Iveleary Triumphs Over Glanmire in 2026 Opener
Iveleary 4-16 Glanmire 3-10
(4-2-12) (3-3-4)
Hat-trick hero Chris Óg ignites Iveleary’s 2026 charge
Twelve months after heartbreak at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Iveleary have started their road back with the sort of wild, chaotic win that can shape a season.
On a lively Friday night in Kilmurry, they survived a stunning Glanmire fightback, leaned on the ruthless brilliance of Chris Óg Jones, and finished like a team with unfinished business in the McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC.
Jones walked off with 3-4 to his name. The scoreboard told his story. The manner of it told Iveleary’s.
Early blows, late sting
Both sides went for the throat from the off. Goal chances flashed and fizzed before a point was even registered, with defences stretched and tackles arriving half a second too late.
Glanmire struck first on the board, Tiernan Hourihan clipping over on ten minutes to settle them. Iveleary responded with a more measured spell. Sean O’Riordan and Sam Pickering picked off tidy scores, the Muskerry men easing into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead and beginning to dictate the tempo.
This is a Glanmire side on the rise, though. Cork IAFC winners in 2024, Premier Intermediate quarter-finalists last year, they carry a bit of swagger now. Midway through the half they were level, Harry Browne burying a penalty into the corner with conviction to haul them back into it.
Iveleary nudged ahead again during their best spell of the opening period, Pickering curling over a lovely two-pointer that oozed confidence. Glanmire answered in kind. Shane O’Driscoll landed a classy two-pointer of his own, and suddenly they led 1-5 to 0-7 on 27 minutes, their work-rate and running game starting to bite.
Then came the sting.
In first-half stoppage time, Iveleary turned Glanmire over high up the pitch. One quick release, one cold-blooded finish. Jones pounced, hammered the ball to the net, and the whole mood shifted. From trailing by one to leading by two, Iveleary jogged in 1-7 to 1-5 in front, the kind of psychological punch that lingers in a dressing room.
Iveleary take control
When they re-emerged, Iveleary looked like a side intent on imposing themselves on the championship.
They drove into contact, owned the middle third, and began to stretch Glanmire’s defence. O’Riordan capped a strong spell with a neat finish to the net, a composed strike that underlined Iveleary’s growing control.
Jones then delivered again. His second goal arrived as the pressure mounted, and with eight minutes of normal time left, the scoreboard read 3-10 to 2-8. Iveleary were cruising, the contest seemingly wrapped, their support already thinking about Bantry Blues and the next step towards the knockout stages.
What followed was pure chaos.
Glanmire’s blitz – and the final answer
From nowhere, Glanmire caught fire. One moment they were chasing shadows, the next they were tearing through Iveleary’s rearguard.
Jeremy Kingston rattled in a goal. Brian Galvin followed with another, the Iveleary defence suddenly full of gaps and uncertainty. Then came the equaliser: a coolly taken two-pointer from Harry Cogan that left the crowd stunned and the scoreboard level. In the space of a few blistering minutes, the game had been turned on its head.
Iveleary looked rocked. Their eight-point cushion had vanished in a blur of green and gold.
But this is a group forged by last year’s pain, and they snapped out of their daze just in time.
Ian Jones stepped up first, clipping over vital points to steady the ship and reclaim the lead. His timing was impeccable, his shot selection calm when panic might have taken hold.
And then, inevitably, his brother finished it.
Deep in second-half stoppage time, with Glanmire forced to gamble, the ball broke for Chris Óg again. One more ruthless strike, one more net bulging, the hat-trick sealed. Iveleary’s fourth goal killed the contest and underlined who owned the big moments.
By the final whistle, the scoreline – 4-16 to 3-10 – reflected Iveleary’s greater cutting edge, even if it barely captured the drama of the swing.
Statement made
There is still a long road between here and another PIFC final. Iveleary know that better than anyone. Aghabullogue’s late ambush last year still hangs in the background of every conversation about this team.
But they also know what they have.
In Jones and Cathal Vaughan, they possess marquee forwards. Around them, a hardened, talented core that now looks well capable of punching through to Senior A level. The structure is there, the scoring power is there, and nights like this build the kind of resilience that can’t be coached.
Next up is Bantry Blues, and with two points already banked, John McNulty’s side can attack that fixture with momentum and purpose.
It is only July, the real pressure months still a distance away. Yet on this evidence, it will take a seriously good outfit to derail this Iveleary machine before it reaches the line it fell just short of last year.
