Cork, Clare and Sligo are the first three counties through to this year's provincial football finals with the Munster pair due to clash in the southern decider in the Limerick Gaelic Grounds on July 8.

It will be the first Munster senior final between Clare and Cork since 1949 when Cork won by 3-6 to 0-7. Clare are back in the Munster final for the first time since 2000 and will be seeking to win the title for the first time since 1992. Cork last won the crown in 2009.

Sligo beat Galway to reach the Connacht final for the second time in three seasons. They will meet Mayo or Leitrim in the final on July 15. Meanwhile the focus will be on Leinster and Ulster next weekend with three quarter-finals down for decision in Tullamore, Portlaoise and Ballybofey.

DERRY v DONEGAL, BALLYBOFEY, SATURDAY, 5PM
This will be 21st championship meeting between them, with Derry leading 11-9 from the previous 20. It underlines how close this rivalry is but Donegal, the reigning Ulster champions, will be encouraged by the fact that they beat Derry in four of their five last championship clashes over ten years. Their most recent win was in last year's Ulster final when they won by 1-11 to 0-8 in the Ulster final on a day when Michael Murphy (1-2), Colm McFadden (0-4), Michael Hegarty (0-2), Anthony Thompson (0-2) and Ryan Bradley hit the target for Donegal. James Kielt (0-4) was Derry's top scorer. Next Saturday's winners will play Tyrone in the semi-final on June 30.

How they got here....
This will be Derry's first outing in Championship 2012 but Donegal already have a win behind them, having beaten Cavan by 1-16 to 1-10 in the first round. Donegal, for whom Colm McFadden scored 1-6, led by 1-7 to 0-4 at half-time, and maintained control in the second half to rack up their fifth successive provincial win in a year, having won four times en route to last year's title.

Last Five Championship Clashes
2011: Donegal 1-11 Derry 0-8 (Ulster final)
2009: Donegal 2-13 Derry 0-18 (After extra-time) (Third Round Qualifier)
2008: Derry 1-14 Donegal 1-12 (Ulster quarter-final)
2006: Donegal 1-13 Derry 0-11 (Ulster semi-final)
2002: Donegal 1-9 Derry 0-10 (Ulster semi-final)

KILDARE v OFFALY, PORTLAOISE, SUNDAY, 4PM
It's one of the closest rivalries in the championship. The counties have met 38 times in the championship with the results standing as follows: Kildare 17; Offaly 16; Draws 5. They last met in 2009 when Kildare won a first round tie by 1-16 to 1-10 in Portlaoise. John Doyle top-scored for Kildare on 0-6 while Alan Smith scored 1-1 and James Kavanagh 0-3. Niall McNamee and John Reynolds each scored 0-3 for Offaly.

Kieran McGeeney leads Kildare into the championship for a fifth year with a provincial record which reads: Played 9; Won 5, Lost 4. The wins came against Offaly (2009), Wexford (2009), Laois (2009), Wicklow (2011), Meath (2011) while the losses were against Wicklow (2008), Dublin (2009 and 2011) and Louth (2010). Tom Coffey leads Offaly into the championship for the first time, having taken over as manager following the departure of Gerry Cooney in April. Next Saturday's winners will play Meath or Carlow in the semi-final on July 1.

How they got here...
Both are having their first outing in Championship 2012.

Last Five Championship Clashes
2009: Kildare 1-16 Offaly 1-10 (Leinster 1st round)
2006: Offaly 3-9 Kildare 0-15 (Leinster quarter-final)
2004: Offaly 2-17 Kildare 1-16 (All-Ireland qualifier - Round 1)
2002: Kildare 3-9 Offaly 1-14 (Leinster semi-final replay - after extra-time)
2002: Kildare 1-9 Offaly 1-9 (Leinster semi-final)

CARLOW v MEATH, TULLAMORE, SATURDAY, 7PM
Having achieved their best ever championship result against Meath when they snatched a late draw last Sunday, can Carlow record their first win over the Royals in next Saturday's replay in Tullamore?

Prior to last Sunday, it was 8-0 to Meath from eight championship clashes but Carlow ended the losing streak in dramatic circumstances when JJ Smith scored a late equalising goal.

