PLAYERS from the 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Football Club Finalists have gathered at Croke Park ahead of three eagerly-anticipated fixtures.
Among those in attendance were Kilkerrin/Clonberne captain Louise Ward, and Salthill/Knocknacarra captain Ailbhe Finnerty.
Clubs from five counties – Galway, Monaghan, Tipperary, Longford and Cork – have their eyes firmly set on silverware as they look ahead to the Senior, Intermediate and Junior deciders.
First up next Saturday, December 10, Croke Park will play host to an historic double-header as the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Intermediate and Senior Finals are played at the storied venue for the very first time.
The action gets underway at 3pm when Longford Slashers pit their wits against Tipperary outfit Mullinahone in the Intermediate decider.
That’s followed by the Senior showpiece between current holders Kilkerrin-Clonberne from Galway and five-time winners Donaghmoyne from Monaghan at 5pm – and both games will be televised live by TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/
On Sunday, December 11, attention switches to the 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Final between Cork outfit Naomh Abán and opponents Salthill-Knocknacarra from Galway, which will be played at Kilmallock GAA, Co. Limerick, at 1pm.
That game will be exclusively live to view via the LGFA’s streaming portal: https://page.inplayer.com/lgfaseason2023/item.html?id=1940390
For Kilkerrin-Clonberne, managed by Willie Ward and captained by his daughter, Louise, this will mark the club’s third successive appearance in a Senior All-Ireland Club Final.
They lost out to Mourneabbey in 2019 but gained revenge on their Cork opponents in January of this year to claim the 2021 title.
Willie’s twin daughters Nicola and Louise, will lead the Kilkerrin-Clonberne charge while the Divilly sisters, Olivia and Siobhan, are both experienced county players, and are joined by another sister, Niamh, in the club ranks.
The Kilkerrin-Clonberne side is sprinkled with inter-county talent from various grades, including the Noone sisters, Hannah, Eva and Lynsey, and TG4 All Star nominated goalkeeper, Lisa Murphy.
In their semi-final victory over Waterford outfit Ballymacarbry, Kilkerrin-Clonberne had another Galway ace, Ailish Morrissey, in sparkling form, as she weighed in with a haul of 1-3.
Standing in Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s way as they go in search of back-to-back All-Ireland Senior title are Donaghmoyne, who lost out to next Saturday’s opponents in the 2021 semi-final.
Donaghmoyne recently captured a 14th Ulster Senior title before going on to defeat Kilmacud Crokes in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Donaghmoyne, aiming for a first All-Ireland Senior club title since 2016, have been around the block, with a number of past and present Monaghan county stars in their ranks.
Goalkeeper Linda Martin is one of the very best in the business, while the Garland twins, Lauren and Amy, along with Aoife Burns, provide youthful exuberance to supplement the experience of the four Courtney sisters – Sharon, Cora, Fiona and Rosemary.
Both Intermediate Finalists, meanwhile, are gracing this stage for the very first time.
Longford Slashers will become the very first team from Longford to compete in an All-Ireland Club Final, while Mullinahone will hope to emulate the feat of Brian Borus in 2009 by winning the Intermediate Club title.
It’s been a remarkable rise for Mullinahone this year, when you consider that they contested a currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Final against winners St Judes from Dublin in February of this year.
Mullinahone came through a thrilling semi-final against Fermanagh opponents Derrygonnelly Harps after extra-time, as Longford Slashers got the better of Mayo side Charlestown to book their place in the Final.
In the Junior decider, first-time finalists Salthill-Knocknacarra will hope to become the second club from Galway to win this competition, following victory for Caltra Cuans in 2010.
Their opponents are Naomh Abán from Cork, who were All-Ireland Intermediate champions back in 2003.
Cork clubs can boast a good recent record in the Junior championship, as Donoughmore (2019), Glanmire (2018) and Aghada (2017) are all recent winners.
Salthill-Knocknacarra defeated Dublin club O’Dwyers in their recent semi-final, as Naomh Abán got the better of Monaghan opponents Castleblayney Faughs.
