It’ll be tough, but Kilkenny’s county footballers could well find themselves playing an All-Ireland final in Croke Park this summer.
Draw details were confirmed over the bank holiday for this year’s All-Ireland junior football championship semi-finals, which brings together the top two sides from the British junior championships (where Kilkenny have previously played) along with New York and Kilkenny as the sole Irish county represented.
READ: Paul Murphy commits to playing football with Kilkenny this summer.
The format of the competition was changed in recent years to include Kilkenny as the Irish-based county, along with the representation from England and the US.
For New York, it will be their second visit to Irish shores in as many months, having taken on Offaly in the quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup last weekend in an historic fixture for all involved with the New York county board.
Kilkenny have previously won the British junior championship and will be familiar enough with London and Warwickshire though they won’t have meet since pre-pandemic times.
This year’s All-Ireland junior football championship semi-finals will see Kilkenny take on London while Warwickshire meet New York, both games taking place in Dublin (Abbottstown) on Friday 8 July, with the winners progressing to the final two days later at Croke Park.