Carlow-Meath: Full Championship History
2012: Carlow 1-12 Meath 1-12 (Leinster quarter-final)
2008: Meath 1-25 Carlow 0-8 (Leinster 1st round)
2006: Meath 1-17 Carlow 0-12 (All-Ireland qualifiers)
1996: Meath 0-24 Carlow 0-6 (Leinster quarter-final)
1986: Meath 1-15 Carlow 1-12 (Leinster quarter-final)
1977: Meath 1-18 Carlow 0-7 (Leinster quarter-final)
1970: Meath 1-17 Carlow 1-4 (Leinster quarter-final)
1938: Meath 4-4 Carlow 2-7 (Leinster quarter-final)
1901: Meath 3-6 Carlow 2-5 (Leinster quarter-final)
Meath 8, Carlow 0, Draw 1.

GAA SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
CONNACHT
May 6: Quarter-final: Sligo 3-21 New York 0-6, Gaelic Park.
May 20: Quarter-final: Galway 3-15 Roscommon 0-10, Dr. Hyde Park.
June 3: Quarter-final: Leitrim 0-12 London 1-8, Ruislip.
June 9: Semi-final: Sligo 2-14 Galway 0-15, Pearse Stadium.
June 24: Semi-final: Mayo v Leitrim, MacHale Park, Castlebar.
July 15: Final: Sligo v Mayo or Leitrim.

LEINSTER
May 20: 1st round: Longford 1-10 Laois 0-12, Pearse Park; Louth 2-9 Westmeath 0-14, Páirc Tailteann.
May 27: 1st round: Meath 0-16 Wicklow 0-11, Dr. Cullen Park.
June 3: Quarter-finals: Longford 2-9 Wexford 0-15, Croke Park; Dublin 2-22 Louth 0-12, Croke Park.
June 9: Quarters finals: Wexford 1-13 Longford 0-15, Tullamore (replay);
Meath 1-12 Carlow 1-12, Tullamore.
June 16: Quarter-final (replay): Carlow v Westmeath, Tullamore.
June 17: Quarter-final: Kildare v Offaly, Tullamore.
July 1: Semi-finals: Kildare/Offaly v Carlow/Meath; Dublin v Wexford. Both in Croke Park.
July 22: Final, Croke Park.

MUNSTER
May 20: Quarter-final: Limerick 2-12 Waterford 0-7, Gaelic Grounds.
May 27: Quarter-final: Kerry 0-16 Tipperary 0-10, Semple Stadium, Thurles.
June 2: Semi-final: Clare 1-13 Limerick 0-15, Gaelic Grounds.
June 3: Semi-final: Cork 0-17 Kerry 0-12, Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
July 8: Final: Clare v Cork, Gaelic Grounds.

ULSTER
May 20: Preliminary Round: Donegal 1-16 Cavan 1-10, Kingspan Breffni Park.
May 27: Quarter-final: Monaghan 1-12 Antrim 1-9, Clones.
June 3: Quarter-final: Down 2-10 Fermanagh 1-8, Enniskillen.
June 10: Quarter-final: Tyrone 0-19 Armagh 1-13, Morgan Athletic Park.
June 16: Quarter-final: Donegal v Derry, Ballybofey
June 24: Semi-final: Down v Monaghan, Morgan Athletic Grounds.
July 30: Semi-final: Tyrone v Derry/Donegal. If Tyrone v Derry, Casement
Park; If Tyrone v Donegal, Clones.
July 22: Final, Clones.

All-IRELAND QUALIFIERS
June 30: Round 1 (counties which did not reach provincial semi-finals): Laois,
Westmeath, Wicklow, Louth, Longford, Carlow or Meath, Kildare or Offaly, Roscommon, London, Cavan, Antrim, Fermanagh, Armagh, Derry or Donegal, Tipperary, Waterford.
July 14: Round 2: Round 1 winners v beaten provincial semi-finalists. Beaten
provincial semi-finalists so far are: Kerry, Limerick, Galway.
July 21: Round 3: Round 2 winners (4 v 4).
July 28: Round 4: Round 3 winners v beaten provincial finalists.

ALL-IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 4/5/6: Quarter-finals: Round 4 qualifiers v Provincial Winners.
August 26: Semi-final: Munster champions (or qualifier) v Ulster champions (or qualifier), Croke Park.
September 2: Semi-final: Connacht champions (or qualifier) v Leinster
champions (or qualifier), Croke Park.
September 23: Final, Croke Park. Tweet

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