Compiled by Jackie Cahill, with additional Leinster information supplied by Leinster LGFA PRO, Aisling Clery 

The 2023 TG4 provincial championships get underway on Sunday – with action in all four provinces.  

There’s senior action in Leinster, Munster and Ulster, with Lidl National League Division 1 champions Kerry the team to watch as they take on Waterford at Fraher Field.  

Also in the southern province, Tipperary host Cork, while there’s an eagerly-anticipated clash between Meath and Dublin in store in Leinster.  

The Senior Ulster game is the meeting of Cavan and Donegal at Kingspan Breffni, with all fixtures getting underway at 2pm.  

Elsewhere on Sunday, there’s Intermediate action in Connacht, Leinster and Ulster, with Fermanagh and Down also meeting in the Ulster Junior Championship.  

Cork will also take on Clare in a Munster Senior B fixture.  

Sunday April 30 - 2pm unless stated  

Connacht   

TG4 Intermediate Championship   

Sligo v Leitrim; Markievicz Park, 1pm  

The TG4 Connacht Intermediate Championship for Sligo is simply about game time.  

As a Junior Championship team, they cannot contest a provincial Final, which will be a Leitrim-Roscommon affair.  

Leitrim will be anxious to bounce back quickly from the disappointment of their recent Lidl National League Division 4 Final loss to Antrim.  

Sligo: E McGuire; C Dunne, A Morrisroe, I Henry; S Curley, N Brennan, T Brehony; S Reynolds (capt.), S Regan; A Haran, C Connor, J Lyons; L Duffy, S Naughton, M Casserly.  

Leitrim: C Guckian; E Quinn, J Maye, M Murphy; S Reynolds, K Bruen, C LeGuen; N Tighe, A Gilmartin; L O’Dowd, A Clancy, S Quinn; B O’Rourke, M Guckian (capt.), E Bruen.  

Leinster  

TG4 Senior Championship  

Meath v Dublin; Páirc Tailteann 

TG4 All-Ireland Champions Meath begin their 2023 provincial campaign against rivals Dublin, who captured the provincial crown last year, when defeating the Royals in the Final at Croke Park.  

Clashes between these counties have become real occasions in recent times and this clash at Páirc Tailteann, which will be live-streamed at
https://bit.ly/3na76qi, should be no different.  

They met in the Lidl National League back in January, on the opening day, with Dublin enjoying a 1-11 to 0-8 win on that occasion.  

Meath finished their League campaign with defeat to Cork and manager Davy Nelson has made three changes to the team that started that game, with Aine Sheridan, Emma Duggan and Ciara Smyth coming in for Olivia Gore, Shelly Melia and Orlaith Mallon.  

Dublin put 5-8 past Waterford in Round 7 of the Lidl National League and manager Mick Bohan has made three changes to his starting line-up.  

Caitlin Coffey earns a start in defence and replaces Jess Tobin, with Hannah Tyrrell and captain Carla Rowe included in attack in place of Niamh Hetherton and Jodi Egan.  

MEATH: M. McGuirk; A. Sheridan, M.K. Lynch, K. Newe; N. Gallogly, S. Ennis (C), A. Cleary; M. O’Shaughnessy, A. Minogue; M. Thynne, V. Wall, E. Duggan; C. Smyth, S. Grimes, N. O’Sullivan. 

DUBLIN: A. Shiels; A. Kane, L. Caffrey, N. Crowley; C. Coffey, M. Byrne, L. Magee; E. O’Dowd, J. Dunne; K. Sullivan, C. Rowe (C), E. Gribben; C. O’Connor, H. Tyrrell, O. Nolan.   

TG4 Intermediate Championship   

Group A:   

Longford v Wexford; Monaduff, Drumlish  

The 2023 season has not been kind to Longford so far.  

Relegated from Division 3 of the Lidl NFL, they have struggled to find the form they enjoyed in 2022 but qualifying for a Leinster minor A Final does offer hope for the future.  

Wexford’s Lidl NFL campaign ran much stronger; Lizzy Kent and John Nolan’s side were unlucky not to reach the Division Three Final and will have huge ambitions of landing a Leinster Intermediate title.  

LONGFORD: R. McGrath, S. McCormack, L Keegan (C), E Doris, C McCormack, M Kelleher, G Kenny, G Shannon, E O’Brien, H Glennon, Caoimhe Lohan, K. Crawford, K. McKeon, Clodagh Lohan, E. Sheehy. 

WEXFORD: L. Moore, A. Halligan, K. English, K. Tomkins, B. Breen, R. Murphy (C), S Harding Kenny, A. Walsh, C. Banville, A. Cullen, C. Murray, C. Donnelly, C. Roban, A. Murphy, E. Tomkins. 

Kildare v Carlow; Hawkfield  

Kildare begin their TG4 Leinster Intermediate campaign as holders – and on a real high after recently landing the Lidl National League Division 3 crown.  

The Lilywhites will now look to build on their League progress with another good Championship run – and this is a team that will target a TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate crown in August.  

Kildare have been knocking around the latter stages of the All-Ireland series in recent years and will now aim for that major breakthrough.  

