South East Junior A Football Championship

South East Junior A Football Championship
Irish	Craobh Peile Sóisear A Carrigdhoun
Code	Gaelic football
Founded	1929;96 years ago (1929)
Region	Carrigdhoun (GAA)
No. of teams	7
Title holders	Ballygarvan (8th title)
Most titles	Kinsale (18 titles)
Sponsors	The Huntsman Bar & Restaurant
Official website	Carrigdhoun GAA

The South East Junior A Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Huntsman Bar & Restaurant Junior A Football Championship) is an annual club Gaelic football competition organised by the Carrigdhoun Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association and contested by junior-ranked teams in the southeastern region of County Cork, Ireland, deciding the competition winners through a group and knockout format.

Introduced in 1929 as the South East Junior Football Championship, it was initially a straight knockout tournament. The competition went through a number of format changes since then, including the introduction of a back-door or second chance for beaten teams.

In its present format, the seven teams are drawn into two groups and play each other in a single round-robin system. The two group winners and two group runners-up proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final. ^[1] The winner of the South East Junior A Championship qualifies for the subsequent Cork Junior A Football Championship.

The title has been won at least once by 14 different clubs. The all-time record-holders are Kinsale, who have won a total of 18 titles. Ballygarvan are the title-holders after defeating Carrigaline by 1–14 to 0–16 in the 2025 final.

Teams

2025 Teams

The 7 teams competing in the 2025 South East Junior A Football Championship are:

Club	Location	Colours	Position in 2025	In Championship since	Championship Titles	Last Championship Title
Ballinhassig	Ballinhassig	Blue and white	Group stage	1929	4	2021
Ballygarvan	Ballygarvan	Red and white	Champions	1980	8	2025
Ballymartle	Riverstick	Green and gold	Semi-finals	1983	1	2018
Carrigaline	Carrigaline	Blue and yellow	Runners-Up	2019	13	1992
Courcey Rovers	Ballinspittle	Red and white	Group stage	2011	5	2011
Shamrocks	Shanbally	Green and white	Semi-finals	1965	13	2016
Valley Rovers	Innishannon	Green and white	Group stage	1929	16	2020

Roll of Honour

By club

#	Club	Titles	Runners-up	Championships won	Championships runner-up
1	Kinsale	18	15	1930, 1932, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2022	1937, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1954, 1963, 1964, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002
2	Valley Rovers	16	5	1937, 1943, 1947, 1951, 1970, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2017, 2020	1936, 1949, 1957, 1994, 2018
3	Shamrocks	13	13	1931, 1933, 1934, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2016	1966, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2015
	Carrigaline	13	12	1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1990, 1991, 1992	1952, 1953, 1960, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2024, 2025
5	Crosshaven	9	7	1929, 1941, 1942, 1952, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1998	1930, 1931, 1935, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1961
6	Ballygarvan	8	5	2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2023, 2024, 2025	1993, 1995, 2007, 2011, 2021
7	Courcey Rovers	5	7	1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2011	1975, 1986, 1987, 1990, 2001, 2005, 2014
8	Ballinhassig	4	6	2012, 2015, 2019, 2021	1981, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023
9	Tracton	3	8	1983, 2007, 2010	1943, 1967, 1969, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012
	Robert Emmets	3	2	1950, 1954, 1956	1958, 1962
11	Passage	1	3	1944	1934, 1945, 1946
	Ballymartle	1	2	2018	2019, 2020
	Belgooly	1	1	2013	2017
	Banba	1	0	1935	—
15	Knockavilla	0	3	—	1933, 1939, 1940
	Naval Services	0	2	—	1950, 1951
	Rochestown	0	1	—	1932
	Douglas	0	1	—	1944

