A resounding success as we hosted the Avondhu Junior A Hurling
October 21, 2026
Killavullen GAA Club has ever reason to be proud of the significant achievement in successfully hosting the North Cork Junior A hurling final, on Saturday last, the 17th of October. We were blessed with beautiful autumnal weather, crisp and cold, but clear blue skies and that was in sharp contrast to 2025, when Churchtown hosted the game in incessant rain, and the year before, when the final, on the first occasion had to be called off, due to high winds in Kildorrery.
Hosting such a prestigious final takes a lot of organising, but we were very fortunate that, when the need was greatest, Killavullen GAA members stepped forward to help. Killavullen club has invested heavily in their ground of late. Sand is applied each second year to assist with the drainage, and that has helped to extend the playing opportunities into October for a field, that sits adjacent to the River Blackwater, on a flood plain.
Tim O Neill and Eamon Crowley had the field in pristine condition; it was as lush and green as any field that is in constant use all year could be in the month of October. We erected a fine scaffold platform for the Camera work of Jason Butlet and match commentary of Michael Linehan, and Kevin O Regan was responsible for that. We split our tickets sellers on the day, to the two entrances, with Des Bartley, leading out an experienced team, of eight sellers, and three collecting tickets stubs at that entrance, and Ian Roche having command of six people at the second entrance. We utilised the top of the second field for parking, and facilitated this, with agreement from the lease holder, John Magner. Entrance here was next to the community centre, down on Ross Street.
The parking in and around the main field was coordinated by Ger and Morgan Curran, Brian Fitzpatrick and Bill Martin, and they squeezed in cars so tight, that in truth we could have facilitated more, and that was a big concern in advance of the game. John Magner, Carrigacunna, Pat O Donovan, Ross Cannon and Ian O Mahony meant that all of the cars in the second field were in order, for ingress and getting out afterwards.
We had five people selling coffee, teas and treats from our Coffee Mill shipping container lead out by Dominic Lynch, and for this game, we had an auxiliary shop in front of the dressing rooms, that Molly Bartley managed very successfully for us. John Magner Bridgetown and Michael Linehan, Main Street ensure only those persons that needed to be on the field of play, were. Their jobs were greatly assisted, and we sincerely thank both participating clubs for the cooperation of each of them, from the teams and officials who took any advice on board from the marshals and stewards, and the courtesy that they reciprocated to then and which was extended to the Killavullen Club for the hosting of the Junior A hurling final.
Huge colourful crowds descending on Killavullen and we had stewards in every roadway to assist them. Invariably some panic parking occurred, when there were spaces closer to the village, but people were conscious that they needed to get away for other events afterwards. Fergal Larkin and Michael Cagney got everyone into the second field, whilst John Stafford and Oisin Bartley assisted on the new line.
We provided catering to the referee and his team of officials, and they must have been well fed, because they did a superb job on the day, and contributed enormously to a very enjoyable game. The Munster Pipe Band, under the stewardship of Noel O Mahony greatly added to the spectacle and sense of occasion on the day, as they assembled in the Community centre, marched up Ross Steet, down the Main Street of Killavullen and into the pitch. One old resident of the main street said she did not see a pipe band march on the street since the pitch was opened on the 6th of June in 1988 and that it was great to see it again. The pipe band led the two teams around the field before the start of the game, the two teams marching in unison.
Catering was provided by Rosemarie Taylor, with her daughter Emma pressed into service, and she only home for the weekend, from Valencia. Also assisting Rosemarie were Sheila, Joanne and Catherine, and Daithi and Niall to assist with any lifting. The gym equipment was pushed aside for the day, to have ample room, upstairs in the gym area.
Ian O Gorman provided live rousing music before the game, and that was greatly appreciated by the travelling hordes, who, to be fair, listened to the social media barbs that we, in Killavullen, the two participating clubs and Avondhu GAA had said, and came early to the venue. It was strangely quite at the entrances as we closed in on Match time of 3.30PM – the crowd was all inside by then. Fiona Hannon sang the National anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann beautifully before the game, and then a lovely rendition of Sweet Killavullen at half time.
Killavullen pitch has a viewing bank on one side only so we had to disperse stewards onto the far over field, so that we could control ingress into the field. We had stewards at every entrance point, and we kept the playing area, just for the players and away from other distractions. I believe that by and large we achieved that. Special word of mention to Dan Hanrahan who assembled around him a team of 8 program sellers and they all, like Dan are part of our U14 team. Dan and his group did a fantastic job, because they sold out the 450 programs that they had, and possibly could have done with 50 more, but we were not to know.
Final word of thanks, to Jerome Coakly, Daithi Murphy and Niall Fitzgerald who escorted the older and infirm to special seating areas so as to see the game in comfort and thoroughly enjoy the experience. We had set aside three areas when older people with mobility issues could sit and watch the game and we kept parking in the ground free, adjacent to the dressing rooms for older people.
We, in Killavullen have taken 9 championship games in 2026, before this one, but this was the one we wanted. We believe that Killavullen club can be very proud of the huge attendance that we looked after, and the way everything ran smoothly on the day. It was a very busy day, but we hope that we consciencely catered for everyone. That took a huge number of volunteers, and we thank them for that.