U15B Win Div 3 Shield
August 24, 2026
The defence of the Frank Fox Cup rolls on. Maigh Cuilinn booked a place in the Galway Senior Football Championship semi-final with a commanding 3-25 to 0-13 quarter-final win over Mountbellew-Moylough at Pearse Stadium.
The damage was done in the first half. With the wind at their backs, the lads started in electric fashion. Eoghan Gallagher opened the scoring with a two-pointer and quickly added another, which dipped onto the roof of the net and still sailed over. When James McLoughlin landed a third from distance, Maigh Cuilinn were six points clear with only five minutes played. Mountbellew-Moylough’s best moment came when Barry McHugh rattled the post, but the champions kept pouring it on. Fionn Mac Donnacha, Seán Kelly and the returning Dessie Conneely all raised the orange flag, and Maigh Cuilinn led 0-20 to 0-5 at the break.
Manager Cathal Clancy was pleased with how his side used the conditions.
“When you get conditions like you have out there today, you have to go for them,” he said. “They’re easier said than done, but it’s part of the game, especially in here when we know that wind can be fairly serious. We got our fair share of them today, so we’re delighted with that.”
Mountbellew-Moylough tried to mount a comeback after the restart, with Barry McHugh kicking some fine points. Any hope of a revival ended on 39 minutes, though, when Fionn Mac Donnacha drove home the first goal. Fionn finished the day with 1-7, a superb individual display. Soon after, Peter Cooke came on for his first appearance of this year’s campaign, and there was a senior debut for Luke McLaughlin later on.
The team never let up, and late goals from Charlie Cox and Fiachra Mac Donnacha sealed an emphatic win. Clancy said that hunger comes from the strength of the squad. “Every lad knows they have to take their chance here,” he said. “I think we saw in that last ten minutes lads just fighting for a spot in the semi-final.”
Gerard Davoren pointed to the work the team has put in on its press this year.
“It’s something we’ve added in this year, trying to get the ball back as much as we can,” he said. “In fairness, the backroom team have done some amount of work with us on that, and it showed today.”
Maigh Cuilinn were without David Wynne and Niall Walsh, and Clancy confirmed that neither will be back for the semi-final. That will test the depth of the panel over the coming weeks.
“It comes down to these next four weeks now,” he said. “Quarter-final today, semi-final in two weeks, and whoever’s lucky enough to be in a final in four weeks’ time.”
The result keeps the club on course for a fifth county final in a row, but first comes a semi-final against Annaghdown in two weeks’ time. Corofin meet Salthill-Knocknacarra in the other semi.
The result keeps the club in the hunt for a fifth county final in a row, but first comes a semi-final against Annaghdown in two weeks’ time. Corofin meet Salthill-Knocknacarra in the other semi.
MAIGH CUILINN: N O’Donnell; C Corcoran, E Kelly, M Maughan; A Claffey, S Kelly (0-3, tp), S O’Connor (0-1); P Kelly, G Daveron; J Moloney, O Gallagher (0-4, 2tp), J McLaughlin (0-3, tp); Fionn McDonagh (1-7, tp), Fiachra McDonagh (1-2), D Conneely (0-5, tp, 0-2 45, 0-1f). SUBS: M Hynes for Maughan (33-37 temporary), P Cooke for O Gallagher (40), Hynes for O’Connor (51), C Cox (1-0) for Fionn McDonagh (54), C Gallagher for Moloney (54), L McLaughlin for S Kelly (56)
MOUNTBELLEW MOYLOUGH: M Foley; B Noone, B Mannion (0-2, tp), C Murray; C Ryan, J Daly (0-1), J Foley; L Donnellan, S Kelly; C Mulhern (0-1), M Burke, C Mannion; P Kelly, B McHugh (0-7, 2tpf, 0-3f), E Finnerty (0-1). SUBS: A Colleran for S Kelly (Half-time), T Shields for P Kelly (38), O O’Reilly for Donnellan (43), F Colleran (0-1) for J Foley (48), C Fallon for C Mannion (56).
REFEREE: Tommy Murphy (Annaghdown)
Well done to the players, management and everyone who came out to support the team. We’ll need that same support for the semi-final, so keep an eye on the club’s channels for details.
