Kilmore Rounders – a small club with a big story
The Kilmore junior mixed rounders panel that will contest next Sunday's All-Ireland final against Galway City Rapparees in Mallow.
That history of a small club being willing to think big feels particularly fitting when one looks at what Kilmore Rounders has achieved in such a short space of time.
For a club with a proud local heritage, Kilmore has already left a remarkable mark on Irish sport. It was Kilmore GAA that brought forward the historic motion to amend Rule 42, paving the way for rugby and soccer internationals to be played at Croke Park while Lansdowne Road was being redeveloped.
Situated just 10km outside Carrick-on-Shannon, across the border in North Roscommon, Kilmore GAA has a proud history and a strong connection with the local community.
In recent years, that spirit has also been reflected in the remarkable rise of Kilmore GAA Rounders, with the club now fielding men’s, women’s and mixed teams and continuing to make its mark in All-Ireland competition.
For a young and ambitious club, reaching an All-Ireland final just three years after the club was founded is a remarkable achievement. The mixed team’s journey this season has captured the spirit of Kilmore Rounders — hard work, determination, friendship and a strong sense of community — and has brought the club back onto the national stage when they face Galway City Rapparees in next Sunday’s All-Ireland Junior Mixed Rounders final in Mallow GAA Club.
Founded in 2023 by Nicola Craughwell and Clare Connellan — who sent a simple "who would be interested in joining a rounders club?" text to their local group — it soon became evident that many people were willing to be involved. Their very first training session saw an incredible 40 interested players turn up.
Kilmore’s playing journey began that winter in the Connacht Winter League, where their first competitive games came against Galway City Rapparees. That off-season competition proved invaluable for a brand new club.
Game by game, they learned the sport, developed their fielding and batting and improved enormously over the winter months.
Their national debut came at the 2024 Junior Day in Fenagh, County Carlow where they promptly went and won the mixed competition. Anyone watching that day could see this was a club destined for big things, driven by genuine talent and exceptional team chemistry.
With rounders firmly established in the parish, Kilmore prioritised youth development in that foundational first year, bringing an U-14 mixed team to Monaghan for the All-Ireland competition in Cloghan.
Meanwhile, the adult mixed team entered the championship and went from strength to strength, qualifying from their group and storming into the All-Ireland quarter-finals in Tymon Park with a win over Wexford side Gusserane.
Although their journey ended in the semi-finals against Inniskeen Grattans in Clonguish, reaching the final four in their inaugural championship season was a massive achievement.
Ambitious from the outset, Kilmore expanded in 2025 to field men’s, women’s, and mixed teams in All-Ireland competitions. Building on their initial experience, all three set-ups performed brilliantly during the group stages, with both the men’s and women’s panels advancing.
While the men earned a direct route to the semi-finals, the women’s team faced Monaghan side Inniskeen Grattans in a hard-fought quarter-final in Clonguish. Inniskeen took the win and ultimately went on to claim the 2025 All-Ireland title.
Ironically, the following month in Galway, Kilmore’s men’s team faced that very same team, Inniskeen Grattans, in the semi-finals. A tight, well-deserved victory provided sweet redemption, propelling Kilmore into their first All-Ireland junior final against Limerick’s St. Senan’s in Dunganny.
That final was an absolute classic that kept spectators on the edge of their seats for all five innings. Outstanding performances from Aidan Carr, Jamie Sharkey, Oisín Boland, and others, kept Kilmore right in the mix, before St. Senan’s eventually edged out a 10-6 victory.
Kilmore’s powerful 2025 campaign earned their men’s team promotion to the intermediate grade for 2026. They hit the ground running with an explosive 30-6 opening-day win over Dublin Metropolitans. Narrow losses against Emo and St. Senan’s followed, but Kilmore proved they could go toe-to-toe with established intermediate opposition.
They bounced back in style with a 15-10 win over Mayo’s Kilmeena, followed by an impressive 21-14 victory over St. Clare’s in Cavan. Having found their rhythm, the Men went on to face St. Clare’s again in the intermediate semi-final. Although Kilmore’s campaign came to an end at that stage, reaching the last four in their very first year at the grade was a fantastic achievement.
