We're in just the second day of the new year and it marks the commencement of the inter-county season.
There will be little fanfare in Dungarvan or Rathkeale as the McGrath Cup gets underway with Waterford hosting Clare and Tipperary travelling to take on Limerick.
All-Ireland champions Kerry get their first run out of the year against Clare on Tuesday night off Broadway in Clarecastle, while also at 7pm, Tipperary will host Cork.
All-Star midfielder Joe O’Connor admitted in the post-season that he could "live without" the McGrath Cup, which is what everyone managed last year when the GAA’s pre-sesaon competitions were scrapped.
They make a return – for this year at least – when GAA-starved fans will layer up and cast an eye over some players they hope can put a hand up for the more serious stuff later in the year.
Jack O’Connor, entering his 12th campaign as Kingdom manager, has tended to avoided naming purely experimental sides in the early part of the year, normally keeping a few established players in the mix to help the fresh faces in the team.
All-Ireland hurling champions Tipperary, 168 days after toppling Cork in Croke Park, will get their first run out as topdogs tomorrow in the Munster League. Manager Liam Cahill has named just four players that started the All-Ireland final – Robert Doyle, Mikey Breen, Bryan O’Mara and Andrew Ormond – in the team to face Waterford at Clonmel Sportsfield.
In a clear illustration of the thirst for action after the inter-county hibernation, the other game in the competition, the meeting of Limerick and Clare in Tulla, is a sell-out.
The Dr McKenna Cup, the shiny bright button of the pre-sesaon competitions, also starts out tonight when Armagh and Tyrone lock horns three months out from an Ulster preliminary round championship joust.
Despite just a single game scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, by Wednesday night each county will have tasted action, with the semi-finals a week later and the final slated for Saturday, 17 January. That is just a week out from the start of the Allianz Leagues.
Ulster’s hurling equivalent, the Conor McGurk Cup, has only been going since 2018 and will garner few headlines.
The competition sees all nine Ulster sides take part, along with sides from Ulster University, Queen’s and Louth.
The knockout competition begins today (3.30pm) when Antrim (U-20s) host Armagh in Dunswilly, marking the official start of the inter-county season.
Back in football, Dublin manager Ger Brennan spoke of his desire to cast the net wide in his search for greater depth to his squad, and his first team selection indicates he is a man of his word.
Dublin Senior Football manager Ger Brennan has named his panel to face Laois in Saturday's Dioralyte O'Byrne Cup Round 1 clash at Ratheniska 👕#UpTheDubs pic.twitter.com/chDHA6sIWs
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) January 1, 2026
Ratheniska will be the venue for his first outing as Dessie Farrell’s successor when the Dubs travel to Laois for their O’Byrne Cup opener. In a callow team with low inter-county profiles, the name of Niall O’Callaghan at full-forward, brother of talisman Con, jumps off the page.
He was instrumental in Cuala’s All-Ireland success 12 months ago and will eye the opportunity to stake a claim in the Brennan era.
It’s a full round of fixtures in the competition on Saturday, with Tailteann Cup winners Kildare beginning their campaign on the road against Wexford and Meath looking to kick on from last year’s progress when they travel to Aughrim to face Wicklow.
The Walsh Cup also begins with a full round of games on Sunday. Kildare, who will look forward to Leinster championship hurling in 2026, will host Galway. Kilkenny travel to Westmeath, Offaly will have home advantage against Antrim, Laois host Wexford and Dublin are away to Carlow.
Mayo fans looking for green shoots may well pay closer attention to their FBD League opener against Sligo on Saturday afternoon.
New manager Andy Moran (pictured above) will oversee his first competitive game in charge as he looks to unearth more talent to make the Green and Red a serious contender again for the business end of the season.
Later that evening Galway take on London at the Connacht Centre of Excellence in Bekan.
Bearna na Forbacha’s Seán Fitzgerald will captain the side, but Padraic Joyce has opted for a fresh-looking side, with half a dozen players from the 2024 Galway U-20 team that contested a Connacht final, while Maigh Cuilinn’s Fionn McDonagh will be hoping to translate his fine club form at inter-county level.
On Sunday Roscommon host Leitrim at Orchard Park.
