Photo: @DebsNaylor (via Twitter)

I’m very late getting to this, I know, but it’d be remiss to let the day go by without saluting the achievements of Hollymount/Carramore and Ardnaree who both secured their place in their respective All-Ireland finals next month. Both of them got the better of Ulster opposition today and the pair of them now have the formidable task of taking on clubs from Kerry at Croke Park on 6th February.

A full day on a load of other things meant that the Twitter machine was the closest I got to following today’s action. This kept me informed on a blow-by-blow basis about Ardnaree’s Junior semi-final against Monaghan’s Rockcorry at Carrick-on-Shannon (where there seemed to be plenty of blows being landed, most by the Farney lads who ended the day with just thirteen players on the field) but less so about Hollymount/Carramore’s tussle with Loughinisland of Down up in Breffni Park. This one was, I know, streamed live over the net by Local Streaming but, as I said, I was otherwise engaged while the match was going on.

Photo: @AndrewForde_IRE (via Twitter)

Anyway, both of them won, with Hollymount/Carramore earning their place in the final on a scoreline of 0-15 to 0-10, while Ardnaree did likewise by 0-11 to 0-6. A report on the Holly/Carra semi-final by the Connaught Telegraph is here and Colm Gannon’s match report for the Mayo Advertiser on the Ardnaree semi-final is here.

As I said at the top, final day on 6th February will be a Mayo/Kerry affair. St Mary’s of Cahirciveen crushed Meath’s Ratoath by 2-20 to 1-5 in the other Intermediate semi-final this afternoon while Templenoe also got the better of Meath opposition in the form of Curraha, whom they beat by 1-9 to 0-5. Kerry clubs have a good record at both Intermediate and Junior, having won four of the last ten club All-Irelands in the former and five in the latter. Still, as to saying goes, to be the best you have to beat the best.

Huge congrats to Hollymount/Carramore and Ardnaree for making it all the way to Croke Park.  The best of luck to them both as they gear up for a crack at All-Ireland honours.