Gaeltacht hero Brian Ó Beaglaoich lauds Aidan Walsh, discusses end of year burnout

Ó Beaglaoich reckoned it must have been very difficult for Walsh to pull the plug on his Kanturk career and throw his lot in with the Gallarus club, where he now lives with his wife and family.

“I know Aidan put a serious effort into Kanturk, bringing them to where they are in hurling and football. He has brought massive experience to us, he’s very calm on the ball, he has a serious engine, and he was up and down the field all day for us. In that second half, he won a couple of massive turnovers. Everyone gets on well with him, he’s just a good lad, he’d fit in anywhere,” reckoned Gaeltacht’s All-Star in waiting.

For Ó Beaglaoich, it’s like so many of his All-Ireland winning Kerry colleagues in terms of powering on to the county championship after an inter-county campaign that began last winter. He will be expected to line up with West Kerry next weekend as the divisional sides open their account.

“I still feel good, you do when you are winning, but there’s no way I could go all this year and then straight back into pre-season with Kerry - that’s where it doesn’t work. You might be grand for the first few months of 2026 but then you’ll start feeling it when you don’t get any break at all. But for now we will worry about that if or when it comes.”

At the start of this year Gaeltacht were struggling for a manager before Fergal Ó Sé stepped back into the breach. Bringing Dara Ó Cinnéide, Conall O Cruadhlaoich (coach) and Pádraig O Conchuir in alongside him fed the optimism that spread through the Gallarus ranks like a blowtorch.

“We tend to make things hard for ourselves, we drew with Desmonds in the first group game, even in the last game in the group we didn’t know whether we were out or through. Then we were five points down with five minutes to go against Gneeveguilla in the quarter final and Cathal (O Beaglaoich) got us over the line.

“Any game we’ve played it’s been tight but we are battle-hardened. It is a tough fixture list, that’s six weeks in a row and now we have county championship next weekend with West Kerry against South Kerry in Killorglin so it isn’t ideal the way games are coming thick and fast.

“Fergal, Dara, Conall and Padraig are all serious club men. I’m not sure Fergal (older brother of Darragh, Tomás and Marc) wanted it either, but once he got in there, he’s some man, he puts everything into it. You would do anything for him, he’s mad for it in a good way, he’s the sort of manager you want to be playing for.”

East Kerry are also in Kerry SFC action on Sunday in Tralee against St Kieran’s but they will do so without the services of Paudie Clifford, who hobbled off in Sunday’s IFC final loss with a leg injury he’s been battling all season. There would have to be a question mark too over David Clifford’s availability, though he may want to play.

Reflected Fossa coach Jerome Stack: “I’m not saying he is but if I were in Jack O’Connor’s shoes, I’d be delighted the Cliffords are finished with the club championship. But they are just competitive people and they want to play, and especially proud of their own club. This might get them a rest but that was the last thing on their mind. Paudie Clifford was playing on, at best, on one leg and a bit.”

Kerry SFC (divisional round):

Saturday: South Kerry v West Kerry, Killorglin, 4pm; Sunday: St Brendan's v Mid Kerry, Austin Stack Park, 2pm; St Kieran's v East Kerry, Austin Stack Park, 4pm

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