Fixtures
All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Cork v Galway, 3.30pm
All-Ireland Women’s Football quarter-finals: Armagh v Kildare, 1.45pm; Kerry v Meath, 5.15pm; Dublin v Cork, 7.30pm
All-Ireland Senior Camogie quarter-final: Kilkenny 2-19 Waterford 1-19 (After extra-time)
HALF-TIME: Cork 1-13 Galway 1-12 That’s an outstanding finish to the half for Galway. They scored five of the last six points, finishing with a free from Niland. The Galway fans wanted a black card penalty for a foul on Rabbitte by Sean O’Donoghue but there was nothing doing. Cork have been far more efficient but Galway have hung in there. Back soon!
36 mins: Another score for Hayes – that’s six from play. Galway reply twice, first through Darren Morrissey and then from Monaghan. They’re not going away, in fairness. Cork 1-13 Galway 1-11
33 mins: Young Rabbitte is honest as the day is long. He fights his way through Cahalane to score a dogged point and that’s a score Galway badly needed. Cork 1-12 Galway 1-9
28 mins: Cork are looking very settled now. The Galway full-back line is having huge problems with Hayes, Connolly and Walsh and their full-forward line is being starved of ball. Cillian Trayers has gone over on Hayes but there’s no stopping him and that’s a four-point lead for Cork. Cork 1-11 Galway 1-7
23 mins: OH MY GOD WHAT A GOAL! Eoin Downey spears a sideline cut into the square, Alan Walsh catches it and turns to plant a rocket past Fahy. Brilliant score. Cork 1-9 Galway 1-7
21 mins: Cork are being so efficient here. Hayes splits the post with his third point – that’s nine points form nine point attempts for the Rebels. Galway have missed four point opportunities so far. That disparity could tell eventually. Galway 1-7 Cork 0-9
17 mins: SAVE! Diarmuid Healy got on the end of a scintillating Cork move but his finish was timid enough and Darach Fahy turned it away. Alan Connolly got onto the break and whipped a smart point. But from the puck-out, Fahy picks out Ronan Glennon and he lifts the roof. This is a cracking game so far. Galway 1-6 Cork 0-8
13 mins: Ooof, what a score from Conor Whelan, from the Cusack Stand sideline. He needed Hawkeye to give it to him but that’s all six Galway forwards who have scored already. Cork cancel it out immediately – Daithí Burke done for a foul on Brian Hayes. Galway 1-5 Cork 0-6
11 mins: Hayes has wriggled free a couple of times for Cork and that’s a second fine finish. Darragh Fitzgibbon gets in on the act as well to keep Cork in touch. From the puck-out, Fitzgibbon puts Barrett away and he’s fouled for an easy free. Good response from Cork. Galway 1-4 Cork 0-5
7 mins: GOAL FOR GALWAY! Darragh Neary cuts in after brilliant work by Conor Whelan, straight from the Galway puck-out. What a start for Galway! And now Rabbitte follows up with a stunning score from his 65. Galway 1-4 Cork 0-2
4 mins: Huge point for Cathal Mannion! Galway hunted Cork all around their defence and finally forced a turnover, leading to Mannion splitting the posts from the sideline in midfield. Cork hit back with a couple of lovely scores though – Shane Barrett and Brian Hayes. Galway 0-3 Cork 0-2
3 mins: Free in to Galway, Jason Rabbitte fouled by Damien Cahalane. Aaron Niland does the needful and it’s a fine start for Galway. Galway 0-2 Cork 0-0
1 min: Tom Monaghan pops up with the first point of the day. He got seven in the Leinster final and that’s a great start. Galway 0-1 Cork 0-0
And we’re away!
The teams line up for the parade. The sound system turns off Fontaines DC and lets the Artane Band take it away. Huge roar all around the gorund.
Bit of pre-match reading as the teams warm up down in front of us here. Denis Walsh’s profile of the Cork Downey brothers is well worth your time. Huge day for them both in a stadium where they’ve had, it’s fair to say, some mixed afternoons.
No changes to either the Cork or Galway team. Some kids have lined up on the pitch with red and white and maroon and white flags to welcome the teams out of the tunnel. The place is filling up, the atmosphere is building steadily.
Kilkenny see out the camogie qurter-final, beating Waterford by 2-19 to 1-19. Katie Nolan’s two extra-time goals were the difference in the end.
Cork have arrived.
GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final, Croke Park, Dublin 4/7/2026
Galway vs Cork
Cork’s manager Ben O’Connor arrives ahead of the match
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
The curtain-raiser at Croker is the All-Ireland campgie quarter-final between Kilenny and Waterford and it’s been a thriller. They’re currently playing extra-time after finishing 0-15 apiece in normal time. But Kilkenny have started like a train here, with a brilliant Katie Nolan first-time smash raising the opening green flag of the day. They lead by 1-6 to 0-17 with five minutes gone in the first period of extra-time.
Semi-final time in the 2026 hurling championship and first up we have Cork v Galway from Croke Park. Ben O’Connor’s Cork come into it as raging hot favourites, despite the fact that they’ve actually lost their last five games in a row to Galway and are without a win in the fixture since O’Connor himself put up 0-12 in a 2008 victory. Galway haven’t been in a final since 2018 but their flood-the-defence style of play could prove tricky for the more expansive Cork to overcome.
Whatever happens, Croke Park will be hopping and we’ll bring it all to you as soon as it happens. Throw-in is at 3.30.
Both counties named their teams on Thursday night/Friday morning. We can’t take them as gospel just yet – certainly there was a fair amount of surprise that William Buckley wasn’t named in the Cork starting XV so we’ll kep an eye on that over the next hour or so. But for what it’s worth, here’s how they’re lining out as of now.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Damien Cahalane, Seán O’Donoghue; Eoin Downey, Rob Downey, Mark Coleman; Tim O’Mahony, Tommy O’Connell; Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Diarmuid Healy; Alan Walsh, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.
Galway: Darach Fahy; Joshua Ryan, Cillian Trayers, Darren Morrissey; Padraic Mannion, Daithí Burke, Ronan Glennon; Tiernan Killeen, Gavin Lee; Tom Monaghan, Cathal Mannion, Darragh Neary; Conor Whelan, Jason Rabbitte, Aaron Niland.