Preview: AIB All-Ireland Club IFC and JFC Semi-Finals
Eoin Bradley in action for Glenullin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Saturday January 3
AIB All-Ireland Club IFC semi-finals
Glenullin v Strokestown, Ballyshannon, 12.30pm
Fresh off his 42nd birthday, former Derry star Eoin Bradley is still going strong for Glenullin.
From the long-range free he converted late in the county final win over Foreglen to his 1-3 in the Ulster final defeat of Cavan's Cuchulainn's, the multi-talented forward has consistently delivered as an impact sub. No doubt opponents Strokestown will have a plan for his likely arrival in this game. Neil and Ryan McNicholl have been huge performers for Glenullin too.
The 2007 Derry senior champions took out the Antrim, Armagh, Monaghan and Cavan champions in Ulster, digging particularly deep in the extra-time semi-final win over Carrickmacross. An Ulster title impressively delivered in their 100th anniversary year.
No Roscommon club has ever won this competition. St Croan's (2015) and Michael Glaveys (2018) were defeated finalists. Strokestown's Connacht final win over Kilmeena, when they registered 4-11 in Castlebar, was arguably their best performance of the season. So perhaps they are coming good at the right time. A golden ticket to next weekend's final at Croke Park is the prize on offer.
An Ghaeltacht v Sallins, SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork, 1.15pm
This has been some season for Sallins. Division 1 League semi-finalists within Kildare and then unbeaten in both their county and provincial championship campaigns. It will take something special to stop Jonathan Daniels' side.
Kildare forward Colm Dalton went off with a hamstring injury in the Leinster final win over Tubberclair before coming back on in the second-half and finishing the game. His fitness is a big issue. The same goes for midfielder Paul Farrelly who went off against Tubberclair with an apparent knock.
Sallins started and finished the Tubberclair game strongly to win by seven. They beat Clara of Offaly by nine in the semi-final. Aside from that, they've won all their championship games this season by at least 10 points.
An Ghaeltacht, senior All-Ireland finalists in 2004, backed up their county final win over Fossa by taking out Clare's Corofin and Cork's Aghabullogue in Munster by five and seven-point margins. Kerry's Brian O Beaglaoich, their county final hero against Fossa, former Cork dual star Aidan Walsh, Tomas O Se and the four other O Beaglaoichs in the team have all been prominent for them.
Heartland Credit Union Páirc Seán MacDiarmada in Leitrim will host the AIB All-Ireland Club JFC semi-final. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
AIB All-Ireland Club JFC semi-final
Clogher Eire Og v Kiltimagh, Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean MacDiarmada, 12.30pm
This isn't entirely new ground for Kiltimagh. Back in 2010, current manager Mick Regan was also in charge when they got to the final of this competition and lost after extra-time to Castlegregory.
Their panel was buttressed by six Lydon brothers at the time. David, the youngest at 18 back then, was the only one of them to feature in the latest Connacht final win, a convincing one over Aughavas in November. Conor Heneghan and Micheal Schlingermann, players in 2010, are selectors now.
Kiltimagh needed penalties to defeat Roscommon's St Croan's in the provincial semi-final. Tyrone's Clogher experienced similar hardship in Ulster, requiring extra-time to see off the Fermanagh representatives at the semi-final stage.
They beat Emyvale by a point in the Ulster final and ran into another firefight against London's Tara, defeating them by the minimum also in their All-Ireland quarter-final tie, Ciaran Bogue with the stoppage-time winner and Marc McConnell their leading scorer again.
Joint manager Kevin F McConnell reported 'a lot of injuries' after that encounter so it remains to be seen what impact those have.
Ballymacelligott v Grangenolvin, Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale, 2pm
It bodes well for Ballymacelligott that their Munster final win over Buttevant was, by manager Ian Blake's estimation, among their best performances of the entire year.
They put 3-12 on the board in Mallow though the 4-12 they registered in the comprehensive semi-final win over Clonmel Og was impressive too.
Kerry clubs have made it to all but seven of the 23 All-Ireland junior deciders that have taken place, so Ballymacelligott were always going to fancy their chances once they finally got out of Kerry after a string of agonising near misses in recent seasons.
They only advanced this time after a tense penalty shoot-out win over St Senan's. Talisman Aidan Breen converted the last penalty in that one. Earlier in 2025, club minor player Luke Silles passed away after a water accident and a new set of jerseys, commissioned in memory of the 18-year-old, were worn for the provincial final, adding to the poignancy of that win.
Fionn Bergin struck six points for opponents Grangenolvin in their Kildare JFC final win in October. Since then they have racked up four impressive wins in Leinster, taking down St Brigid's Croghan firstly before dismissing Wexford's Cloughbawn, Europe's Barcelona Gaels and then a quality Fighting Cocks team from Carlow in last month's final.
Like Sallins at the intermediate grade, Grangenolvin are desperate to keep the Kildare flag flying and to make the trip to Croke Park for next weekend's final.
