Brigid’s under pressure to bring Fahey Cup back to Kiltoom
Anthony Cunningham and his St. Brigid's players will be expected to win the Fahey Cup this season after falling short against Pádraig Pearses in last year's championship quarter-final. Picture: INPHO/Tom Maher
With the Galway Races in full swing, the runners and riders are lining up for the Fahey Cup Steeplechase this weekend.
St. Brigid’s are favourites, Pádraig Pearses have never won back-to-back Gold Cups, Boyle are primed to be in contention coming up the final furlong, Roscommon Gaels appear to be a bit anxious as the white tape goes up, while Clann na nGael and Oran will hope not to fall three fences out, as they have done recent races.
Here’s my form guide for this year’s Hodson Bay Hotel Group sponsored Roscommon Senior Football Championship.
Anthony Cunningham’s men find themselves as firm favourites to win the Fahey Cup with another Division One League title in the trophy cabinet.
They will sleepwalk their way out of their group. After that comes the acid test to prove their worth, which they failed in 2024.
As the defending champions set sail for another voyage, they will have been delighted not to have reached the O’Rourke Cup final.
On the last two occasions in league and championship, they’ve beaten Brigid’s. That’s money in the bank if their paths cross.
I just wonder if they can filter the hurt and disappointment of losing last season’s Connacht club final out of their system.
The beaten finalists from 2022 and 2023 are my wild card for 2025.
Eamonn O’Hara will have them set up perfectly to embrace the new rules. They are loaded with scoring forwards, and if their running game clicks, they will be as dangerous as black ice on a road in the height of winter.
If they could top their group, a great season awaits.
Last year, they took a knockout blow in the league final, but bounced back to reach the championship decider.
Lightning has struck twice as St. Brigid’s inflicted more league final misery on Mark Dowd’s men a few weeks ago.
They should be in the race heading for home, but could struggle to win a semi-final if all the big guns are still standing.
Since Pat Fallon arrived three years ago, Clann have been excellent in the group stages — resembling a side with genuine potential only to fall at the quarter-final hurdle.
They have to put that right before they can be considered as serious challengers.
Since coming up from intermediate in 2020, they have always found a route out of the group stages.
But they appear to have a major hangover once they reach the quarter-finals and have yet to jump that fence after four failed attempts on the bounce.
A new broom in manager Pat Regan will be hoping to sweep them past that Haunted House in the last eight.
They were the story of 2024 as Iain Daly's men were seconds away from reaching the county final, only for Roscommon Gaels to pip them after extra time.
But they’ve endured a disastrous 2025 so far, confirmed by relegation from the O’Rourke Cup. If they have a full panel with the Heneghan contingent on board, they will make it out of their group.
At one stage, their death warrant was being served during the league but they got bodies back, had a change of management and survived in Division One.
Their game against St. Faithleach’s looks like being the deal breaker.
Another of the recent intermediate winners who have survived at the top table.
Last season, they tore up the script by reaching the semi-final. Any team with the Murtagh brothers on board can leave the harbour for choppy waters with confidence.
The men from Frenchpark and Ballinagare have so much in common with cats — they have nine lives after surviving some close calls in recent seasons.
Under new manager Gerard Nolan, the Sky Blues enjoyed a solid O'Rourke Cup. They’ll invest so much into the opening game with Michael Glaveys next Friday evening.
It was massive for Dara Bruen’s men to secure senior championship football for a second year to keep their momentum going after winning the county and provincial intermediate titles in 2023.
With that experience on board alongside holding their place in the O’Rourke Cup this season, they are battle-hardened for another championship voyage.
On Sunday, they enter the lion's den in Oran for the opening round.
Before a ball is kicked in earnest, last year’s intermediate winners are viewed as one of the favourites to go down.
But there’s no better man than Nigel Dineen to baton down the hatches. Their group games against Michael Glaveys and Western Gaels are key to survival.
They will struggle to get enough scores on the board to win games. The loss of Niall Higgins to Navan O'Mahonys is also huge.
As the Tour de France was on its descent into Paris last Sunday, my riders were still facing stiff climbs.
Can you name the only Senior Hurler of the Year to manage a county to win the All-Ireland SHC? It was Brian Lohan who managed Clare to All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship glory in 2024.
QPR, Frenchpark, wore the yellow jersey down the Champs-Élysées.
Liam Dooley, Ballyhaunis; Fr John McManus, PP Castlerea; John Croghan, Bundoran; Murt Hunt, Ballyhaunis,; Michael Scally, Ballaghaderreen; Bernard Duffy, Longford/Loughglynn; Luigi, Ballyhaunis,; Gerry Gacquin, Athleague; Pat Deane, Williamstown; Mary Gilfillan, Kilmore; Paddy Conlon, Taughmaconnell; Noel Browne, Celbridge; Seán Farrell, Dublin; Paddy Duignan, Castlerea, Mick Fetherston, Dublin; David Callaghan, Castlerea; Paddy Boland, Youghal; Pat, Sligo; Mary McCarthy, Holloway, and Seán Toolan, Heston were among the top finishers in General Classification (GC).
This week’s Teaser: Can you name the last team in either hurling or football to win the All-Ireland senior title after losing the previous year’s final?
Answers by e-mail to willieefc@gmail.com or by text to 086 8356227. This week’s Teaser came from Athlone.
Star pupil: Paddy Fallon who scored 0-14 for Oran in their crucial senior hurling championship win over Tremane.
Crucial win for: Pádraig Pearses over Athleague in the Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship.
Much do better: It looks like Shelbourne’s Champions League dream will be short-lived as they trail Qarabag 3-0 from their First Leg Qualifying Round.
Spot of bother: Cork City are 11 points adrift at the bottom of the League of Ireland Premier Division after losing to Sligo Rovers.
Weekend highlight: Watching Kerry produce a masterclass of football in Croke Park — they were like Michelangelo with a paintbrush.
What a cracker: Of all the games on the opening weekend of the club championships, the meeting of Boyle and Roscommon Gaels floats my boat.
“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”
No team have managed to retain the Roscommon SFC since St. Brigid’s in 2016 and 2017.
BBC Two is putting real pressure on RTÉ after their brilliant coverage of both the All-Ireland senior hurling and football finals.