Notes

• Runners-up unknown: 1929, 1938, 1971

List of Finals

Year	Winners		Runners-up		#
	Club	Score	Club	Score
2025	Ballygarvan	1-14	Carrigaline	0-16
2024	Ballygarvan	5-11	Carrigaline	2-11
2023	Ballygarvan	1-15	Ballinhassig	1-05	[2]
2022	Kinsale	2-15	Ballinhassig	0-04	[3]
2021	Ballinhassig	1-07	Ballygarvan	1-05	[4]
2020	Valley Rovers	1-14	Ballymartle	1-04	[5]
2019	Ballinhassig	1-14	Ballymartle	2-08	[6]
2018	Ballymartle	1-14	Valley Rovers	0-07	[7]
2017	Valley Rovers	1-12	Belgooly	0-09	[8]
2016	Shamrocks	0-09	Ballinhassig	0-08	[9]
2015	Ballinhassig	1-11	Shamrocks	1-09	[10]
2014	Ballygarvan	2-08	Courcey Rovers	1-10
2013	Belgooly	1-09	Ballinhassig	0-06
2012	Ballinhassig	1-10	Tracton	0-12
2011	Courcey Rovers	1-05	Ballygarvan	0-06
2010	Tracton	1-11	Shamrocks	2-02
2009	Ballygarvan	0-13	Tracton	1-04	[11]
2008	Ballygarvan	1-13	Ballinhassig	0-07
2007	Tracton	0-13	Ballygarvan	0-12
2006	Courcey Rovers	1-08	Tracton	0-09
2005	Kinsale	0-09	Courcey Rovers	1-05
2004	Courcey Rovers	1-06	Tracton	0-04
2003	Ballygarvan	0-13	Shamrocks	0-05
2002	Ballygarvan	2-11	Kinsale	2-04
2001	Kinsale	3-10	Courcey Rovers	1-11
2000	Courcey Rovers	3-04	Kinsale	1-09
1999	Kinsale	1-07	Tracton	1-06
1998	Crosshaven	2-09	Kinsale	1-10
1997	Courcey Rovers	1-09	Kinsale	0-06
1996	Valley Rovers	2-10	Carrigaline	1-07
1995	Valley Rovers	2-09	Ballygarvan	1-09
1994	Shamrocks	0-07	Valley Rovers	0-04
1993	Valley Rovers	0-12	Ballygarvan	1-01
1992	Carrigaline	2-05	Shamrocks	2-03
1991	Carrigaline	2-12	Shamrocks	1-05
1990	Carrigaline	2-15	Courcey Rovers	2-04
1989	Shamrocks	4-09	Kinsale	2-08
1988	Shamrocks	1-10	Carrigaline	0-04
1987	Valley Rovers	2-10	Courcey Rovers	0-06
1986	Valley Rovers	3-15	Courcey Rovers	0-08
1985	Valley Rovers	2-10	Shamrocks	2-09
1984	Valley Rovers	2-07	Shamrocks	2-06
1983	Tracton	1-02	Kinsale	0-02
1982	Shamrocks	2-09	Kinsale	1-09
1981	Valley Rovers	1-09	Ballinhassig	0-05
1980	Shamrocks	2-07	Carrigaline	0-05
1979	Valley Rovers	1-08	Kinsale	1-03
1978	Kinsale	3-07	Shamrocks	1-06
1977	Shamrocks	2-09	Carrigaline	2-05
1976	Kinsale	3-08	Shamrocks	1-12
1975	Shamrocks	0-14	Courcey Rovers	2-02
1974	Kinsale	2-09	Shamrocks	2-05
1973	Kinsale	0-16	Carrigaline	0-03
1972	Shamrocks	2-07	Carrigaline	1-02
1971	Shamrocks		—
1970	Valley Rovers	3-07	Shamrocks	0-07
1969	Carrigaline	0-09	Tracton	1-03
1968	Carrigaline	1-05	Shamrocks	1-05
1967	Carrigaline	2-09	Tracton	1-01
1966	Crosshaven	1-06	Shamrocks	0-07
1965	Kinsale	3-07	Carrigaline	3-02
1964	Crosshaven	4-07	Kinsale	1-10
1963	Crosshaven	2-09	Kinsale	2-08
1962	Crosshaven	2-06	Robert Emmets	1-06
1961	Kinsale	4-10	Crosshaven	1-04
1960	Kinsale	2-09	Carrigaline	0-01
1959	Carrigaline	0-09	Crosshaven	0-07
1958	Kinsale	1-07	Robert Emmets	0-03
1957	Carrigaline	2-05	Valley Rovers	1-04
1956	Robert Emmets	2-06	Crosshaven	0-05
1955	Carrigaline	1-06	Crosshaven	0-01
1954	Robert Emmets	1-09	Kinsale	3-01
1953	Kinsale	2-05	Carrigaline	1-03
1952	Crosshaven	3-02	Carrigaline	1-02
1951	Valley Rovers	2-02	Naval Services	0-02
1950	Robert Emmets	2-04	Naval Services	0-04
1949	Kinsale	2-02	Valley Rovers	2-01
1948	No final
1947	Valley Rovers		Kinsale
1946	Kinsale	w/o	Passage	scr.
1945	Kinsale	1-07	Passage	1-03
1944	Passage	5-03	Douglas	1-00
1943	Valley Rovers		Tracton
1942	Crosshave	1-04	Kinsale	1-03
1941	Crosshave	2-06	Kinsale	2-03
1940	Carrigaline	0-02	Knockavilla	0-00
1939	Carrigaline	1-05	Knockavilla	0-03
1938	Carrigaline		—
1937	Valley Rovers	1-01	Kinsale	0-02
1936	Carrigaline		Valley Rovers
1935	Banba	4-01	Crosshaven	0-01
1934	Shamrocks	2-04	Passage	1-01
1933	Shamrocks	1-06	Knockavilla	0-01
1932	Kinsale		Rochestown
1931	Shamrocks		Crosshaven
1930	Kinsale		Crosshaven
1929	Crosshaven		—

