The Kildare season of 2026 officially begins this weekend

The Big Lad with the red coat and white beard has been and gone. Maybe only just but gone nevertheless and lo and behold the competitive season of 2026 is about to get under way this weekend.

On Saturday Brian Flanagan's Kildare head to the 'sunny south east' and a meeting with Wexford in the opening game in this season's Dioralyte O'Byrne Cup.

After an absence of 12 months, this pre-season warmer-upper returns to the inter-county calendar with the boys in white heading to Samaritans St Patrick's Park, Enniscorthy, for a game that is fixed to throw-in at 1.30.
And while it maybe just less than ten days since the turkey was being carved up, that also means the opening game in the Allianz Football League, Division 2, is coming within sight. That is pencilled in for the last Saturday in January, a game fixed for Omagh, with a 6pm throw-in.

Hurlers
After a season to remember for Kildare hurlers, it is back to action as they will stride out on to Cedral St Conleth's Park, Newbridge pitch, the following day, Sunday 4 January, when they will take on the might of Galway in the Dioralyte Walsh Cup.
Having captured the Joe McDonagh Cup in a memorable win in Croke Park against Laois last June, Brian Dowling's charges will have little time to settle down as they come up against some top tier sides.

That win in the final of the Joe Mac, saw congratulations pouring in for The Lilies, culminating with no less than six players who wore the white that day named on the Joe McDonagh Team of the Year with the icing on the cake being Cian Boran being selected as Player of the Year. Another major achievement for Cian, personally, and Kildare as a team.

Needless to say Kildare will face an uphill battle as they step into company against sides that have genuine ambitions of winning the Liam McCarthy Cup. That is the level our hurlers are at, no doubt they will encounter some very testing times but if they can recapture the form shown over the past 18 months or so, they could cause an upset or two along the way beginning this weekend.

Footballers
As for the footballers, well, not unlike their hurling counterparts, they are stepping up in class in 2026, and again, not unlike the hurlers, will be tested big time when the AFL Division 2 comes around.

For now, however, it is the footballers of Wexford they play and a game in Enniscorthy.
An ideal opportunity for Brian Flanagan to throw his eye over some of his newer additions to his panel.

Before The Big Fella arrived The Lilies played All-Ireland champions Kerry, in Newbridge, and while neither side were at full strength it was certainly an opportunity for the manager to see how his squad were progressing, even at this early stage of the season.

The Johnstownbridge man admitted that overall he was happy with he had seen against Kerry, a game spoiled somewhat, with a strong breeze blowing directly down the pitch into the town goal.

Kildare came under pressure in the opening 20 minutes or so, trailing 1-8 to no score after a mere 14 minutes but they stuck at it, trailed at the break 1-14 to 0-6, but stepped it up considerably when the elements were in their favour, eventually losing out by a mere three points, having scored an impressive 13 points in that second half, while holding their opponents to four points.

Incidentally Kerry started that game with just three players who lined out at in their All-Ireland success against Donegal, while Kildare had five of their starting XV in action from the side that won The Tailteann Cup decider.

With a fair few of Kildare's more experienced lads having departed the scene, this 2026 season will see a very young Kildare team hopefully make their mark.

It will be interesting to see how they fare out, and, as already said, the AFL is not too far away. As usual there are a fair number of injuries but manager Flanagan, did say most of those he expects to be cleared up by the end of this month.

He did insist that he would be using the O'Byrne Cup as an avenue to check out players who have been called into the squad at the start of December.

We will be using the O'Byrne Cup to look at lads, he said, while admitting he won't be finalising his 2026 Allianz Football League squad until later in the month, after Kildare have, hopefully, gotten three or four games under their belts, they are guaranteed at least two games but hopefully they can progress and get the maximum that is open to them in this competition.

With former Kildare U20 manager, Davy Burke, he who led The Lilies to All-Ireland success back in 2018, on board as a coach/ selector it will be interesting to see how much influence the Confey brings to the table.
So all in all a lot to look forward from a county perspective.

The O'Byrne Cup, the Walsh Cup, the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues just around the corner.
Fasten your seat belts, the season of 2026 is about to commence.

Bring it on!

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