SATURDAY 16 MAY
Tailteann Cup Round 1
Down v Leitrim, Páirc Esler, 6pm
SUNDAY 17 MAY
Leinster SFC final
Dublin v Westmeath, Croke Park, 2pm
Ulster SFC final
Monaghan v Armagh, Clones, 4.15pm
TV
Both provincial finals are live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with the Ulster decider live BBC2 NI. Watch highlights on The Saturday Game from 9.35pm, The Sunday Game from 9.30pm, on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
Down v Leitrim can be viewed on GAA+.
RADIO
Live commentaries and updates on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport as well as Spórt an tSathairn and Spórt an Lae on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta.
WEATHER
Saturday: Cloudy with rain across Connacht and Ulster spreading east through the morning. Rather unsettled overall for the afternoon with westerly breezes and rain becoming persistent for a time too. Highest temperatures of 9-13C.
Sunday: Another unsettled day with outbreaks of rain and blustery westerly breezes. Staying cooler overall too with highest temperatures of 9-13C For more go to met.ie.
Orchard looking ripe for more pickings
And so to the conclusion of the provincial series. Well, maybe not. If Sunday's finals finish level after 70 minutes, then it's a replay, so leaving just a week before the counties commence their Sam Maguire trek.
For Dublin, it's another date with Louth, while Westmeath host Cavan. An Ulster derby will pit Armagh against Derry, with Monaghan at home to Mayo in the last of the Round 1 ties, which will be played over the weekend of 30/31 May.
Before that, silverware will be handed out and we all saw what a trophy meant to the Roscommon footballers and their supporters last weekend. Because of it, the Rossies should have a pep in their step that is even more pronounced as they target the next challenge. All-Ireland contenders? We'll see.
As to the quartet lining up on Sunday afternoon, Armagh looked the best placed to wrestle Sam from the grasp of Kerry hands. Can we read too much into their demolition of Down? Possibly. But they kept their foot on the Mourne throat in that second period, with Conor Turbitt, Oisin Conaty and Darragh McMullen the tormentors-in-chief.
Even in a world where the scorekeeper is busier than before, notching up a total of 3-33 is impressive, with more than a few fisted points as part of that haul.
It's 2008 since the Orchard last claimed the Anglo Celt, a wait made all the more galling by the narrow final-day losses in recent years. Penalty heartache and all that, though two years ago they rebounded with telling effect in going all the way, going up the steps of the Hogan Stand to collect Sam Maguire for just the second time.
And McGeeney's men crave that big prize again. They will think back to last year and to that kickout malfunction against Kerry, to what might have been in an All-Ireland quarter-final where the tide went out very quickly amid a wave of Kingdom onslaughts.
After the facile nature of the win over Down, McGeeney wasn't getting too carried way, telling RTÉ Sport: "We're into the Ulster final again. That's just the main thing. The scoreline probably doesn't reflect either team. Down's victory over Donegal took a lot of energy. We all know Donegal are probably the best team in the country at the minute."
'A masterclass in how to coach a team' - Lee Keegan was full of praise for the work of Kieran McGeeney and his management team in how they approached the Down game #rtegaa #sundaygame #football pic.twitter.com/8JLj3qV6bh
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 3, 2026
The Orchard boss also added that "Monaghan will have no fear of us". No surprise to hear such words but McGeeney must be satisfied in how clinical they were the last day, in how the best man in position was receiving the ball for the bulk of their scores. Apart from a period early on, Down did not put that under too much pressure defensively, but others have had joy in penetrating that rearguard.
Fermanagh in the previous round amassed a decent total after the break and we've already alluded to that Kerry game from last summer. Armagh can be got at.
McGeeney goes with an unchanged XV.
Some positional alterations see Joe McElroy named at midfield and Andrew Murnin in the full-forward line.
Armagh: B Hughes; P McGrane, A McKay, P Burns; G McCabe, T Kelly, J Og Burns; J McElroy, J Duffy, D McMullen, C Turbitt, T McCormack; C McConville, A Murnin, O Conaty.
That Farney spirit
Monaghan. The epitome of doggedness and resilience in that win over Derry. After looking a beaten docket, they found a way back, erasing a 10-point deficit. Jack McCarron's kick from a sideline ball split the posts at the death to bring the sides level.
An execution caught brilliantly on phones from behind the kicker and seen by thousands afterwards. The Farney continued to hang tough in that additional period and as the seconds counted down to the end of play and the prospect of penalties, Rory Beggan, so often their talisman, stroked a 47-metre free between the posts for the match-winner.
And so Monaghan are back in a first Ulster final since 2021, looking to win back the prize they last won in 2015. They are going in as underdogs on Sunday but a sense from the commentariat is that they will give Armagh a game, and won't crumble like Down. Key personnel were absent during the league; they have now returned.
For a county who have dined near the top table for well over a decade, Monaghan don't lack know-how and famously edged their opponents on Sunday in a tense All-Ireland quarter-final in 2023.
Manager Gabriel Bannigan hailed their never-say-die response from a fortnight ago, telling RTÉ Sport: "Ah, listen, that's guts, spirit. That's the Monaghan spirit. Ten points down against a hell of a team. Ah, the boys, they just threw everything at it. Brilliant, brilliant.
