Castletown / Ballyagran. While we have played some excellent football to date, we face a huge step up in opposition this Sunday against Adare, many of whom have senior league and championship experience. Well done to the players and management team on another excellent performance. To qualify for the County Semi-Final in our first season at this grade is a fantastic achievement and all involved deserve huge credit. Sunday’s County Semi-Final has a 2pm throw in time in the Bog Garden, Rathkeale

Team v Ballylanders, Con Enright, Ian Mackessy, Shane Lynch, Shay Greaney, Fionn Gleeson, Diarmuid Mulcahy, Mikey Kelly, John Doyle, James O’ Connor, Cathal McEnery, Jack Harnett, Darragh McMahon, Luke Corrigan, Oisin Ryan, Anthony Molyneaux, Ray Cahill, Bryan Sheehan, Jack Mulqueen, Cillian Heffernan, Dan Duggan, Ben Cussen, Eoghan Sheehan.

St. Kierans 2.9 Monagea 4.11

The Junior hurlers took on Monagea on Friday evening last under lights in Mountcollins with a place in the County ½ final against Garryspillane the prize on offer for the winner. So far this season the team has played some excellent hurling along the way securing wins over Adare and Crecora. The first half was a closely contested affair between the two western rivals. Despite our slow start which saw us trail by four points midway through the opening half we managed to recuperate, and the two sides were deadlocked at the break 1.5 to 0.8. The Monagea side contained several players with West & County Junior ‘A’ Championship winning experience including some former St. Kieran’s players amongst their ranks and as the second half progressed they began to use their experience began to show as they would find the back of the net on four occasions to put a major dent in our aspirations. At the final whistle Monagea would emerge with an eight-point victory to advance to the penultimate stage of the championship as we bow out. While we are disappointed to bow out of the championship at this stage 2025 has been an excellent season for this group. The team contained an excellent blend of youth and experience with the elder players offering great guidance and support to the younger players many of whom were getting their first taste of adult hurling as they look to make the step up to Intermediate level in the years ahead. At the beginning of the season the decision was made to regrade to Junior ‘C’ level and undoubtedly this was the correct decision as we were extremely competitive in our five championship outings. With the addition of new players from the minor ranks as well as those who may step down from intermediate level there is no reason why this group cannot go a step further next season. Well done to the players and management team of Billy Breen, Mike Steele, Liam Scanlon, Brian O’ Neill, David Woulfe and Andrew Mullins on what has been a long and fruitful season. Team v Monagea Mike Steele, James Woulfe, Mikey Breen, Dan Duggan, Bryan Sheehan, Diarmuid Mulcahy, Luke Corrigan, Edward Fitzgerald, James O’ Connor, Billy Breen, Jonathan Ruttle, Oisin Commane, Anthony Molyneaux, Tony Doyle, Con Enright

Results for Monday 27th October 2025 as follows. Jackpot €5600.00.

Numbers Drawn: 6, 7, 8, 16. No Winner.

Lucky Dips

€40 Catherine Madigan Ardagh

€40 Tricia O Sullivan Carrigkerry

€40 Catherine O Sullivan Skehanagh

€40 Margaret Brouder Old Mill

€40 Fiona Hennessy Carrigkerry

Next Draw Monday 3rd November 2025with a jackpot of €5700.00.

Congratulations to Patricia O’ Sullivan who was a winner in the October edition of the Club Limerick draw. The Club Limerick draw is a vital source of income for the club, and we are greatly appreciative of the continued support of our large membership.