Clane GAA Senior Football Championship 2026

The Joe Mallon Motors Kildare Senior Football Championship is one of the most hotly contested county championships in Leinster, and Clane GAA are one of the clubs who have consistently made it count at the business end. The 2026 campaign gets under way in earnest on 21 August, when Clane kick off their Group A campaign against Johnstownbridge at Manguard Park. If Kildare championship football on a warm summer evening is your sort of night, this is a good place to start.

What to expect

Clane face three group-stage opponents - Johnstownbridge, Allenwood, and Celbridge - across a round-robin that runs from late August through mid-September 2026. The opening fixture, Clane v Johnstownbridge, takes place on 21 August at 8pm at Manguard Park. The later group rounds bring the action to Cedral St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge, Kildare’s recently redeveloped county ground, for the Allenwood tie (6 September, 3:45pm) and the Celbridge decider (18 September, 8pm).

Clane are a senior club with genuine pedigree in the county - they reached the Kildare Senior Football Championship final against Naas in recent years. The Joe Mallon Motors championship is competitive from the first whistle: group results often separate clubs on scores difference, so every game matters from the off.

Getting there

Newbridge is straightforward to reach. By rail, Irish Rail runs regular Dublin Heuston to Kildare/Portlaoise services stopping at Newbridge, with the station about a 10-minute walk from Cedral St Conleth’s Park. By road, the M7 motorway brings you from Dublin in under an hour; exit at Junction 10 for Newbridge. Street parking is available around the ground, though it fills quickly on match evenings - arriving 30 to 45 minutes early is sensible. For the opening fixture at Manguard Park (Newbridge), follow the same approach; the complex sits on the edge of town.

While you’re in Newbridge

Newbridge has a good few places to eat and drink in the town centre, and if you have time before the throw-in the Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre is worth a look. There is more to see in Newbridge and across Co. Kildare.

Good to know

• Opening fixture: Clane v Johnstownbridge, 21 August 2026, 8pm, Manguard Park, Newbridge
• Further group dates: 6 September (v Allenwood, 3:45pm) and 18 September (v Celbridge, 8pm), both at Cedral St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge
• Championship: Joe Mallon Motors Kildare Senior Football Championship, Group A
• Price: Various (admission varies per fixture; check Kildare GAA)
• Check fixtures and updates: kildaregaa.ie
• Cedral St Conleth’s Park completed a full redevelopment in 2024, with a new 3,000-seat stand, relaid pitch, and floodlights; capacity is now 15,000