Protests and Presidential Election to Headline 2026 GAA Annual Congress at Croke Park, Dublin.
The GAA Annual Congress takes place this weekend at Croke Park, with major attention focused on the election of the next President of the Association and a planned protest outside the stadium on Saturday.
Croke Park, Dublin.
Presidential election (Friday night). Three candidates will stand for election as President of the GAA on Friday evening: Mr Ger Ryan (Tipperary) – served as Munster Chairman (2022 to 2025) and currently chairs the Central Referees Appointment Committee (CRAC), having also led several national committees including medical, scientific and welfare, and communications.
Mr Derek Kent (Wexford) – recently concluded a three-year term as Leinster Chairman and previously served as Head of the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).
John Murphy (Sligo)– a current GAA Trustee, former Connacht Chairperson (2021–2024), former Sligo County Board chair, and previously involved with the national infrastructure body.
Incumbent President Jarlath Burns will have completed two years of his three-year term at Congress. The successful candidate on Friday will take the role of Uachtarán Tofa (President Elect) and will have 12 months to prepare for the position.
Congress motions (25 in total). Delegates will debate 25 motions over the weekend. Key proposals include:
Extending the inter-county season, with the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final played on or before the second week in August, alongside a later start to the inter-county season (fourth Sunday of the year) and the effective removal of pre-season competitions.
A Gaelic Players Association proposal to formalise a maximum of 30 competitive weekends for the inter-county season.
A Clontarf GAA motion requiring players to have played eight club league/championship games in a season to be eligible to play inter-county the following year.
A Laois proposal to end the format whereby Joe McDonagh Cup finalists progress to All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals in the Liam MacCarthy competition.
A hurling discipline proposal that would see a dissent free moved forward 30 metres (or up to the opposition 20-metre line).
A Central Council proposal for replays in provincial senior football finals if level after extra time.
A Fermanagh proposal to restore minor finals as curtain-raisers on All-Ireland senior final day.
A proposal to allow County Boards organise competitions down to 11-a-side to support clubs affected by depopulation.
A proposal requiring County Boards to obtain a high-performance licence to enter teams in senior inter-county competitions.
Planned protest outside Croke Park (Saturday, 11:00am) Separately, organisers have indicated a protest will take place outside Croke Park at 11:00am on Saturday opposing Allianz’s sponsorship of the GAA. Those behind the demonstration have stated their opposition relates to Allianz’s corporate links and reference a United Nations Special Rapporteur report (June 2025) which named a number of companies, including Allianz through its German parent company, in the context of sustaining and financing Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories. Protest activity has also occurred at some recent league venues.
While nine counties passed motions calling for an end to sponsorship links, none of those motions are included on the official Congress agenda.
Ursuline Thurles had to settle for runners-up honours after being beaten by Loreto Kilkenny in the Allianz Corn Sceilge All-Ireland Senior A Schools Camogie Final, played at Gortnahoe on Saturday last, February 21st.
A scoring burst at the start of both halves proved decisive, with Lucy Boyd striking 2-4 and earning Player of the Match, as Loreto powered to a 4-13(25pts) to 0-9pts victory.
Loreto led 2-7pts to 0-6pts at half-time, with Ursuline captain Caoimhe Stakelum keeping her side in touch by scoring all six of their first-half points. But Loreto’s early second-half pressure told; Boyd goaled again on 34 minutes, and Leah O’Donovan added a fourth major on 42 minutes to put daylight between the teams.
In all, different Loreto players found the net; Boyd (2), Emma Hogan and O’Donovan, while Ona Kennedy chipped in with three frees and Shauna Mahoney contributed from play, as Loreto retained the title and continued their strong run at senior level.
Despite the result, Ursuline had positives, with Stakelum finishing on 0-8pts, six from frees and Alice Butler, adding their other point, but Loreto’s defensive structure limited the Thurles side’s opportunities for goals.
Limerick blast past Tipperary with 15-Point Statement Win.
Limerick delivered a ruthless, high-intensity performance to overpower Tipperary by 0-36pts to 0-21pts at FBD Semple Stadium, extending their unbeaten streak against the blue and gold to 13 matches.
A blistering opening spell set the tone as Limerick surged into a 0-07 to 0-00 lead inside 11 minutes and powered on to a commanding 0-20 to 0-07 advantage by half-time, in calm but damp conditions, in front of 15,221 spectators.
Match Highlights. Aidan O’Connor led the charge with a superb 0-11, as Limerick spread the scoring load with 12 different scorers from play. Tipperary’s scoring output struggled to match Limerick’s pace and cohesion, registering just five scorers from play across the contest. A turning point arrived moments after the restart when Willie Connors was shown a straight red card following an off-the-ball incident, with Limerick already firmly in control.
Relentless Control, Clinical Finishing. Limerick’s defensive pressure and turnover game repeatedly disrupted Tipperary’s rhythm, allowing the visitors to convert possession into points at speed. The lead remained beyond reach throughout, with Limerick continuing to tack on scores from multiple sources and keeping the scoreboard moving deep into the second half. Tipperary rallied with increased urgency after the break, led by the experience of Noel McGrath, but each push was met by a steady Limerick response to maintain a double-digit cushion and close out a comprehensive victory.
Table Impact. The result strengthens Limerick’s position in the Allianz Hurling League as they jump from fourth to second in Division 1A, with Tipperary dropping to third on score difference.
Next Fixtures Limerick travel to Offaly next Sunday. Tipperary have a bye week before travelling to Waterford.
