All-Ireland final beckons for Laois GAA Handball star

There were mixed fortunes for Laois handball in the 60x30 All-Ireland Championships over the last couple of weekends, with Clough-Ballacolla’s Kevin Brennan and Cullohill sisters Orla and Úna Brophy all in action. All three handballers entered these championships with realistic ambitions of challenging for Leinster and All-Ireland singles success. 

In the Ladies Junior 60x30 All-Ireland Championships, Laois' Úna Brophy qualified for the All-Ireland Semi-Final, where she travelled to Kells, Meath, to face Aoife Kelly of Tyrone. It proved to be an excellent game between two highly skilled handballers. Brophy has gained significant experience over the last 24 months of playing in big games, and this experience certainly stood to her as she maintained her skill and showed greater composure throughout to take a thoroughly deserved victory on a scoreline of 21-9, 21-9. 

The Cullohill handballer now progresses to the Ladies Junior 60x30 All-Ireland Final, which is scheduled for Sunday, August 17. In the final, she will face another Tyrone opponent in the highly rated Clare Conway. The Tyrone handballer showcased all of her ability to reach the final by defeating Roscommon's Alanna Coggeran 21-13, 17-21, 11-4 in a dramatic three-game thriller.

In the Men’s Golden Masters B Leinster Championships, Kevin Brennan progressed to the Leinster Final following an excellent 21-11, 21-5 victory over Wexford’s Tomás O’Shea. In the final, the Clough-Ballacolla handballer travelled to Garryhill to face Joe Daly of Kilkenny. It proved a highly competitive final with both players playing some top-quality handball. 

Despite Brennan’s best efforts, it was the Kilkenny handballer who deservedly won the title in two straight games. While disappointed not to claim another provincial title, 2025 has been a brilliant year for Brennan with the Laois handballer claiming All-Ireland titles in both the 40x20 and 60x30 alley.

Cullohill’s Orla Brophy was also in Leinster Final action, having overcome Wexford’s Boo Murphy in the Ladies 60x30 Minor Championship semi-final. The final was set for Talbots Inch, where Brophy’s opponent was Kilkenny’s Katie Jordan. In a highly competitive game between two excellent handballers, it was the Kilkenny player who prevailed, beating Brophy on a scoreline of 21-7, 21-12. The final scoreline failed to reflect the closeness of the final. 

The second game proved a humdinger and was keenly fought, with the scores level on several occasions. Unfortunately, from a Laois perspective, and with the scores level at 12-12, Katie Jordan won some crucial aces, which proved telling in deciding the outcome of the final. 

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