LGFA round-up
Kevin Egan
There will be little time for reflection and recovery after the weekend’s games in the various Roscommon LGFA club championships, as the players are back in action tonight (Thursday) in most grades, following a decision by the county executive to avoid a clash with the Electric Picnic festival.
That means there will be a festival of football across the county, and without doubt the headline act will be the meeting of Boyle and St. Brigid’s at Abbey Park.
Both teams are in tremendous form with back-to-back wins, and St. Brigid’s tally in their 5-19 to 6-9 win over St. Barry’s was the most scored in a single game by any team in the John Keane Kia Senior Championship for two years.
Edel Beirne (St. Barry’s) and Lucy Sheffield (St. Brigid’s) both hit hat-tricks in a game where St. Barry’s started well, but Sheffield’s three green flags gave the home side a 3-8 to 2-4 interval lead at Kiltoom.
Georgia Gerrity hit 1-5 from midfield for the Tarmonbarry club with Cara Cox and Emer Callaghan also on target with green flags.
St. Brigid’s always had a more balanced threat up front in a fast-paced game however, and they racked up the points before clinching the win with two fourth quarter goals from Marion Nolan.
Shannon Gaels kept their neighbours from Boyle at bay a lot longer in Croghan and when Sarah Meghan netted five minutes into the second half on what was her senior championship debut, there was just three points between the teams, 0-9 to 1-3.
The introduction of the LGFA’s August ‘Player of the Month’ proved to be a turning point however as Saoirse Wynne came on for Suzie Keenehan after 36 minutes and she was pivotal to a run of 3-6 unanswered for the winners.
Shannon Kerins, Megan McKeon, and Isabella King led a stalwart defensive effort for the 2023 county champions while Caoimhe Cregg (1-4), Aisling Feely (1-3) and Katie Conroy (1-1) led the scoring in a 3-13 to 1-4 win for Boyle, a margin that could have been greater but for crucial defensive interventions from Niamh O’Beirne and goalkeeper Aisling Egan.
Éire Óg are also riding high after they accounted for Clann na nGael at Johnstown, taking the biggest steps towards their 3-9 to 0-9 win shortly after half-time when Alannah McGreal and Rebecca Finan goaled in quick succession for the West Roscommon side.
Clann were without Áine Connaughton and the presence of the county full-back might have made life tougher for Finan, who ended the game with 1-5. As it was, two points from returning emigrant Sinéad Farrell and 0-6 from Róise Lennon, as well as an impressive performance from county minor Christina Waldron, were among very few bright spots.
Clann meet St. Dominic’s on Thursday, also in Johnstown, and the Knockcroghery club are also in the doldrums after succumbing to a 3-13 to 2-11 defeat to St. Ciarán’s.
Ciara Dowd (2-6), Laura Mannion (1-3) and Shauna Kilroe (0-3) scored all bar one point for the winners, who were two points in front at half-time, then overcame a surge from the hosts at the start of the second half through Dowd’s second goal, scored from the penalty spot.
Pearses and Harps make the early running
Pádraig Pearses and Western Gaels experienced very different fortunes in 2025 in the Hannon’s Hotel IFC and it was no surprise then that it was one-sided fare in Frenchpark when the two sides met on Sunday.
Teenagers Laura Glennon and Esmae Halpin were to the fore in Pearses’ 8-23 to 0-5 win, while Gráinne Lohan also weighed in with a second-half goal.
Northern Harps had tougher questions to answer in Kilbride but they came up with the solutions they needed, and two goals apiece from Ciara Cunningham and Lauren Shanagher – not to mention crucial fourth-quarter goal saves from Annette McDermott and Emma Gormley – powered them to a 4-9 to 3-6 win over Ollie Lennon’s side.
By far the most competitive game of the day in the intermediate championship was at Enfield, where Shannon Hibbitt struck 1-1 late on to give Michael Glaveys their first win of the Summer, 2-7 to 1-9 over St. Croan’s.
The early form in the Castlerea Vehicle Recycling JFC hinted that Sunday’s local derby in Tulsk was a potential preview of the county final, and the quality of play in St. Mary’s 3-10 to 1-12 win over Oran added further weight to that view.
Orla Connolly put in a display of real leadership for Oran while Chloe Coyne marked herself out as a potential future star by holding her own in a ding-dong one-on-one contest with county star Niamh Feeney, but overall the women in maroon just had that little bit more balance and quality, with Michelle Rogers, Fiona Jones, Grace Jones and Louise Brady catching the eye, their goals coming from Emma Jones and Kate Murray.
Four Roads are well in the hunt as they took advantage of St. Faithleach’s rustiness in Ballyleague. The Shannonsiders were making their first appearance of this championship, but they fell short by 2-5 to 0-8, with Síofra and Clodagh Finneran getting the crucial goals for Four Roads.
O’Rourke Park played host to the other game in this grade, with Castlerea eventually overcoming St. Michael’s/St. Ronan’s by 2-14 to 1-11, in no small part due to a fantastic performance from Lisa O’Rourke.
At Junior B level, Boyle had a big win over Michael Glaveys, Roscommon Gaels beat Pearses by 2-11 to 2-3, Kilbride edged a tight game against St. Dominic’s and St. Brigid’s exploited their goalscoring edge to beat Shannon Gaels by 7-6 to 1-5.