The semi-final itself was an excellent game, with Kilmore showing just how far they have progressed in such a short space of time.
It has been an equally impressive 2026 for the women’s team, who put together an unbeaten group campaign before defeating Wexford’s Gusserane 27-10 in the quarter-finals.
Their run came to an end against a powerful St. Kieran’s side in the semi-finals on Sunday, August 9th. Despite the 33-18 defeat, Kilmore showed tremendous heart, with brilliant defensive catches from Nicola Craughwell (back catcher), Joann Sharkey (second base) and Ruth McElhone (third base), alongside sharp base-running from Clodagh Sheerin, Carmel Murphy and Sinéad Beirne.
Meanwhile, Kilmore’s mixed team have enjoyed a superb season — and their journey isn’t over yet. After topping their group with a perfect record, they defeated Carlow’s Myshall 30-12 in the quarter-finals. The sides were closely matched until the fourth innings, when Kilmore found another gear and brought an incredible 18 runners home in a single turn at bat.
They followed that with a dominant 16-1 semi-final victory over Na Piarsaigh in Edenderry, driven by standout performances from Mark Harrington, Nicola Craughwell, James Jamieson and an on-fire Oisín Boland, who recorded no fewer than five clean catches and assisted another two outs on base.
That sets up a mouth-watering All-Ireland Junior Mixed final in Mallow GAA on Sunday. In another one of the sport's great moments in terms of showing how anything is possible with hard work and dedication, two clubs who first met less than three years ago playing in the Connacht Winter League will face each other again — this time with an All-Ireland title on the line.
While training, tactics, and talent explain their rapid rise, they only tell half the story. What makes Kilmore truly special is the extraordinary personal bonds within the squad.
Team management is entirely player-led: Aidan Carr (women’s team), Anna Carr and Nicola Craughwell (men’s team), and Seán Boland and Mark Harrington (mixed team).
Remarkably, the playing roster boasts no fewer than six married couples — Aidan and Ana Carr, John and Nicola Craughwell, Kevin and Irene White, Jamie and Joann Sharkey, Breian and Siobhán Carroll, and Oisín Boland and Clodagh Sheerin — and two parent-child combinations (Mark and Eli Harrington, and Seán and Oisín Boland), taking the concept of a "family club" to a whole new level.
That togetherness shows on the pitch. Kilmore plays with seamless trust, genuine warmth, and a refusal to give up on a play, or a team-mate.
While the whole club contributes to this unique culture, a few individuals deserve special mention: Seán Boland (Chairperson), Ruth McElhone (Secretary) and Nicola Craughwell (Communications).
This trio is the cornerstone of the club. Ruth manages seamless administration and fixtures while anchoring third base, Seán leads with warmth and vision, and Nicola is always available to assist with queries and step in wherever needed. Together, they epitomise the spirit of GAA Rounders.
Aidan and Ana Carr are the unmistakable faces of Kilmore Rounders. Whether playing, managing, coaching underage teams, driving nationwide to support fixtures, or umpiring, their absolute devotion to promoting and supporting rounders is inspiring. Everyone across GAA Rounders sends their best wishes to Ana for a speedy recovery following her injury during the women’s semi-final.
Kilmore’s special place in the hearts and minds of their fellow clubs was made official when they won the Junior Club of the Year Award at the 2025 All-Stars — an award voted for directly by their peers. Their hard work was further recognised when pitcher Aidan Carr was selected to represent GAA Rounders in the men’s exhibition game at the GAA World Games on in Waterford on July 16th.
With an All-Ireland junior mixed final awaiting on September 13th, underage training was reintroduced this summer and 40 registered members, so the future could not be brighter for the Roscommon club.
Kilmore’s story is a reminder of what makes GAA Rounders special. You don’t need to come from a huge club or have decades of history behind you. Get good people together, make everyone feel welcome, put in the work and enjoy doing it, and remarkable things can happen.
For a club that once helped change the course of Irish sporting history by thinking big, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that Kilmore Rounders is doing exactly the same.
Whatever happens over the coming weeks, Kilmore has flown the flag for Roscommon, Connacht and GAA Rounders with immense pride, skill and joy.
They team and management are wished every success as they try to create more history on Sunday.