Carlow will play in the TG4 All-Ireland Junior Championship but requested to be included in the Leinster Intermediate series, while they’re also scheduled to play a provincial Junior Final against Kilkenny.  

KILDARE: A. Dunlea, L. Gilbert, A. Clifford, F. Troute, T. Duggan, R. Sargeant, S. Munnelly, G. Clifford (C), L. Lenehan, E. Dowling, R. Byrne, M. Doherty, C. Price, A. Rattigan, N. Dooley.  

CARLOW: N. Hanley, A. Carroll, A. Roche, M. Doyle, R. Bermingham (C), N. Murphy, S. McCullagh, E. Hayden, R. Bailey, A. Hanley, R. Sawyer, S. Hayden, J. Sawyer, C. Ní Shé, S. Doyle.  

Group B:     

Louth v Wicklow; Cooley Kickhams  

Louth and Wicklow enjoyed encouraging Lidl National League campaigns – and now thoughts turn to Championship.  

Under new manager Kit Henry, Louth contested well in Division 3, finishing fifth, including victory against eventual champions Kildare.  

Wicklow on the other hand, finish third in Division 4B, narrowly missing out on a semi-final. 

In Niamh Rice and Lauren Boyle, Louth are dangerous in attack, but Wicklow’s defence, anchored by captain Sarah Jane Winders at full-back, is resolute.  

LOUTH: R. Lambe Fagan, E. Murray, D. O’Connor, E. Hand, S. Matthews, S. McLaughlin, M. Duffy, Á. Breen (C), A. Halligan, L. Collins, N. Rice, L. Boyle, A. Russell, K. Flood, C. Nolan. 

WICKLOW: E. Griffin, S. Evans, S.J. Winders (C), R. Byrne, N. Kenny, L. Dunne, J. Byrne, A. Maher, A. Gorman, E. O’Sullivan, N. Cullen, Y. Dagge, S. Delahunt, M. Kealy, E. Bourke. 

Offaly v Westmeath; Bretland Park, Clara   

Offaly struggled in Division 3 of the Lidl National League but, crucially, preserved their status in the third tier, having gained promotion last year.  

Westmeath suffered relegation from the Senior Championship ranks in 2022 and the Lake County will aim to bounce back at the first attempt in the TG4 All-Ireland series.  

Landing a Leinster title would represent good preparation but it’s a competitive environment in the province, and Westmeath will get nothing easy.  

OFFALY: K. Cunningham, K. Flynn, A. Dolan, A. Grehan, N. Farrelly, E. Nally, M. Mann, E. Maher, A. Gavin Mangan, R. Ennis (C), E. Hand, S. McGuinness, E. Bailey, R. Mealiff, R. Cockram. 

WESTMEATH: L. McCormack, M. Dunne, L. Power, M. Fagan, K. Boyce Jordan (C), T. Dillon, C. Kelly, V. Carr, A. Ruane, N. Nolan, C. Blundell, R. Dillon, M. Monaghan, A. Jones, A. Connolly. 

Munster   

TG4 Senior Championship  

Tipperary v Cork; Cahir 

Cork make the trip to Cahir as TG4 Munster Senior champions – and they’re the only team to date this year to score a victory over Kerry, the Lidl National League Division 1 winners and now many people’s favourites to land the TG4 All-Ireland title.  

Cork finished their Lidl NFL campaign on a high with an impressive victory over Meath and spirits will be high ahead of the Championship.  

Goalkeeper Meabh O’Sullivan, Rachel Leahy, Katie Quirke and Orlaith Cahalane are all handed call-ups, as they replace Sarah Murphy, Eimear Meaney, Doireann O’Sullivan and Anna Ryan in the team that started against Meath.  

Tipperary, meanwhile, were left disappointed not to qualify for a Division 2 Lidl NFL Final, as defeat to Armagh on the final day of group matches ended the Premier County’s hopes of making it to Croke Park.  

Tipp will be very much up against it here and will hope that home advantage can count for something against pre-match favourites, Cork.  

TIPPERARY: L Fitzpatrick; C O’Dwyer, M Curley (capt.), E Cronin; S English, L Spillane, N Towey; A.R. Kennedy, L Morrissey; E Morrissey, M Creedon, A Delaney; A Fennessy, A Moloney, A McGuigan.  

CORK: M O’Sullivan; M Duggan, D Kiniry, R Phelan; S Kelly, E O’Shea, R Leahy; H Looney, S Leahy (capt.); L Coppinger, K Quirke, E Cleary; O Cahalane, E Kiely, C O’Sullivan.  

Waterford v Kerry; Fraher Field 

Lidl NFL Division 1 champions Kerry turn their thoughts to the start of the TG4 Munster Championship – and a visit to Waterford.  

Kerry have been the story of the season so far and joint-managers Declan Quill and Darragh Long have named a strong team.  

Having impressed massively against Galway at Croke Park, Kerry have gone with 12 of the starting team that League Final win.  

Aoife Dillane, Caoimhe Evans and Fiadhna Tangney were all introduced as subs at Croke Park and they start this time in place of Cáit Lynch, Mary O’Connell and Hannah O’Donoghue.  

