The U16 team (in alphabetical order by family name: Emre Ates, Franco Brito, Rory Hayden, Akos Kardkovacs, Sean Kelleher, Jer O’Brien, and Liam Riordan) successfully defended their title at the All-Ireland Community Games Final this year in Kilkenny, with a 5–0 win over the Ulster champions. A big congratulations to all of them!
Road to Victory
Cork County Final. All of our teams performed exceptionally well in the Cork County Final, which was held in Ballygarvan. Both our U13 and U16 teams emerged as champions and earned the privilege of representing Cork County in the Munster Final.
Expectations were mixed going into the event. In previous years, strong teams like Ballinlough and the Lough had blocked our path forward. But this year was different. In a tightly contested round-robin tournament, our U13 team played a very close and courageous match against Ballinlough for the title. While Ballinlough had come out on top in the last two years, the Kinsale-Clontead team played tactically and managed to turn the tide—even in seemingly lost positions.
Our U16 team was dominant, giving their opponents no chance and dropping only one point throughout the event.
Unfortunately, no U11 teams registered for the Cork round this year, so there was no competition in that age group. Hopefully, next year we can register even more teams.
Munster Final. The Munster Final was held alongside the Munster Senior League, where most of our players compete regularly. We had to decide where to focus our efforts and whom to send, especially since several players fell ill on the day of the event.
Unfortunately, the U13 team lost to Shannon—the eventual winners—and were unable to continue their journey. The U16 team, however, faced their familiar rivals from Ennis in the first round. Last year, it all came down to the final game to decide who would advance to the All-Ireland Final. This year, our team secured the win early, leaving no doubt about who the stronger side was.
All Ireland Final. The U16 team travelled to Kilkenny on 5th July. The competition began at 3pm—a rather late start, which was a bit unusual. The organisers set 90 minutes on the clocks, meaning each game could last up to three hours. In the end, they didn’t.
Our team first faced the Connacht champions, who came well-prepared with a very strong lineup. Every player approached the game with care, evaluating each move thoroughly and remaining mindful of how their teammates were progressing. Both teams played with great focus and determination. While other matches finished early, it was mostly our players who remained on the boards, deeply engaged until the end.
Rory and Sean secured the first points, lifting the spirits of the entire team. There were some brilliant games—Jer’s in particular stood out. He put his opponent under immense pressure until the position completely collapsed, culminating in a checkmate. That win secured the team’s place in the final, so the remaining boards finished quickly to conserve energy. The result was a strong 3.5–1.5 victory.
In the final, our team faced the Ulster champions, who had defeated the Leinster champions 4–1 in the first round. Within 15 minutes, three boards had finished, giving Kinsale a 3–0 lead—enough to guarantee they would defend their title. The remaining two games continued a bit longer, but the Ulster players couldn’t find solid resistance against the Kinsale chess warriors. The final score: a commanding 5–0 win for Kinsale.
Special thanks
We would like to thank Kinsale Community School for their continuous support. Five of the seven winners currently attend the school, and one more will become a student there next season.
A special thank-you to Joan Allen for her tremendous effort in organising the team and events, and for supporting the players for over five years now.
We also sincerely thank the parents of our players, whose commitment and efforts—especially in travelling to events—have been invaluable. These achievements would not be possible without their dedication.
We are equally grateful to the players who, for various reasons, did not make the final team line-ups. Their consistent participation and the challenges they pose to others during our training sessions are essential to our collective success.
So, thank you—all of you—for being part of this journey.
History and previous results
- 2025
- U16 All Ireland Winners
- U13 Cork County Champions
- 2024
- U16 All Ireland Winners
- 2023
- U11 – All Ireland Final, 2nd place
- U16 – Munster Final, 2nd place
- 2022
- U13 All Ireland Winner
No Kinsale team were recorded on trophies before 2022. A total of 50 different players played on these events.