The Handball Alley

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Death Notice of Ann O'Reilly (née Morrissey) (Wexford Town, Wexford) | rip.ie The death has occurred of Ann O'Reilly (née Morrissey) of Wexford Town, Wexford Ireland, on 05/06/2026. You can view the full death notice and add your condolences here.

GAA Handball 60X30 Softball All Ireland Men’s Senior Open Singles Round 16 in Croke Park, Dublin Thursday 04th June 2026 ~ Mark Doyle (Taghmon,Wexford) beat Brian Mahon (Clogh,Kilkenny) 21-11,21-13..🔴

GAA Handball All Ireland 60x30 Softball Boys & Girls Juvenile Finals Sunday 31st May 2026 ~ Ballina, Co.Tipperary & Cullen, Co.Cork..

Wexford GAA Handball Report..🟢🔴

Sunday 31st May 2026 will long be remembered as a red-letter day for Wexford Handball, where the county’s talented young stars produced a magnificent return of six GAA Handball All Ireland 60x30 Softball Juvenile titles from the sixteen finals contested in Cullen, Cork and Ballina, Tipperary. This outstanding achievement matches the second occasion in the past decade that Wexford has reached such impressive heights numerically at juvenile level. The previous landmark came on Sunday 15th October 2017 in Castlebridge when the county celebrated victories in Boys U-14 Doubles, Boys U-15 Doubles, Boys U-16 Doubles, Boys U-17 Doubles together with Girls U-17 Singles and Girls U-17 Doubles. On this latest memorable occasion, Wexford’s girls led the way in emphatic fashion, capturing four coveted All Irelands titles at Girls U-14 Singles (Bethany Dunbar, Ferns), Girls U-15 Doubles (Megan Murphy, Taghmon & Abby Terry-Howlin, St.Josephs) , Girls U-16 Doubles (Freya Murphy, Davidstown & Victoria Dunbar, Ferns) and Girls U-17 Doubles (Mikaela Kavanagh, Taghmon & Kacey Coleman, Castlebridge). The boys also played their part in ensuring a hugely successful weekend for the purple and gold adding All Ireland honours at Boys U-16 Doubles (Thomas O’Brien & Charlie Roche, Castlebridge) and Boys U-17 Doubles (Jack Goggins & Tom Goggins, New Ross) to complete the remarkable six-title haul. It was a weekend which showcased not only exceptional skill and determination but also the continued strength of juvenile handball in Wexford and a fitting reward for the dedication of players, clubs, administrators and families alike.

Bethany Dunbar (Ferns) was the first of our juveniles into action in Ballina, Co.Tipperary and she set the tone for the day in producing a huge shock when she toppled the highly rated Anna Madden (Tuamgraney, Clare) 15-10,15-6 with a performance befitting the Premier U-14 Singles grade. Displaying significant improvement over the last few weeks and combining composure, confidence and an impressive mastery of the ‘Big Alley’ Bethany powered to victory over her Clare opponent and secured her maiden All Ireland with plenty to spare. In doing so, she etched her name into the record books and became the very first Wexford girl in the thirty five year history of the All Ireland 60x30 Softball Juvenile Championships to taste success at U-14 Singles. It is an achievement of genuine significance for Wexford Handball and sees her join a distinguished roll of honour that includes such illustrious winners as Julie Long (Dublin) 1994, Lydia Doolan (Roscommon) 1995,1996 & 1997, Marianna Rushe (Roscommon) 2003, Martina McMahon (Limerick) 2007, Lauren O’Riordan (Roscommon) 2008 & 2009, Mairead Fox (Tyrone) 2016 and Amy Brosnan (Cork) 2022 to name but a few. Perhaps most impressive of all is the fact that Bethany remains eligible for U-14 again in 2027 which adds further lustre to her outstanding achievement.

Also in action at Ballina were Freya Murphy (Davidstown) & Victoria Dunbar (Ferns) who doubled up at Girls U-16 by winning the 60x30 Softball All Ireland to add to the 40x20 4-Wall gold medal they won in Croke Park in March. In the final they proved much too strong for Emma Conway & Aimee Fox (Greencastle, Tyrone) winning handsomely 21-6,21-9. Only one other Wexford pair in the thirty five year recorded history of the Girls Blue Riband Doubles have managed to win at Premier U-16 and that was Holly Hynes (St.Marys) & Róisín Walsh (St.Josephs) on 12th October 2014 in Talbots Inch. The girls have progressed enormously in the last twelve months and to double up across the codes is a remarkable achievement in a grade where Wexford has invariably struggled. I’m fairly certain (I could check if the National Website wasn’t inactive) that Wexford has never won an U-16 Doubles in 40x20 4-Wall so Freya & Victoria stand alone as the county’s very first winners. Freya also had a recent impressive 15& Under Irish Softball Nationals triumph under her belt with Angel Cronin-Kenny (Coolgreany) while she also became the very first Davidstown girl to win a Juvenile All Ireland of any description. Victoria won All Ireland U-14 Doubles in both courts in 2025 so is eligible for U-16 again in 2027, they have firmly established themselves at the top echelons of the girls game at juvenile level nationally.

