Féile na nGael Division 1 National Finals 2026

On June 20th, our county Féile champions left Nenagh after meeting in the Abbey Court for an early morning snack. The National Finals took place in the Laois Centre of Excellence in Portlaoise, with twelve teams competing for honours this year.

First up for the boys were Birr. Nenagh started brightly but, as is often the case, momentum swung during the game and Birr came strongly before and after the half-time break. Nenagh finished much stronger, with goals from David Mullarkey, Kirsters Janitens and Harry Bailey helping secure a 3-8 to 1-8 victory.

In round two, the boys had a bye and watched Birr lose to Kilmacud Crokes, setting up a winner-takes-all clash in round three. The victors would progress to the Cup semi-finals while the losers would enter the Shield semi-finals. Played in O’Moore Park, Kilmacud started the brighter and Nenagh struggled to find their rhythm. David Mullarkey struck a well-taken goal but the boys were unable to close the gap, with Kilmacud emerging victorious on a scoreline of 1-11 to 1-7.

Next up was a Shield semi-final meeting with Dunloy Cuchulainns. Dunloy proved physically imposing throughout and took their scores well to record a 0-12 to 0-7 win.

The boys then watched the remainder of the competition unfold, with Naas winning the Plate Final, Lismore claiming the Shield Final and Ballincollig capturing the Cup title after a captivating final that went to extra time.

On the journey home, the squad returned to Andy’s Bistro in Nenagh for a well-deserved dinner.

A huge thank you to all the supporters from Nenagh who travelled to cheer on the boys, to everyone who supported the fundraising efforts that helped cover the costs of the day, to Phil Hennessy for looking after the team, to the staff of the Abbey Court and Andy’s Bistro, to Elaine O’Brien for the photographs, and to Niall Cahill and James Smyth for all their organisation and care of the players throughout the campaign.

Thanks also to the Juvenile Committee for all their hard work and to everyone else who helped out in any way.

The boys gained huge experience from the day. Across the country, 110 hurling teams competed in Féile competitions and Nenagh’s players finished among the last eight teams standing. They can hold their heads high after a tremendous campaign.

Panel on the Day: Kevin Hogan (Joint Captain), Vadzim Siareolzich, Evan Jones, John Duggan, Michael Nolan, Paraic Sheehy (Joint Captain), Daniel O’Leary, Harry Bailey, Harry Coughlan, Odhran Cahill, David Mullarkey, Fionn Tucker, Dylan Corrigan, Kirsters Janitens, Max Coughlan, Donagh Farrell, Finn Morris, Sean Tully, James Cleary, Pierce Finn, Rian Corbett, Ruaidhrí O’Brien, Dylan Rooney, Harry Mulcahy, Rian O’Farrell, Matthew McGrath, Ryan O’Meara and Ryan Hynes.