Notes:

• 1948 - The championship declared null and void after finalists Kinsale and Valley Rovers were disqualified after objections and counter objections.
• 1952 - The first match ended in a draw: Crosshaven 2-01, Carrigaline 1-04.
• 1971 - Shamrocks were awarded the title after the other semi-finalists, Valley Rovers and Crosshaven, were disqualified.

Records

Gaps

Top ten longest gaps between successive championship titles:

• 37 years: Shamrocks (1934-1971)
• 32 years: Crosshaven (1966-1998)
• 24 years: Tracton (1983-2007)
• 22 years: Shamrocks (1994-2016)
• 21 years: Carrigaline (1969-1990)
• 21 years: Valley Rovers (1996-2017)
• 21 years: Kinsale (1978-1999)
• 19 years: Valley Rovers (1951-1970)
• 17 years: Kinsale (2005-2022)
• 15 years: Carrigaline (1940-1955)
• 12 years: Crosshaven (1929-1941)

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of South-East Junior Football Championship titles, is as follows:

• 1930's: Shamrocks (3) 1931-33-34 & Carrigaline (3) 1936-38-39
• 1940's: Kinsale (3) 1945-46-49
• 1950's: Robert Emmets (3) 1950-54-56 & Carrigaline 1955-57-59
• 1960's: Crosshaven (4) 1962-63-64-66
• 1970's: Shamrocks (5) 1971-72-75-76-77
• 1980's: Valley Rovers (5) 1981-84-85-86-87
• 1990's: Carrigaline (3) 1990-91-92 & Valley Rovers (3) 1993-95-96
• 2000's: Ballygarvan (4) 2002-03-08-09
• 2010's: Ballinhassig (3) 2012-15-19
• 2020's: Ballygarvan (2) 2023-24

See also

• South East Junior A Hurling Championship

References

1. "South East clubs discover their path to junior glory". The Southern Star. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
2. Hurley, JJ (6 November 2023). "Good Evans! O'Connor shines as Ballygarvan land South East Junior Football title". The Southern Star. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
3. Kennefick, Joe (3 October 2022). "Kinsale prove too good for Ballinhassig in South east junior A football championship final". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
4. Crowdy, Howard (17 October 2021). "Ballinhassig capture second JAFC title in three years in tight win over Ballygarvan". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
5. Crowdy, Howard (16 June 2021). "Valley Rovers cruise to first JAFC title since 2017 with big win over Ballymartle". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
6. "Ballinhassig take the throne in the South East after impressive triumph". The Southern Star. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
7. Kennefick, Joe (15 November 2018). "History-making Ballymartle claim their first junior football crown". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
8. "Valleys rule the South East". The Southern Star. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
9. Spillane, Gavin (19 September 2016). "Cork GAA round-up: Ballincollig cruise to semi-final; Shamrocks and Harbour Rovers claim Junior titles". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
10. "JAFC Final V Ballinhassig – 30/8". Shamrocks GAA website. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
11. Kennefick, Joe (2009). "Ballygarvan win 2009 South East Junior football final". Echo Live. Retrieved 9 August 2023.

External links

• Carrigdhoun GAA website