Venue and time confirmed for Kildare's Walsh Shield final with Kilkenny

Kildare corner-back Dan O'Meara steps away from Sean Duffin of Antrim in the 2026 Dioralyte Walsh Shield semi-final, Photo by Sean Brilly

placeholder image — Kildare corner-back Dan O'Meara steps away from Sean Duffin of Antrim in the 2026 Dioralyte Walsh Shield semi-final, Photo by Sean Brilly

Kildare will face Kilkenny this Sunday, January 18 at 2pm at John Lockes GAA, Callan in the Walsh Shield final

Kildare will face Kilkenny this Sunday, January 18 at 2pm at John Lockes GAA, Callan in the Walsh Shield final. The Lilies came through a stiff test in tough conditions against Antrim to reach this stage of the competition while Kilkenny beat Laois 2-17 to 0-10, even with a much-changed line up for The Cats.

It will be early sampling of life in the Leinster SHC for The Lilies who will have gained great belief from their late win over Davy Fitzgerald's Antrim side.

This game will no doubt be an uphill battle for Brian Dowling's side but is another crucial outing for sharpness with Kildare having a first round bye in the Allianz Hurling League. The Lilies will tackle Division 1B in 2026 having gained promotion last year.