Sport « Thurles Information

Derek Kent Elected GAA President-Elect at Congress 2026.

Wexford delegate tops first-count ballot as Ger Ryan and John Murphy fall short.

Verified vote breakdown.
Total votes cast: 277
Quota: 139
Derek Kent (Wexford): 169. (elected on the first count)
Ger Ryan (Tipperary): 76.
John Murphy (Sligo): 32

Wexford’s Derek Kent has been elected Uachtarán Tofa (President-elect) of the Gaelic Athletic Association at GAA Congress 2026, held at Croke Park yesterday evening.
Mr Kent will become the 42nd President of the GAA at Congress 2027, when outgoing President, Mr Jarlath Burns, completes his three-year term.

A total of 277 votes were cast in the presidential election. Mr Kent secured 169 votes, reaching the 139 quota on the first count. Mr Ger Ryan (Tipperary) polled 76 votes, while Mr John Murphy (Sligo) received 32 votes.

Mr Kent, a Taghmon-Camross clubman, brings extensive administrative experience to the role, having served as Wexford GAA Chairperson (2017–2020) and recently completing a three-year term as Leinster GAA Chairperson. He has also chaired the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) and the Infrastructure, Health & Safety Committee.

In being elected President-elect, Mr Kent becomes the third Wexford native to hold the Association’s top office, following Mr Patrick Breen (1924–1926) and Mr Michael Kehoe (1949–1952).

Tipperary’s Ger Ryan had campaigned strongly to bring the presidency back to the Premier County, with Tipp GAA noting his recent service as Munster GAA Chair (2022–2025) and the county’s previous holder of the office, Mr Séamus Ó Riain (1967–1970).

Protests & Presidential Election To Headline 2026 GAA Annual Congress.

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.

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.

Loreto Kilkenny Retain Corn Sceilge Crown As Ursuline Thurles Fall Short.

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.

Scorers

Loreto Kilkenny: Boyd 2-4 (10pts); Hogan 1-0 (3pts); O’Donovan 1-0 (3pts); Kennedy 0-3pts (frees); Mahoney 0-2pts; others 0-1pt each.

Ursuline Thurles: Stakelum 0-8pts (6 from frees); Butler 0-1pt.

Treaty Tornado Strikes In Thurles – Serious Damage To Tipperary By Limerick.

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.

Rebels Go Clear Late, To Defeat All-Ireland Champions Tipperary.

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.