News in Sport Blog
National League Overview
Gaelic Football
Division 1
The National League delivered some early drama with chaotic finishes and impressive performances. Donegal got off to a flying start in a commanding performance against Dublin, with some of their new additions such as Shea Malone making their mark. Mayo brought a free-flowing style of football under new manager Andy Moran in their win over Galway. Armagh set out their stall with an impressive 12-point win over Ulster rivals Monaghan, and finally Kerry needed a late buzzer-beater score from Tomás Kennedy to claim all the points from their game against Roscommon.
Dublin 0-20 Donegal 1-20
Galway 2-18 Mayo 3-18
Kerry 2-18 Roscommon 1-20
Monaghan 0-18 Armagh 1-27
Division Two
Division 2 delivered some surprising results, mainly Meath’s victory over Derry at Croke Park, the Royals look to be bringing their 2025 form into 2026 with a big win over former Division 1 side Derry. Fellow Division 1 side last year Tyrone, got off to a tough start with a draw against Kildare, both teams fancied to gain promotion this year have left themselves work to do after Round 1. Cork needed a late two-point score from substitute Steven Sherlock to get past a tough Cavan side who will feel disappointed not to have taken the spoils. Louth started their campaign off well against newly promoted Offaly, with all star Craig Lennon the standout performance.
Meath 0-19 Derry 1-13
Tyrone 2-16 Kildare 1-19
Cork 0-24 Cavan 2-17
Offaly 0-19 Louth 1-21
Division Three
Plenty of action and close finishes. Down edged Clare in a lively, high-scoring encounter, while Westmeath impressed with a narrow win over Sligo. Wexford’s victory against Fermanagh was the result of the first round in Division 3 having played Division 4 football last season. Limerick were on the cusp of causing an upset of their own until Niall Corbet stepped up to rescue a point for his Laois team.
Down 2-19 Clare 2-14
Laois 1-10 Limerick 0-13
Fermanagh 0-12 Wexford 1-13
Westmeath 2-14 Sligo 1-16
Division Four
An eventful opening round capped off with Carlow’s win away to Antrim surprising many as the Saffron’s played their football in Division 3 last season. Leitrim pushed Wicklow all the way but were narrowly beaten by a superb Mark Jackson free, the Wicklow goalkeeper finsihed with a tally of 0-9 in less than ideal weather conditions. London and Tipperary played out an entertaining draw, with both sides showing enough to suggest they’ll be competitive this year.
Antrim 1-15 Carlow 2-16
London 0-21 Tipperary 0-21
Wicklow 1-17 Leitrim 2-13
Waterford v Longford was Postponed*
Hurling
Division 1A
Cork took a lot of the opening round attention with a ruthless display against Waterford, while Tipperary got the better of Galway in Thurles in difficult conditions. Kilkenny were tested against a determined Offaly team but found enough to get over the line and claim first round points at home.
Tipperary 1-21 Galway 1-16
Kilkenny 0-20 Offaly 0-16
Cork 3-25 Waterford 1-17
Division 1B
Clare banished the demons of last year with an impressive performance against Dublin in Ennis, while Carlow impressed at home against Down with a clinical performance. In the most controversial game of the first round, Wexford took the spoils against Antrim with an excellent free that found the back of the next at the death from Mark Fanning.
Carlow 2-18 Down 1-11
Wexford 1-13 Antrim 1-12
Clare 3-18 Dublin 1-22
Division 2
A division shaped early by emphatic wins, Laois and Kerry stated their intent to gain promotion with ruthless victories over Mayo and Derry. Meath also started strongly, seeing off Christy Ring champions London with room to spare.
Meath 1-20 London 1-10
Derry 0-12 Kerry 5-23
Mayo 0-12 Laois 6-23
Division 3
In a potential promotion defining clash, Donegal were clinical in their victory away to Tyrone. Louth started on a positive note, defeating Armagh by 5 points, Roscommon got the better of a hard-fought contest against Wicklow.
Armagh 1-15 Louth 1-20
Roscommon 2-16 Wicklow 1-16
Tyrone 1-18 Donegal 3-23
Division 4
A busy opening round with clear early movers, Sligo’s comprehensive win over Monaghan was the standout, while Cavan made home advantage count against Warwickshire. Leitrim and Longford shared an entertaining contest, with Longford having just enough to claim the points.
Cavan 3-13 Warwickshire 1-13
Leitrim 0-20 Longford 2-17
Monaghan 0-08 Sligo 2-20
League of Ireland
Derry City have confirmed the signing of Swansea City striker Josh Thomas on an initial six-month loan. Thomas spent last season on loan at Drogheda United, where injuries disrupted his campaign, but he still finished with six goals in 17 appearances after returning to action. The former Wales U21 International joins as part of a vastly changing Derry City squad, hoping to give a fresh look to the 2026 season.
The club also confirmed further squad changes, with Adam Frizzell departing to join Linfield on a permanent deal, while Sadou Diallo has signed for Bohemians. Diallo leaves the Candystripes after more than 3 years and over 100 appearances for the club