Offaly’s Ellee McEvoy tackles Westmeath’s Leanne Slevin during this year’s Leinster Intermediate Championship game which ended in a draw. Photo: Thomas Gibbons.

Offaly ladies to face Clare in tough opener

Kieran Galvin

Published: Fri 24 May 2024, 4:10 PM

Last updated: Fri 24 May 2024, 4:11 PM

Offaly ladies will face Clare in their opening group fixture in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Championship. The game will take place on Sunday, June 9 with Clare having home advantage (throw-in 2pm, venue to be confirmed).

It's looks like a very difficult outing for Offaly as Clare contested the All-Ireland intermediate final last year in which they were narrowly defeated by Kildare.

Monaghan are the other team in Group 2 and Offaly will be at home to the Farney ladies on Sunday, June 16 (2pm).

Offaly have a bye in the opening round which will see Monaghan host Clare on June 2.

In the Leinster Intermediate Championship played in advance of the All-Ireland series, Offaly drew with Westmeath and, in an encouraging display, were somewhat unlucky not to win (final score: Offaly 2-8 Westmeath 1-11).

Offaly then lost to Wexford and defeated Wicklow (4-9 to 1-6) in their last game. But it was Wexford and Westmeath who contested the Leinster final which the Slaneysiders won last weekend.

The reward for the group winners in the LGFA All-Ireland Senior and Intermediate championships is a home quarter-final, with the last-eight ties to be confirmed by a draw.

The Intermediate Championship quarter-finals are scheduled for Sunday, June 30, with the Senior quarter-finals fixed for the weekend of July 6/7. The Intermediate Championship semi-finals will take place on Sunday, July 14.

Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore will host the Senior Championship semi-finals as a double-header on Saturday July 20.

The LGFA All-Ireland Championships will commence on Sunday, June 2 with eight fixtures across the Intermediate and Junior grades – and conclude at Croke Park on Sunday, August 4 with a triple-header of finals (Junior, Intermediate and Senior).

2024 TG4 All-Ireland Championship groups

Senior - Group 1: Armagh, Meath, Tipperary. Group 2: Kerry, Donegal, Waterford. Group 3: Galway, Cork, Laois. Group 4: Dublin, Mayo, Kildare.

Intermediate - Group 1: Down, Westmeath, Cavan. Group 2: Clare, Monaghan, Offaly. Group 3: Wexford, Roscommon, Antrim. Group 4: Leitrim, Wicklow, Tyrone.

Junior - Group A: London, Sligo, Fermanagh, Derry, Carlow. Group B: Kilkenny, Louth, Limerick, Longford.