At a Croke Park photocall ahead of the games, Donaghmoyne and Kilkerrin-Clonberne were represented by their respective captains, Niamh Callan and Louise Ward.
Eimear O’Brien made the trip on behalf of Longford Slashers, while Mullinahone had captain Jennifer Brett in attendance.
The Junior Club Finalists, Naomh Abán and Salthill-Knocknacarra, were represented by respective captains, Una Twohig and Ailbhe Finnerty.
Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Mícheál Naughton, was also in attendance, alongside Barry Feeney, CFO at Payac Services, on behalf of competition sponsors, currentaccount.ie.
Looking ahead to the games, Ladies Gaelic Football Association President, Mícheál Naughton, said: “I would like to wish the six participating teams in the 2022 currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Club Championship Finals the very best of luck.
“We have three terrific games in store, with our Intermediate and Senior Finals forming an historic double-header at Croke Park, with both games live on TG4.
“ We will also live-stream Sunday’s Junior Final, and you can watch that with us via our InPlayer service.
“In recent weeks, we have been the fortunate position to watch all of the games in the All-Ireland series on live-streams, and the standard of football has been quite exceptional.
“I would also like to pay a special word of thanks to our sponsors, currentaccount.ie., who also sponsor our National Volunteer awards.
“There’s a wonderful synergy between the Credit Unions and the LGFA, with a huge emphasis on the volunteer spirit in action.
“I wish continued success to currentaccount.ie CEO, Mr. Seamus Newcombe, and his entire team, who are playing a vital role in local communities across the country with their suite of financial services.”
Speaking on behalf of currentaccount.ie, Chief Executive Mr. Seamus Newcombe commented: “Congratulations to all of the participating teams on reaching the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Club Championship finals.
“Currentaccount.ie and our participating Credit Unions - with over 200 offices throughout Ireland – are delighted to sponsor this year’s All Ireland Club Championships.
“This is a great opportunity for communities to come together and support their local and neighbouring teams, a sentiment that greatly resonates with our Credit Unions, as one of their focal points is building strong and stable communities.
“Community is at the heart of Irish culture and we are proud to help to promote community enhancement with the availability of our excellent Current Account service from participating Credit Unions throughout the country.
“The Credit Union Current Account, with its globally accepted debit card, competitive fee and friendly service, has been embraced by Credit Union members across the country and currentaccount.ie continues to expand its participation and availability in all four provinces.
“We look forward to more opportunities like this in the future, as we continue to build better, brighter, and more financially stable futures for communities across Ireland.”
==
Saturday December 10:
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Club Final – Longford Slashers (Longford) v Mullinahone (Tipperary); Croke Park, 3pm. LIVE TG4 https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo)
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Senior Club Final – Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) v Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway); Croke Park, 5pm. LIVE TG4 https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow)
==
Sunday December 11:
Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Intermediate Club Final – Naomh Abán (Cork) v Salthill-Knocknacarra (Galway); Kilmallock GAA, Co. Limerick, 1pm. LIVE ON LGFA INPLAYER https://page.inplayer.com/lgfaseason2023/item.html?id=1940390
Referee: Angela Gallagher (Dublin)
==
Ticket info:
Intermediate and Senior Final tickets available at: https://am.ticketmaster.com/gaa/
Junior Final tickets available at: https://www.universe.com/events/currentaccountie-all-ireland-junior-club-championship-final-tickets-QYLCHZ
==
About currentaccount.ie
Currentaccount.ie is the trading name of Payac Services, a shared services company established by Credit Unions. It is the only Credit Union Services Organisation (CUSO) of its kind in Ireland that is directly-owned and operated by participating Credit Unions. Member Credit Unions have 1.4 million members and a presence in over 200 locations throughout the country.
Details of the Credit Unions offering the full-service Current Account, as well as details of fees and charges for the new Current Account, are available at www.currentaccount.ie.
Official website: https://currentaccount.ie/
