All-Ireland ladies football weekend at a glance

THE 2024 AIB All-Ireland Ladies Club Football Championship final line-up will be confirmed over the coming weekend.

12 clubs are chasing coveted slots in the Finals, to be played over the weekend of Saturday/Sunday December 14/15.

The Intermediate (3pm) and Senior (5pm) Finals are scheduled for Saturday December 14 at Croke Park, with the Junior decider to be played at Parnell Park on Sunday December 15 (2pm).

This Saturday, three semi-finals are down for decision, one in each grade, with a similar feel to Sunday’s action.

2024 AIB All-Ireland Club Championship semi-finals

Saturday November 30

Junior

Coolera/Strandhill (Sligo) v Mungret St Paul’s (Limerick), Kilcoyne Park, Tubbercurry, Sligo, 1.30pm

What a weekend this could turn out to be for Coolera/Strandhill.

On Saturday, their Ladies Footballers aim for an AIB All-Ireland Junior club Final slot, before the men go in search of Senior provincial glory on Sunday.

The Ladies navigated a trip to Maastricht last Saturday, where they got the better of Paris/Bordeaux in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Anna McDaniel (2-4) and Mairéad McIntyre (2-2) led the scoring charge for the winners, who will now pit their wits against Limerick and Munster champions Mungret St Pauls.

Mungret got the better of Cork opponents Midleton to claim the Munster title and they’ll face another stiff test against a club buzzing with confidence.

Coolera/Strandhill: B Harte; L Kilfeather, H Gilligan, E O’Malley (capt.); S Gilligan, E Cawley, N O’Callaghan; R Goodwin, S Dalton; S McDaniel, H Cotter, E McIntyre; L Kerrigan, O Murphy, A McDaniel.

Mungret St Pauls: C Bateman; C O’Neill, L Dunne, M Clancy; S Burke, C Moloney, J Buckley; C O’Meara, Á Ryan (capt.); E O’Rourke, G McKenna, N Crowley; J Casey, M O’Malley, N O’Keeffe.

Intermediate

Mullahoran (Cavan) v Bennekenny/Tinryland (Carlow); Kingspan Breffni, Cavan, 2.30pm

This has been an historic campaign for Carlow’s Bennekenny-Tinryland, who are one step away from Croke Park.

A maiden Leinster title was annexed with victory over Meath opponents Dee Rangers but Cavan and Ulster champions Mullahoran will represent another considerable challenge.

Both teams have plenty of experienced inter-county stars in their ranks, including the Sheridan sisters for Mullahoran, while Bennekenny/Tinryland have Carlow captain Ruth Bermingham and ace attacker Clíodhna Ní Shé to call upon.

Leah Mullins produced a Player of the Match display in the Leinster Final and her defensive skills will be needed once again as Mullahoran produced a dominant Ulster Final display to defeat Monaghan opponents Carrickmacross.

Aishling Sheridan, Kate Fegan and Emilia Mussi are in-form Mullahoran attackers who will need close watching, with the likes of Geraldine and Mona Sheridan pulling the strings further back.

Mullahoran: F Higgins; H Brady, A Galligan, C (Brady) Denneny; A Reilly, G Sheridan, S Reilly (capt.); M Sheridan, A Deneher; C Sheils, E Mussi, N Sheils; K Smith, A Sheridan, K Fegan.

Bennekenny/Tinryland: S Cotter (capt.); C Mahon, L Corcoran, L Mullins; R Bermingham, N Mohan, M Cranny; E Lowry,

E Ware; A Webb, C Ní Shé, L Dwyer; O Woods, S Nolan, S Hayden.

Senior

Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) v Castleisland Desmonds (Kerry); Pairc de Burca, Stillorgan, Dublin, 2pm

Kilmacud Crokes pushed holders Kilkerrin-Clonberne all the way to extra-time in last year’s semi-final – and the Dublin and Leinster champions will be confident of going one step further this time.

But they’ll get nothing easy from a Castleisland Desmonds side who recently captured the Munster title for the first time since 1986.

Crokes have class all over the pitch, from Galway’s TG4 All-Star nominated goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower through to left corner forward, where former Dublin senior star Éabha Rutledge has been in superb form.

Galway’s TG4 All Star Ailbhe Davoren is another top player, while Crokes also have Cork’s Niamh Cotter and Aoife Kane, Molly Lamb, Grace Kós, Lauren Magee and Michelle Davoren to call upon, all players with recent inter-county experience in Dublin colours.

Throw Donegal’s Niamh Carr into the mix and it’s a potent Crokes line-up but Desmonds will look to the likes of Kerry stars Eilís Lynch, Cáit Lynch, Lorraine Scanlon and Julia Curtin for inspiration on their trip to the capital.

Former Ireland rugby captain Ciara O’Sullivan will captain Desmonds from the centre of the park.

Kilmacud Crokes: D Gower; N Carr, E Sweeney (capt.), P Greene; A Kane, M Lamb, K Murray; G Kós, L Magee; N Cotter, A Davoren, L Kane; A Conroy, M Davoren, É Rutledge.

