In review: A year to remember in Carlow football
The platform has been set for Carlow to go into their first full year under Joe Murphy's management in 2026 Photo: Pat Ahern
An intercounty manager steps down. An epic finish to the senior football final. Tinryland are relegated to intermediate. The new rules. A journey into Leinster for the Fighting Cocks.
Yes a year to remember for many of the right reasons but Shane Curran stepping down as Carlow manager was surely the talking point of an entire season.
A NFL 4 draw with Tipperary and a home win over Waterford looked as if Carlow were hitting the ground running in 2025. Slowly but surely it began to unravel with players leaving the squad and the hugely respected James Clarke of Old Leighlin also left the management team.
Three defeats in a row changed the dynamic and even though Carlow beat Longford and London in their final two league games it was far from a happy camp.
It was subsequently announced the Roscommon man was stepping down and into his place came former Naas manager and Éire Óg man, Joe Murphy.
From clouds of despair there was new on the horizon. The new manager had his back to the wall but a good performance up in Meath in the Leinster championship where they lost 1-30 to 0-19 didn’t do justice to the Carlow effort.
The Tailteann Cup probably came a bit too soon for the Carlow management team but an away win over Fermanagh and a home draw to Wexford was a good indication that Murphy was beginning to make his presence felt. The loss to Longford was the only real disappointment and Carlow subsequently ended their season with a June defeat to Sligo in Tubbercurry.
The vagaries of the split season meant football was parked in Carlow for nearly all of June, July and August. That is set to change now with the County Board voting for a new structure which is intertwined with the hurling season.
The club season proved to be a fascinating affair. Old Leighlin bridged a twelve year gap when a Cathal Coughlan point with the last kick of the game saw them take the title for the first time since 2013.
Interestingly in the same year Old Leighlin were winning their senior title, former player, Barry Hayes, guided Baltinglass to a senior football championship title.
The new rules were instrumental in seeing Éire Óg plummet into the relegation final. In their group game, they were caught in the breach rule when they had only two players back in defence when leading by a point with time just up. Needless to say Rathvilly were happy to share the spoils as their rivals would, after the group games were over, realise that it was a key moment in a disappointing season.
Tinryland were left cursing their luck with the point that wasn’t given against Bagenalstown Gaels. A draw saw them face into a relegation final which they ultimately lost to old rivals, Éire Óg. Fine margins indeed.
The intermediate title was won by Grange when they beat Ballon in a replay with John Murphy scoring nine points including two two-pointers from play.
When the Fighting Cocks beat Leighlinbridge in the junior final they set their sight on a run in Leinster. They beat Clann na nGael at The Training Center and then travelled to Longford where they took out St Brigids, Kilashee. In the end, they lost a final to Kildare side, Grangenolvin, but it was a season to treasure for the club.
