THE GAA'S concertinaed early season schedule faces the risk of being torpedoed by a stretch of inclement weather, pitch closures and match postponements.
With the Allianz Leagues due to start in less than three weeks, Croke Park was planning to have all the club finals out of the way with a week to spare. But the weekend postponements of the All-Ireland Club SFC semi-finals scheduled for Portlaoise and Breffni Park could - if worsening forecasts are realised - kick the football final to the weekend of January 25th, which clashes with the first round of the national hurling and football leagues. Croke Park has the football final set for the weekend of January 18th.
There are similar ramifications down the line as well in terms of second and third level colleges GAA games. The Munster PPS Harty Cup quarter finals are slated for Wednesday but are at risk as snow settles and hardens across the country. Similarly, the third level Sigerson Cup football is due to kick off on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week but is also under threat.
The Dr Harty Cup quarter-final venues for Wednesday were confirmed over the weekend. As thing stand, Castlelyons will host the meeting of CBC Cork and DLS Waterford, Newport is the venue for Thurles CBS v Ardscoil Rís, St Flannan's v Midleton CBS will be in Kilmallock and The Mon's clash with Cashel CS is slated for Fraher Field. All are timed for 1.30pm.
The GAA's CCCC will confirm fixture times and venues Monday for next Saturday's rescheduled All-Ireland Club SFC semi finals between Dr Crokes and Errigal Ciarán and Coolera-Strandhill's meeting with Cuala.
Sunday's schedule already features All-Ireland club hurling finals in the junior and intermediate grades, plus an All-Ireland Club JFC semi between Kilmurry of Cork and Naomh Padraig of Donegal.
Meanwhile, John Cleary's Cork footballers' clash with Waterford, due to be played at MTU Cork on Sunday at 2pm, also fell foul of the weather. And after Saturday's Tipperary-Clare charity hurling match was cancelled at short notice on Saturday, Tipp will instead face Laois on Tuesday week to raise funds for Mary’s Meals.
The game against the All-Ireland champions had been due to take place at 2.30pm in Templemore but the postponement was announced an hour before throw-in.
Tipperary had given the green light to the fixture on Saturday morning but Clare were not satisfied with the ground, in particular around the goalmouths. Liam Cahill’s side trained on the pitch after the cancellation, with a handful of spectators staying to watch the session.
The game had originally been arranged for 6pm before being brought forward to an afternoon throw-in.
Another Premier challenge match against Laois, scheduled for Tuesday, January 14, at 7.30pm, has now been fixed for Templemore to support the Mary’s Meals charity.
“We have that opportunity that Tipperary are playing Laois on Tuesday week so we will get another shot,” said John Egan, chair of the North Tipperary branch of Mary’s Meals.
“A lot of people are a bit disappointed that this didn’t go ahead because they have travelled and it was a very late call. It wasn’t really fair to the patrons. It was a benefit match for Mary’s Meals, which feeds hungry children all over the world.
“It started out 21 years ago and the results are only phenomenal. Now, Mary’s Meals are feeding 2.4 million children. The basic is you feed them and you educate them, which is the road out of poverty. It can be done so simply. It costs €22 to feed one child in schools for a year – that’s 11 cents a day.
“In North Tipperary, we’re set up two years. The first year, we collected €50,000, which fed about 2,500 children for a year. In 2024, we collected €81,000, which fed about 3,600 children for one year.
“Every penny we get goes to Mary’s Meals. We cover our own expenses. If someone gives us €10 or €100, 100% of that goes to Mary’s Meals and 96% of that gets to the frontline.
“People give money to feed children, not to support an organisation, so we carry our own expenses.”
Racing at Naas went ahead on Sunday but a unraceable track at Cork meant no jumping at the Mallow venue. There is no further racing schedule in Ireland until Thursday's meeting in Clonmel. Across the water Chepstow was abandoned after two races, just hours after Plumpton’s Sussex National meeting was called off despite passing a morning inspection.