Times and venues confirmed for Laois’ first-round O’Byrne and Walsh Cup fixtures in the New Year

Laois GAA’s opening fixtures in both the O’Byrne Cup and Walsh Cup have now been confirmed, with times and venues set for the county’s senior footballers and hurlers as their respective 2026 campaigns get underway in early January.

Justin McNulty is preparing to embark on his third year in charge of the Laois senior footballers, and his side will begin their O’Byrne Cup campaign with a high-profile home clash.

Laois will welcome Dublin to Ratheniska on Saturday, January 3, with throw-in scheduled for 1.30pm. The contest will also mark the first competitive outing for Ger Brennan as manager of the Dublin senior footballers, adding further intrigue to the opening-round tie.

Ratheniska last held an O'Byrne Cup fixture in 2016 when UCD travelled down the M7 to take on a Laois team, managed by Mick Lillis at the time.

The outcome of that fixture will determine Laois’ path for the remainder of the competition. Should McNulty’s side emerge victorious, they will advance to a quarter-final away from home on Saturday, January 10, where they will face the winners of the Wexford versus Kildare first-round encounter.

A defeat, however, would see Laois drop into the O’Byrne Shield. In that scenario, they would be away from home on the same date, January 10, to take on the losers of the quarter-final involving either the defeated team from Carlow v Offaly or Kildare v Wexford.

Attention will then quickly turn to the Allianz Football League. Laois’ Division 3 campaign is set to get underway on Saturday, January 24, when they host Division 4 champions Limerick in Laois Hire O’Moore Park. That opening league fixture will throw in at 6pm.

On the hurling front, Tommy Fitzgerald will begin his second year at the helm of the Laois senior hurlers with a home tie in the Walsh Cup.

Laois will line out against Wexford in Round 1 of the competition on Sunday, January 4, with the match taking place in Rathdowney. Throw-in is set for 1.30pm, as Fitzgerald’s side look to build early-season momentum against Keith Rossiter’s Wexford outfit.

Rathdowney has hosted two Walsh Cup games in recent years as Laois played Kilkenny there in 2023 before Wexford made the trip up to Rathdowney in 2022. 

As with the footballers, the result of that opening match will shape Laois’ route through the competition. Victory over Wexford would see Laois progress to a home quarter-final just four days later, on Thursday, January 8, where they would face the winners of the Carlow versus Dublin tie. A loss, on the other hand, would place Laois into the Walsh Shield, though they would still retain home advantage for their next outing, hosting the losers of the Carlow v Dublin game.

Following the conclusion of their Walsh Cup involvement, Laois’ attention will shift to league matters later in the month. Their Allianz Hurling League Division 2 campaign will begin on the road, with an opening-round trip to Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, Castlebar, to take on Mayo on Sunday, January 25. That fixture is fixed for a 1pm throw-in.

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