Waterford ran Kerry to just a point in the Lidl National League opener and the Déise enjoyed a solid campaign to keep them well clear of any relegation worries.  

Waterford lost out to Dublin in their final round of League matches but there’s just one change in personnel from that game, with Caragh McCarthy coming in for Catherine Hynes.  

WATERFORD: E O’Brien; C Murray, M Dunford, A Murray; E Power, E Murray, Kate McGrath; K Hogan, A Waring; A O’Neill, A Fitzgerald, C McCarthy; Karen McGrath (capt.), B McMaugh, L McGregor.  

KERRY: M.E. Bolger; E Lynch, K Cronin, A Dillane; A O’Connell, E Costello, C Murphy; L Scanlon, A Galvin; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, E Evans; F Tangney, S O’Shea (capt.), L Ní Mhuircheartaigh.  

Senior B    

Cork v Clare; Cloughduv 

The Senior B competition in Munster will be contested by the second teams from Cork and Kerry, along with Clare and Limerick.  

The aim of the competition is to give game time to Clare (Intermediate) and Limerick (Junior), who otherwise would have no provincial fare this year.  

Clare will be looking for some positive performances ahead of the TG4 All-Ireland series, as they look to pick themselves up following the disappointment of losing out to Kildare in the Lidl NFL Division 3 Final after extra-time.  

CORK: C Forde; A Gould, A O’Sullivan (capt.), S Callanan; A McTaggart, R Shanley, C Heffernan; D Murphy, C O’Brien; A Quirke, A Corcoran, G Murphy; E Daly, T Hickey, L Hallihan.  

CLARE: A Lenihan; E Hynes, S Ní Chonaill, G Harvey; R Looney, L Griffin, A Kissane; S Considine, A Reidy; C Blake, C Harvey (capt.), L Clarke; F Marrinan, L Conway, A Sexton.  

Ulster    

TG4 Senior Championship  

Cavan v Donegal; Kingspan Breffni  

Donegal suffered relegation from Division 1 of the Lidl National League, after contesting the 2022 Final.  

It was a hugely disappointing campaign for Donegal, who will hope for better fortunes come championship time.  

Donegal lost out late in extra-time against Armagh in the 2022 TG4 Ulster Final but went all the way to the TG4 All-Ireland semi-finals, where they fell to eventual winners Meath.  

Donegal will struggle to make a similar impact in Championship 2023, unless there’s a huge change in fortunes.  

Cavan steered clear of any relegation worries in Division 2 of the Lidl National League, and also collected three victories along the way.  

Given the fortunes of Donegal to date in 2023, Cavan may fancy their chances in this one.  

There’s a round-robin system in operation in the province, with Armagh the other Senior team.  

CAVAN: Roisin O’Reilly; G Faulkner, S Lynch, C Charters; Z Fay, N Byrd (capt.), Rebecca O’Reilly; C Finnegan, A Cahill; D Lynch, A Gilsenan, A Walls; L McVeety, A Sheridan, G Smith.  

DONEGAL: C Friel; N Carr, A Temple Asoko, Nicole McLaughlin; A Boyle Carr, S McGroddy, T Hegarty; S Twohig, Niamh McLaughlin; R Rodgers, K Long, K Dowds; E Gallagher, K Herron, C McGarvey.    

TG4 Intermediate Championship  

Tyrone v Monaghan; O’Neills Healy Park 

Monaghan suffered relegation from the Senior ranks last year and will now aim to rebuild in the Intermediate grade. 

In the provincial championship, the competition is tough alongside Tyrone and 2022 TG4 All-Ireland Junior champions, Antrim.  

The three counties will battle it out in a round-robin phase before the top two contest the Final.  

Monaghan were winners when they played Tyrone in Division 2 of the Lidl National League in February.  

TYRONE: S McVey; E Quinn, C Magee, R Barker; J Lyons, M Corrigan, C Campbell; E Hegarty, A McHugh (capt.); N Hughes, G Rafferty, A Horisk; A McGahan, S Byrne, M Canavan.  

MONAGHAN: O Kelly; M Monaghan, J Duffy, E Clerkin; S Brady, A Loughman, B McNally; M Atkinson (capt.), R Courtney; A Garland, S Coyle, L Garland; L Maguire, C McBride, H McQuaid.  

TG4 Junior Championship    

Fermanagh v Down; Tempo 

Down were relegated from Intermediate Championship football last year but will be among the favourites to land the TG4 All-Ireland Junior title.  

Fermanagh will also fancy their chances and this provincial opener could provide some long-term clues ahead of the summer campaign.  

The Ulster Junior Championship is also played on a round-robin basis, with Derry the other team involved.  

FERMANAGH: R Gleeson; E Keenan, M McGloin, C Clarke; S McQuade (capt.), C Murphy, S McCarville; R O’Reilly, A O’Brien; S Britton, D Maguire, A Maguire; B Bannon, B Bogue, L Grew.  

DOWN: A McGivern; P Smyth, C Byrne, O Boyle; N McKibbin, M Doherty (capt.), A Greene; A Laverty, O Duffy; N Scullion, V McCormack, A Keown; L Duffy, E Fitzpatrick, N King.  

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