The 2026 National Juvenile Strokeplay and Inter-County Championships represent the Bruff club’s second foray into All-Ireland event hosting.
Denied (by the Covid pandemic) their chance to host the 2021 National Over-55s Strokeplay championships, the go-ahead Co. Limerick outfit did facilitate the 2013 All Ireland Inter-Club finals.
Now the top Under-16 players from across the country will descend on the excellent east Co. Limerick course, which was the site of the 2011 Munster Juvenile Strokeplay and Inter-County tests.
Sarah Ryan (Tipperary Hills) has finished on the National Girls Strokeplay championship podium in each of the last four years, collecting one silver and three bronze medals. The two-time All-Ireland Matchplay champion would love to add the Strokeplay crown to her resumé.
Reigning Girls Strokeplay champion Pippa Cuffe (Kilbeggan) will have something to say about that as the Tipperary and Westmeath starlets renew their rivalry from last year’s Matchplay decider in the final group of the day.
Others likely to be in the reckoning are Portmarnock trio Sophia Audah, Gemma Hayden and Summer Audah along with recent Leinster Strokeplay runner-up Hannah Daly (Lough Owel) while Clodagh Daly will represent the host club.
Summer Audah was Leinster Under 13 Strokeplay champion in 2024 while Hannah Daly was runner-up in the recent Leinster Strokeplay championship.
2026 Irish Juvenile Under-13 Open winner Gemma Hayden reached the National Matchplay semi-finals last year while Sophia Audah was runner-up in that Irish Juvenile Under-13 Open at Portmarnock.
Listowel has been the source of many top juveniles in recent times and the north Kerry nursery will be represented here by Cora Griffin, Mary Walsh and Shona Griffin.
Last year’s All-Ireland Matchplay runner-up Harry Concannon (Gowran) contested the four-way play-off for the Strokeplay championship two years ago at Hillview and was awarded the Best Under-13 prize. 2024 Leinster Strokeplay champion, Harry won the recent provincial Matchplay championship at Trim.
2025 runner-up in this championship Enda Hayden (Portmarnock) is the reigning Leinster Strokeplay champion and delivered a superb performance to win the prestigious Irish Juvenile Open at Portmarnock.
Hugh O’Brien (Bagenalstown) has visited the National Inter-County championship podium twice in recent years, on the Carlow teams that claimed bronze in 2024 and gold twelve months ago. 2025 Leinster Under-13 Strokeplay runner-up and 2026 Leinster Under-16 Strokeplay runner-up, Hugh will travel to Bruff with confidence.
Jack Frawley (Crosshaven) helped Cork White to silver medals at ESB in the recent Munster Inter-County championship as did ESB’s Killian Kelleher.
Chris Quigley (Larkspur Park) was runner-up in the 2026 Fermoy Under-13 Scratch Cup.
Winner of the recently inaugurated Phil Allen trophy for the St. Anne’s Juvenile Scratch Cup, Benny Moran (Crosshaven) was a member of Cork’s provincial Inter-County winning quartet at ESB recently.
2024 and 2025 Munster Strokeplay bronze medallist Aodhan O’Halloran (Deerpark) played for Munster in last Autumn’s interprovincial match and has been very successful in Juvenile Scratch Cups.
2025 Cork Matchplay champ Aaron Corcoran (ESB) reached last year’s National Matchplay semi-finals at Fermoy.
Another 2025 National Matchplay semi-finalist, Fionn McMonagle (Deerpark) won the 2024 Munster Strokeplay (10-13) championship while he was 2025 Munster Matchplay and Munster Strokeplay runner-up.
Benjamin Dunlea (Fermoy) was a Munster Inter-County winner with Cork last year as was clubmate Leon Hogan, the 2026 Munster Strokeplay runner-up. The pair also linked on the county’s Tommy Murphy Cup runner-up side.
2025 Under-13 champion Conor Ronan has been in outstanding form this year as has his club colleague Cillian Corcoran, a National Matchplay semi-finalist in 2025.
Conor Ronan shot a breathtaking 87 to win Fermoy Juvenile Scratch Cup and starred in Cork’s provincial Inter-County success.
Cillian Corcoran captured the recent Munster Strokeplay 14-16 title while fellow Fermoy player Jack Murphy claimed the Under-13 trophy.
Current Leinster Under-13 kingpin Emmet Devine (Collinstown) competes as does Aaron Seery (Kilbeggan) who reached the last four of the 2024 All-Ireland Matchplay Plate event.
Hugo Gibbons won the Dublin Boys 10-13 Strokeplay championship at Lucan in 2025, having been a Leinster Juvenile Strokeplay bronze medallist at Trim the previous year
Luke Blake (Lucan) captured 2026 Leinster Inter-County honours with Dublin while Gowran’s Dara Leamy has been a Leinster Inter-County runner-up with Kilkenny
Eoghan Morrissey (Gowran) silver medallist in 2024 Inter-County in the black and amber 2024 All-Ireland Matchplay Plate winner semi-finalist 2023
James Keogh (Ryston) was a Leinster Inter-County winner in 2022 with Kildare at Seapoint and a provincial Plate finalist the following year at Gowran.
2025 Leinster Under-13 Strokeplay champion Max Guyot has reached the last two provincial Matchplay finals while he earned a bronze medal in last year’s National Stroke at Bagenalstown.
Noah Gorman (Kilbeggan) was a 2025 Leinster Strokeplay bronze medallist.
Great to see Bruff represented in the shape of Liam Bluett, James Doran, Jamie Ryan, Danny Hedderman and Ciaran Hennessy.
A number of the participants played in Bruff Juvenile Scratch Cup last weekend. Some of those to do well were Noah Gorman Fionn McMonagle and Ben Gorman.
An encouraging entry will contest the Tommy Murphy Cup from 4.30 pm. Carlow are the defending National Inter-County champions but will face tough opposition from the likes of Munster champions Cork, Leinster kingpins Dublin, Kerry and Kilkenny.
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