Castleisland Desmonds: J Drumm; H Herlihy, E Lynch, H Bourke; G Kearney, K O’Connor, C Lynch; L Scanlon, C O’Sullivan (capt.); A Curtin, A Murphy, A Leonard; L Walmsley, J Curtin, L Griffin.

Sunday December 1

Junior

Na Dúnaibh (Donegal) v Kilcock (Kildare); Na Dúnaibh GAA, Letterkenny, Donegal, 1pm

After Dungloe and Naomh Muire went close, Na Dúnaibh got over the line to become Donegal’s first AIB Ulster Junior club champions.

Victory over Down opponents Warrenpoint not only secured provincial silverware for Na Dúnaibh, but also guaranteed a home All-Ireland semi-final against Kildare’s Kilcock, representing Leinster.

Na Dúnaibh had Denise Doherty, Lauren McBride and Shannon McGroddy landing the crucial Ulster Final scores, as Grace White landed six points for Kilcock in their Leinster Final victory over Wexford’s Baile Dubh Tire.

These are two well balanced sides aiming for a Parnell Park Final on Sunday December 15.

Home advantage could prove crucial for Na Dúnaibh but Kilcock have been in excellent form themselves and will make the trip to Donegal with plenty of confidence.

Na Dúnaibh: C Shevlin; J Roberts, C Hay, M Doherty; M O’Connell, N Gallagher, M Wilkin; J Trearty, C McLaughlin; A McLaughlin, M.T. Boyce, S McBride (capt.); D Doherty, S McGroddy, L McBride.

Kilcock: E Kelly; M Finan, A McGrath, A Morrow; R Cribbin, E Maguire, T McGonagle; S Byrne, S O’Sullivan (capt.); E Robinson, A O’Connor, S Lavin; E Powderly, G White, S Nolan.

Intermediate

Annaghdown (Galway) v O’Donovan Rossa (Cork), Annaghdown GAA, 1pm

Annaghdown were All-Ireland Intermediate club champions in 2016 and the Galway champions are now targeting another Final appearance.

After landing the county title, Annaghdown went on to clinch the Connacht crown before seeing off Dunedin Connollys in Edinburgh in last weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final.

Bronagh Quinn netted twice, while Isabella Killalea and Ciara Hegarty also scored goals as Annaghdown completed a comfortable win.

Waiting in the long grass and preparing for a trip to the West are Cork’s O’Donovan Rossa, the 2023 All-Ireland Junior champions.

The step up to Intermediate football hasn’t fazed them in the slightest and they now have the chance of making it to back-to-back national deciders.

They’ve carried their 2023 momentum into 2024 and more county success was followed up by a Munster Final victory over Limerick opponents St Ailbe’s.

Éabha O’Donovan, player of the match in the 2023 Junior Final, scored four points in the Munster Final but this was also an exceptional defensive display – and it will need to be again.

Annaghdown: E Lynch; R Fahy, I Claffey, M Canavan; Chelsie Crowe, Chloe Crowe (capt.), B Quinn; S O’Grady, R Naughton; R Quinn, C Hegarty, J Burke; E Keane, C McCarthy, B Naughton.

O’Donovan Rossa: E Hayes; M Donnellan, A Whooley, A Tobin; F Leonard, S Hurley, E McCarthy; L O’Mahony (capt.), T

Murphy; J Beechinor, K O’Donovan, L Harte; E O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll, M O’Neill.

Senior

Clann Éireann (Armagh) v Kilkerrin Clonberne (Galway); Clann Éireann GAA, Armagh, 2.30pm

With seven successive Connacht titles in the bank, Galway’s Kilkerrin-Clonberne are now chasing a fourth successive All-Ireland Senior title.

Mayo’s Westport showed enough in the provincial decider to suggest that the gap is closing but Kilkerrin-Clonberne still eased to victory when the chips were down.

Now they face Armagh’s Clann Éireann for an All-Ireland Final slot – and the Ulster champions have home advantage.

Clann Éireann will feel they have some making up to do after losing out by 0-5 to 1-10 against Waterford’s Ballymacarbry in the 2023 semi-final.

They’ll look for a much-improved performance 12 months on but this is the ultimate test.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne have Nicola Ward, the TG4 Senior Players’ Player of the Year and All-Star, and twin sister Louise in their line-up, along with the Divilly sisters Niamh, Siobhan and recently-crowned All-Star, Olivia.

Clann Éireann will be no pushovers, however, as they’re anchored by county team captain Clodagh McCambridge, who’ll be joined by the likes of Roisin Mulligan, Dearbhla Coleman, Cait Towe, Niamh Coleman, Niamh Henderson, Tiarna Grimes and Niamh Murray, who has been in excellent attacking form. These are players with inter-county experience and every ounce of that will be needed against the visitors.

Clann Éireann: C Lawless; E Melanophy, C McCambridge, G Carville; R Mulligan, M McCann, D Coleman; C Towe, N Coleman; A Donohue, N Henderson (capt.), T Grimes; E McConaghy, N Murray, M McCambridge.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne: L Murphy; C Costello, S Gormally, N Divilly; K Mee, N Ward, H Noone; S Divilly, A Madden; O Divilly, L Ward (capt.), L Noone; E Noone, A Morrissey, C Miskell.