"Every single man stood up and was counted. Look at what it means to the people of Monaghan."
Key to them staying in the game will be stopping the Armagh transition and making it count on the scoreboard if they find a couple of more chinks in the opposition cover.
A full house in Clones should add to the occasion on a day where Armagh expect to get the job done, and they should.
Signs of the Dubs of old
They were doubts they would get this far but Dublin are back in a Leinster final. In truth, they made light work of Louth in the semis, a Wee County outfit that were well off it. The Dubs were at times ravenous in Portlaoise and more than once turned over the opposition; their tackling was crisp, and on the break they attacked with purpose.
Dublin's best performance of the year so far, achieved without their free-scoring captain Con O'Callaghan, while Colm Basquel, Lee Gannon and Eoin Murchan were also absent due to injuries.
Cormac Costello kicked ten points while Paddy Small also impressed on a night where Dean Rock, in interim charge, watched on. What would have pleased him the most was how the Dubs powered on in the second half, kicking nine points on the spin - the kind of surge that would have floored opposition in teams under Jim Gavin. Whether the present crop can do it on a more regular basis is open to question, as is the ability of their midfield sector to dictate affairs.
After the somewhat shaky showing against Wicklow, the Dublin response was impressive. Another similar display in this decider will further ease the jitters from those fans who question whether the Boys in Blue can feature at the business end of things come July.
Reclaiming provincial glory would be a box ticked after a difficult spring. Another date with Louth to follow, with Ger Brennan back in the fold thereafter to oversee assignments that will ultimately define Dublin's year.
As for the upcoming assignment, Con O'Callaghan is again absentee from the squad, as is Eoin Murchan.
Dublin: Evan Comerford; David Byrne, Theo Clancy, Nathan Doran; Seán MacMahon, Charlie McMorrow, Eoin Kennedy; Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne, Brian Howard; Seán Bugler, Niall Scully, Ciarán Kilkenny; Paddy Small, Killian McGinnis, Cormac Costello.
Westmeath back on the big stage after year of much heartache
It's 22 years since Westmeath's only Leinster triumph, a campaign where they defeated Dublin on the way, so ending Tommy Lyons' time in the charge of the Boys in Blue. In 2015 and '16, the Lake County reached successive finals, this time finding the side from the capital far too good in most departments.
In recent seasons, Westmeath have contested the All-Ireland series, this on the back of Tailteann Cup and Division 2 success. In 2025, they dropped down a tier in the league and were expected to bounce back straight away. A narrow defeat in the last round against Wexford scuppered that ambition... another heartbreaking loss to add to others in the last year or so.
They were not expected to take down favourites Meath as the latest provincial battle got serious. But that they did, finding a route to goal that would ultimately prove a bridge too far for the Royals. They then had a bit too much craft for Kildare and so Mark McHugh's side are back in a Leinster final.
Luke Loughlin, one of their key attacking threats, will miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring tear and tendon rupture. That's a blow. But John Heslin has come out of retirement and has rejoined the squad.
Jack Duncan is named in place of Senan Baker in the full-forward line, in the only change from the win over Kildare.
Heslin, Westmeath's leading attacker throughout the 2010s, announced his retirement from inter-county football at the beginning of 2025 but rumours emerged in recent weeks that Mark McHugh had persuaded him to return to the set-up.
He has continued to play club football for St Loman's and the speculation increased that he was make a return.
Heslin played against the all-conquering Dubs a decade ago. The blue force is not as fierce now and Westmeath still have sufficient firepower up front to make life difficult for the opposition. Most of the smart money is on Dublin to prevail but we've had a season of a provincial upsets so far. We may yet have another one.
Westmeath: Jason Daly; Daniel Scahill, Charlie Drumm, Tadhg Baker; Ronan Wallace, Shane Allen, Matthew Whittaker; Brían Cooney, Ray Connellan; Kevin O'Sullivan, Sam McCartan, Ronan Wallace, Conor Dillon; Shane Corcoran, Jack Duncan, Brandon Kelly.
Subs: Jack Connaughton, Adam Treanor, Tom Molloy, Robbie Forde, Ian Martin, TJ Cox, Shane Ormsby, Danny McCartan, Eoghan McCabe, Senan Baker, John Heslin.
Poacher's eye in both camps
The remaining Round 1A fixture in the Tailteann Cup sees Down host Leitrim. The winner in Newry will be away to Offaly in Round 2A while the vanquished will host Carlow in 2B.
After their trimming by Armagh, Down players were back with their clubs last weekend, with management stressing that they will give the secondary competition a good go, though it's not where they want to be. The Mourne County were Tailteann winners in 2024 and are now favoured to win it again.
Leitrim have been one of the stories of the championship so far, following their victory over Sligo and then pushing Galway all the way in the Connacht semi. Speaking to GAA.ie at the recent launch of the competition, Ryan O'Rourke spoke about how "great it was to bring an All-Ireland contender down the stretch", while adding "it was disappointing not to get a win and get into a Connacht final".
O'Rourke also believes the side "have a bounce" going into the Tailteann and you'd sense that they would not fear facing either Offaly or Carlow.
Such confidence, no doubt fuelled by their Down-born manager Stephen Poacher (above), will also see them having a pep in their step as to look cause another surprise at Páirc Esler.
