Early walkover conceded in Offaly Intermediate Football Championship
Kilcormac-Killoughey have had regular issues with fielding football teams
THE Tullamore Court Hotel Offaly Intermediate Football Championship has got off to a very inauspicious start with the early concession of a walkover.
Kilcormac-Killoughey have conceded the points to St Rynagh's in their group 1 opener, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday in Cloghan.
The championship will get into action on Sunday when Edenderry host Ferbane in the other group 1 game. Group 2 doesn't start until the weekend of July 17 as it is a four team group, compared to five in the other one, which requires an extra round of games to be played.
K-K announced on Friday that they were conceding the match after informing the Competitions Control Committee and it once again places a spotlight on their less than stellar relationship with football.
They are no stranger to conceding walkovers in football championships and regularly find it difficult to get teams out. Hurling is king in Kilcormac-Killoughey but there has been a traditionally strong footballing ethos in the parish, especially in the Kilcormac end.
Kilcormac were beaten by Ferbane in the 1986 Senior Football Championship final, just months before them and Killoughey amalgamated. That amalgamation has been phenomenally successful, going on to transform the Offaly hurling landscape after the first senior title was won in 2012. The club completed their second three in a row in 2025 and are favourites for a first four in a row this year,
Unfortunately, football has been a big casualty and the latest walkover highlights this. It is a parish that could and should be producing the odd footballer for Offaly but this has become increasingly rare in recent times. Senior hurling stalwarts such as Cillian Kiely, Conor Mahon and Damien Kilmartin, along with James Gorman who has stepped away from senior this year, all played underage football for Offaly and at least a couple of them had senior potential but hurling was their game of choice – though Mahon, Kilmartin and Gorman have played a lot of football for their club.
Their relationship with football is a complicated one. They have players who enjoy and want to play football and some of their senior hurlers play it regularly. Kilcormac-Killoughey won the Junior Football Championship in 2023 and that squad featured excellent hurlers, including James Mahon, Colin Spain, Damien Kilmartin, Leigh Kavanagh, Jordan Quinn, Tom Spain, Peter and Tomas Geraghty, Alex Kavanagh and James Gorman – Tom Spain is different as he grew up playing football with Erin Rovers before transferring to the home club of his father, Ger, some years ago.
It is also a problem for the County Board as it is very unsatisfactory to have walkovers given in the third tier. It just shouldn't happen and a club with K-K's numbers should be able to field but they wouldn't concede if they could put out a team – the imminent hurling championship, injuries and player availability are all factors.
K-K competed well last year, losing to eventual champions Tullamore, beating Walsh Island and going down narrowly to St Rynagh's in the group and it remains to be seen if they field in their coming games this year. They are likely to do so and will hopefully be able to get out a team.
The other dilemma with Kilcormac-Killoughey is that they are always capable of winning lower grade football titles with minimal effort. They do very little football training but some of their best known players really enjoy the games as it gives them a respite from the pressure that accompanies every hurling game.
If K-K go back, they could very easily win junior again next year and that is hard on the genuine junior clubs back there – though there is no other option with this and K-K have to find their own level each year. Back years ago, they could challenge for intermediate honours with the same “commitment” but that has changed now as Offaly's third tier is very competitive, most clubs are fit and football will win through in the heel of the hunt.
It is far from a new issue and K-K and footballing walkovers, relegations and promotions has been an occasional occurrence from their start in 1987, becoming more pronounced as the years wore on and hurling's grip became tighter.