Well done Girls..🎉

Cullen on the Cork,Kerry border played host to the rest of the All Ireland Finals and we were represented in four finals over the course of the day. A lot has been said as regards the suitability of the venue for All Ireland Finals but the welcome and hospitality was beyond question, the other issue is possibly best left out of this particular report..! First into action in the Girls U-15 Doubles Final were Megan Murphy (Taghmon) and Abby Terry-Howlin (St.Josephs) who replaced her stablemate Mollie Gilbert who has been under the weather since before the All Ireland Semi-Final. They squared off against local girls Ruth Daly & Lauryn Quirke and after a reasonable start that Megan & Abby controlled they lost their way somewhat to get involved in a struggle which swayed in both directions. Cork thought they had won it at 14-10 in front only for both Megan & Abby to play to the whistle while the Cork girls were celebrating the winning Ace. The girls went back into serve and closed the game out 15-14 as Cork had lost their focus, they were completely unhinged in the second game after losing the first and our girls put them to the sword winning it comprehensively 15-4 to claim their first All Ireland titles. Megan had lost the 40x20 equivalent in March with Mollie Gilbert so this was a brilliant recovery and put her level in the Murphy household with brother Conor who won the All Ireland 40x20 4-Wall Boys U-14 Doubles with Mark Doyle in 2017, Conor could be in a bit of trouble at this stage as Megan has two more years to compete at Juvenile level..! Abby for her part is by my reckoning the youngest girl to win an All Ireland since Lydia Doolin (Roscommon) won U-14 Singles as a 12 year old in 1995, she wasn’t fazed by the occasion and played extremely well on the day. She became the fourth St.Josephs girl to win an All Ireland 60x30 Juvenile Gold after Cora Doyle (U-17 Singles 2017), Clodagh White (U-17 Doubles 2017) and Róisín Walsh (U-16 Doubles 2014) and the fifth in total as Eva Creane won Girls U-17 Doubles in 40x20 in 2017. The last and only previous Wexford winners in the U-15 Grade were Leanne Boland (Coolgreany) & Ciara Parnell (Ballyhogue) in Kingscourt on 16th October 2016.

Next onto the Court were Castlebridge boys Thomas O’Brien and Charlie Roche in the GAA Handball U-16 Doubles Final, their opponents were Jack Hennessy & Sean Dee (Cork), who, try as they did just hadn’t got the class of athleticism of the Wexford duo. Thomas & Charlie won it ‘2 Straight’ with more than a little bit to spare. They simply had too many shots and never looked in the slightest danger to this observer. With normal progression and application they should make it at adult level in a few years, glancing at the 60x30 U-16 Doubles Roll of Honour it is littered with names who no longer play but surely this won’t be the case with the lads, serious and determined in equal measure they are two good players and hailing from a 60x30 stronghold if they don’t make it we may pack up and go home. They also had the distinction of winning the 40x20 4-Wall All Ireland U-16 Doubles earlier in the year, a feat not always straightforward. I would check previous double champions for clarity if the Website was active..! John Fleming & Pat Cleary RIP (Ballyanne) 1976, Niall Maher (Ballyhogue) & Paddy Berry (New Ross) 2003, Padraig Foley (Castlebridge) & Galen Riordan (Ballyhogue) 2011, Josh Kavanagh & Cian Kehoe (St.Josephs) 2017 were previous Wexford U-16 Doubles Champions and Thomas & Charlie made it five in total on Slaneyside.

Our U-17 Girls Kacey Coleman (Castlebridge) & Mikaela Kavanagh (Taghmon) were next into action in a game that was always going to be difficult for them to win given that their opponents Grace Murphy & Freya Mortell (Cork) had home advantage and were a little more established on the national scene than our girls. It turned out to be the game of the day, tense, exciting and with great endeavour from all four. Grace & Freya seemed very assured in the opening game and even though Kacey & Mikaela started well and gave as good as they got it was the ‘Rebelettes’ who won the opener 21-18. Not too many, if any, Juvenile games are won after the concession of the opening game so at this stage it was an onerous task for the girls but they refused to buckle and played as if their lives depended on it in the 2nd. Serving effectively and growing stronger as the game wore on they were now in full flight and with Mikaela showing her true mettle on the left and Kacey playing way above what one would ordinarily expect from a girl who is hardly playing 12 months they rattled home to bring it to a Tie-Break 21-15. It was obvious at this stage that the girls had an edge in experience on Grace and Freya and certainly an edge in strength. Cork led 2-0 in the 3rd but that was as good as it got for them as our girls took over. Mikaela was flying at this point and found a serve that yielded five straight Aces while Kacey couldn’t be passed down the right where she repeatedly outplayed her opponents. When she flattened one ‘on the fly’ into the left hand corner the crowd went wild and it was lights out for Cork after that as the girls sealed their All Ireland 11-3 amid great excitement. They probably left the 40x20 behind them in Croke Park earlier in the year through lack of experience but there was to be no repeat this time around as the longer it went on the better they played. Cork were gracious in defeat and with both of them U-17 again next year they will surely go one better. Powerful stuff from Mikaela & Kacey who played to the ceiling of their ability on the day that mattered most and they have plenty of upside if they stick at it. They become only the second Wexford winners of Girls U-17 Doubles in its thirty five year history after Clodagh White (St.Josephs) & Lucia Merrigan (Coolgreany) in 2017. To the best of my knowledge Megan Murphy & Mikaela Kavanagh are the only girls from Taghmon to have won a Juvenile All Ireland in any court which is a wonderful accomplishment for both of them personally and their Club. Arguably the most incredible statistic of all and one that only dawned on me yesterday is that Kacey Coleman also made history as the first girl ever from Castlebridge GAA Handball Club to win a Juvenile All Ireland in any court. After all the domination and success down through the years and generation after generation of decorated players no female player had previously claimed an All Ireland Juvenile Medal. Kacey’s achievement is therefore not only a personal triumph but a truly historic milestone for Castlebridge Handball and should inspire the next generation of girls in their club. Always smiling, occasionally laughing (loudly) and fantastic role models for the younger girls Mikaela & Kacey deserved their All Ireland and were a dream to work with.