In front of a record Páirc Uí Chaoimh crowd, Cork Rebels go clear late, to overcome All-Ireland Champions Tipperary.
Cork 0-29 – Tipperary 0-22.
Cork made it three wins from three in Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League after finishing strongly to defeat Tipperary by seven points on Saturday night at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in front of a record regular-season crowd of 30,910.
Leading 0-16 to 0-12 at half-time, Cork’s advantage was never reduced below three points in the second half, despite a late Tipperary surge that briefly cut the gap and added real tension to the closing minutes.
The opening period was marked by an incident-packed spell either side of the 35th minute stage, when a prolonged melee resulted in straight red cards for Shane Barrett and Jason Forde, following earlier yellow cards for Alan Connolly and Willie Connors. Referee Liam Gordon brought the half to an end immediately after issuing the dismissals, with both sides playing the second half with 14 men.
Cork had threatened to put daylight between the sides in the first half when they won a penalty after a black card for Johnny Ryan, but Declan Dalton was denied from the spot by Rhys Shelly.
Key scores came from Alan Connolly (0-8) and Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-7), as Cork closed out the game with a late burst to seal a seven-point win and maintain their perfect start to the campaign.
After the match, Cork boss Ben O’Connor defended the officials on the night while criticising the wider system around assessments, saying: “I’m not blaming Liam Gordon… I’m blaming the GAA officials.”
Meanwhile, Fitzgibbon said the physical edge was simply part of top-level championship preparation: “You have to have a bit of fight and edge because if you don’t, you’re not going to win.”
Cork now sit on six points from three games and next travel to face Kilkenny after a break in the league schedule.
Scorers Cork: A Connolly 0-8 (4pts from f), D Fitzgibbon 0-7 (1 from 65), W Buckley 0-3, D Healy 0-3, E Downey 0-2, M Coleman 0-2, S Barrett 0-2, B Hayes 0-1, T O’Mahony 0-1.
Scorers Tipperary: E Connolly 0-4 (3 from f, +1 from 65), J Morris 0-3 (1 from f), J Forde 0-2 (2 from f), D McCarthy 0-2 (2 from f), W Connors 0-2, A Ormond 0-2, plus 0-1 pt each from C O’Reilly, C Morgan, S Kennedy, C Stakelum, O O’Donoghue and S O’Farrell.
Forde scores hat-trick as Tipperary cruise past Offaly in Tullamore.
Score: Offaly 1-18 Tipperary 5-24. Venue: Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore. Competition: Allianz Hurling League Division 1A (Round 2).
All-Ireland champions Tipperary continued their strong early-season momentum with an emphatic 5-24 to 1-18 victory over Offaly in Round 2 of the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A at Glenisk O’Connor Park this Sunday afternoon.
It was a second win of the campaign for Liam Cahill’s crew, who will be pleased not just with the margin, but with the sharpness of their movement and the opportunity taken to give valuable league minutes to a number of players.
While Offaly are back operating at the top tier and will take positives from their first-half endeavour, injuries and absentees left them facing a formidable task against a Tipperary team that looked well ahead of the curve. Once Tipp moved through the gears early in the second half, the game became a damage-limitation exercise for the home side.
The finishing touch was the clearest separator. Jason Forde delivered a remarkable 3-10, (19pts) with a significant portion of that tally coming from open play, in a display of accuracy and economy that repeatedly punished Offaly, whenever Tipperary created daylight.
Tipperary had effectively seized control by half-time despite playing into the wind, leading 2-12 (18pts) to 1-10 (13pts) at the break. Offaly worked hard to crowd space and make exchanges difficult, but to seriously threaten an upset, they needed to be the side with a cushion at the interval, not seen chasing the champions.
Goals did the heavy lifting. Paddy McCormack struck first on 10 minutes to push Tipp into a 1-4 (7pt) to 0-2 (2pt) lead. Offaly responded through a well-taken opportunist goal from Brian Duignan to bring the contest back to life, but Tipperary steadied immediately and rebuilt their advantage.
A pivotal moment arrived on 28 minutes when Offaly full-back Ben Miller received a black card for hauling down an attacker through the middle, conceding a penalty that Forde thumped to the net to establish a gap Offaly would struggle to bridge.
Any lingering doubt was removed after the restart. A goal from substitute John McGrath in the 39th minute opened the floodgates, and with Tipperary’s tempo rising, Offaly found themselves unable to stem the wave as Forde added another goal driving the score on relentlessly.
Offaly showed spirit in the closing stages and searched for consolation goals, but Tipperary’s defence held firm. Forde completed his hat-trick late on, after an initial effort struck the post, to cap an afternoon that underlined both Tipperary’s early league sharpness and the size of the challenge facing a rebuilding Offaly side, back at the top table.
Scorers: Tipperary: Jason Forde 3-10 (1-0, penalty, 5-f and 2 x’65’s); John McGrath 1-1; Conor Stakelum and Jack Leamy 0-3 each; Paddy McCormack 1-0; Darragh Stakelum and Josh Keller 0-2 each and Conor Martin, Gearoid O’Connor, Noel McGrath 0-1 each.
Offaly: Brian Duignan 1-2; Eoghan Cahill 0-4 (2-f ); Dan Bourke 0-3; Oisin Kelly and Liam Hoare (2-f ) 0-2 each and Ben Conneely, Luke Watkins, Dan Ravenhill, Cathal King, Adam Screeney (-f ) 0-1 each.
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