Mike Murray forms a formidable midfield partnership with Frank Irwin for Ballina Stphenites, but they will be up against an equally strong St. Brigid’s pair in the Connacht semi-final next Sunday. Photo: Sportsfile
Sat 15 Nov 2025, 8:50 PM
The Roscommon senior county final may not have produced the same drama which we witnessed in both the Mayo final and replay between Balina and Westport, but it too needed a second day out before St. Brigid’s got their hands on their 19th title, writes John Melvin.
Ballina Stephenites will be making the trip to King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon on Sunday (November 16, 1.30 p.m.) as they bid to reach a first Connacht senior final since 2007, when they defeated St. Brigid’s, while the Roscommon champions created history back in 2013 when they became the first club from the county to win the All-Ireland senior club title under former Mayo manager and player, Kevin McStay.
Unlike Ballina, who haven’t contested a Connacht final since 2007, St. Brigid’s have won four since then, winning three in a row from 2010 to 2012, which makes them a formidable force.
Ballina, of course, also come into this semi-final on the back of winning three Mayo titles in a row but their form in the Connacht championship has been sketchy, to say the least, having failed to make the final in 2023 and 2024.
Their victory over North London Shamrocks in the quarterfinal at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan last Saturday night was less than impressive, but blustery and very wet conditions were not conducive to the kind of attacking football Ballina are capable of, to be fair.
The Stephenites got the job done in the end but the London team stayed with them until the final quarter, when it seemed to suddenly dawn on Ballina that they needed to get their act together. They duly obliged, with three consecutive two-pointers from Frank Irwin, Mike Murray and substitute Ben Thornton helped them to a 1-15 to 0-10 victory.
On this occasion Evan Regan, who was largely responsible for finally getting his side over the line against Westport in the replayed Mayo county final, was well held and I expect St. Brigid’s will have a plan in place for Ballina’s prolific scorer, who will be a key player if they are to win this game but others will have to improve on their contributions significantly.
However, it must be noted that Ballina went into the game against London without a number of key players, notably Padraig O’Hora, Jack Irwin and Ciaran Boland, but still managed to get the job done. Sam Callinan was one of the leading players in helping to see off a London side which was a lot better than many had expected.
Ballina won in the end by 1-15 to 0-10, and their capacity to nail those two-pointers could once again be crucial if they are to get by the Roscommon champions.
If Ballina are going to beat St. Brigid’s, they will need to up the ante by a few notches – but it should also be noted that the Roscommon champions also rode their luck in the final replay against Padraig Pearses. Their goalkeeper, Conor Carroll, produced three superb saves to ensure his club’s 19th county title. They won that replay by 1-16 to 1-12, the first meeting having finished level at 1-15 apiece.
St. Brigid’s will bring a lot of experience to the semi-final, the winners facing the favourites for the title, Moycullen, or Leitrim Gaels, who meet in the other semi-final.
Senan Kilbride – still playing at the age of 40 – was a surprise inclusion for the replay but he still has that experience which could be significant. They also have some much younger key players, notably Ben O’Carroll, Bobby Nugent, Brian Derwin and Conor Hand in the forward division, while at midfield, Shane Cunnane and Eddie Nolan will be handful. However, midfield is an area that Ballina can do well in with the duo of Frank Irwin and Mike Murray, who came good late in the game to see them get over the line against Westport and impressed against the London champions too.
Stephenites manager Niall Heffernan was first to admit that his side failed to get going until late in the game against London but there is still enough talent in this Ballina side to get the job done.
Nothing less than a 60-minute performance will be good enough, but I remain convinced Ballina have such a performance within them.
Sat 15 Nov 2025, 8:50 PM