Congratulations Girls..🎉

Last to take to the Court were Jack Goggins & Tom Goggins (New Ross) in the Boys U-17 Doubles Final, their opponents were Senan Slane & Shea Donnelly (Tyrone), who try hard as they did were simply outclassed by the New Ross boys. Wexford won the 1st 21-0 and actually led 20-0 in the 2nd before Jack put one in the floor in the right to let the Carrickmore boys off the hook. They got back 6 Aces but were all at sea in truth, not sure really about the rationale of bringing Wexford V’s Tyrone to Cullen in Cork. Whatever about Wexford but to bring Tyrone down on such a journey was unfair, they had a straight Bye to the All Ireland Final too which is ridiculous and didn’t do them any favours. There is surely a better way to run a Championship that is numerically compromised..? In any event Jack and Tom were much the best and played quite well all through. They became the twelfth Wexford pair to win at Boys U-17 Doubles since 1988. The list of previous winners is as follows ~

2025 ~ Jerry Goggins (New Ross) & Nathan Lawlor (Taghmon)..

2023 ~ Jamie Barnes (St.Marys) & Jack Whitty RIP (Taghmon)..

2019 ~ Joe Devereux & David Doyle (Castlebridge)..

2017 ~ Robert Cogley (Ballymitty) & Ciarán Power (Coolgreany)..

2015 ~ Liam Rossiter (Ballyhogue) & Laurence Dunne (Kilmyshall)..

2009 ~ Luke Connors & Andy Cash (Castlebridge)..

2008 ~ Peter Hughes & Mark Maher (Ballyhogue)..

2000 ~ Mylie Cash & Cormac Smith (Castlebridge)..

1998 ~ Derek Walsh (Castlebridge) & Noel Holohan (Templeudigan)..

1996 ~ Peter McGrath (Coolgreany) & Malachy Whelan (Castlebridge)..

1991 ~ Nicky Barnes & Gavin Buggy (St.Marys)..

As the dust settles on a truly memorable day for Wexford Handball, the significance of these achievements becomes even clearer, they further secure our love affair with the old traditional game of 60x30 Softball. Six All Ireland Juvenile titles represent far more than success on the court. They are the product of countless hours of practice, travel and commitment from our young players, mentors, parents, club officers and volunteers across the county. From Ferns to New Ross, Castlebridge to Taghmon and everywhere in between, these victories reflect the strength of our juvenile structures that continue to develop young talent throughout Wexford. Fiona Byrne as Juvenile Secretary deserves special mention for the countless hours she spends administratively to oversee the running of our schedules. John Roche as Chairman and Jennifer Murphy as Coaching Officer play pivotal roles behind the scenes to organise so many things that go unnoticed. To every player who represented us in the Leinster Championship and beyond very well done. To the six championship-winning combinations congratulations on your magnificent performances last Sunday and on writing another proud chapter in the history of Handball in Wexford..💛💜

It’s our game, let’s take it back..🟢🔴

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Wexford GAA is saddened by the passing of Pat Nolan (Geraldine O'Hanrahan's). Pat won a County Senior Hurling title with his club in 1966 and was a member of the Wexford Senior Hurling squad that claimed the All-Ireland crown in 1968, and he maintained a keen interest in hurling through all the years that followed.

Deepest sympathy is extended to his loving family. Funeral Mass will take place in St. Mary & Michael's Parish Church in New Ross at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

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Anthony Greene ~ Talbots Inch,Kilkenny..🕯️

Death Notice of Anthony (Tony) GREENE (Kilkenny City, Kilkenny) | rip.ie The death has occurred of Anthony (Tony) GREENE of Kilkenny City, Kilkenny Ireland, on 30/05/2026. You can view the full death notice and add your condolences here.