JJ Kavanagh and Sons Carlow Senior Hurling Championship 2026

What to Expect

Carlow is a genuine dual county, and the JJ Kavanagh and Sons Senior Hurling Championship is the biggest club competition on the hurling side of the house. The senior grade is small by numbers but concentrated: the same handful of clubs from the east and south of the county contest it most years, and Mount Leinster Rangers, who reached an All-Ireland club final in 2014, remain the benchmark. Games are played largely at Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow town, so the championship is easy to follow without a long drive to a rural ground.

Three fixtures are scheduled in this round. Mount Leinster Rangers face Ballinkillen at Netwatch Cullen Park on Friday 14 August 2026 with a 7.30pm throw-in. On Saturday 15 August two games start at 6pm: Naomh Moling meet Bagenalstown Gaels at Netwatch Cullen Park, while Naomh Brid play Naomh Eoin on Pitch 1 at the Netwatch Training Centre in Fenagh. Senior hurling in Carlow tends to be fast and physical, with several inter-county panellists spread across the clubs, and group positions are usually still open at this stage of August. The county championship finals are pencilled for early September.

Good to Know

• Next fixture: Friday 14 August 2026, 7.30pm, Mount Leinster Rangers v Ballinkillen
• Two further games on Saturday 15 August 2026, both at 6pm
• Main venue: Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow town; one game at the Netwatch Training Centre, Fenagh
• Admission varies by round; check carlowgaa.ie for ticketing arrangements
• Netwatch Training Centre eircode: R21 YY09
• Fixtures can be refixed at short notice, so confirm before travelling

Getting There

Netwatch Cullen Park is on the southern side of Carlow town, within walking distance of the town centre and of Carlow railway station on the Dublin Heuston to Waterford line. Carlow is on the M9 motorway, about an hour from Dublin and 45 minutes from Kilkenny, and Bus Eireann serves the town from all three. The Netwatch Training Centre is at Lumcloon, Fenagh, a rural site roughly 15km south-east of Carlow town reached on local roads off the R724 - use the eircode rather than the village name. Parking is on site at Fenagh and on the street around Cullen Park.