David Wynne and Maigh Cuilinn seeking historic back-to-back senior titles 

Since claiming their first county title in 2020, Maigh Cuilinn have added further championships in 2022 and 2025, while they also suffered final defeats to Corofin in 2023 and 2024. The men in green and white will contest their fifth successive county final this weekend, highlighting the consistency Cathal Clancy’s side have shown in recent seasons.

“We won our first county title in 2020, we’ve won two since but we have never gone back-to-back since. It’s definitely a carrot for us, there’s massive motivation to do it. It’s not easily done, that’s a motivating factor for Saturday night,” said Wynne.

The defender is a player who can appreciate this golden period for Maigh Cuilinn football. Before their breakthrough in 2020, competing regularly at the business end of the Galway senior football championship was not something the club had experienced.

“There’s a massive determination in the group, we won our first county title in 2020 but ever since then there has just been an unrelenting hunger to get back there every year.

“We had some tough days in 2023 and 2024, but again it just lit a fire back to come back and win again last year in 2025. That same hunger has just grown, it’s more competitive than ever, internally lads are just fighting for jerseys and that just drives everybody on.”

The Maigh Cuilinn skipper is currently sidelined with a broken fibula after suffering the injury in a challenge match before their quarter-final victory over Mountbellew Moylough. He now faces a spell on the sidelines in the coming weeks.

“It’s just next man up, everyone is dying for a jersey, I’m just trying to chip in and contribute in any way I can. It’s tough, I hadn’t missed a big game for Maigh Cuilinn in a long time. The Moutbellew Moylough game was tough, it was different.

“Again, there’s been loads of bumps on the road for this team, it’s not just me, there’s been loads of injuries. You just kind of have to roll with the punches, the resilience that this group has shown, I’ve kind of clung onto that and like I said tried to do anything I can to help,” added the former Galway footballer.

Maigh Cuilinn lost one of the club’s great servants in June when Paul Clancy passed away. Clancy won All-Ireland titles with Galway in 1998 and 2001, previously served as chairman of Maigh Cuilinn and was also a cousin of manager Cathal Clancy. Wynne said his memory has remained with the club throughout the year.

“Paul (Clancy) was an amazing clubman, a hero of mine, a hero of anyone that played football in Maigh Cuilinn. Someone actually told me recently that the injury that I have at the minute, Paul Clancy did the same injury in 1998 against Leitrim and he actually made it back for the All-Ireland final. We are thinking about those things and carrying that with us, it’s sad but it’s motivating. He was a great clubman and he was and is an inspiration to everyone in Maigh Cuilinn.”

The reigning champions have won their last three games by margins of 19, 22 and 30 points. However, they only narrowly overcame Salthill Knocknacarra in last year’s Galway SFC final, and Saturday night’s latest meeting between the clubs looks set to be another closely fought encounter.

“It was a kick of the ball last year against Salthill Knocknacarra, we are under absolutely no illusions. We have our own standards, we know the quality that Salthill Knocknacarra bring. We will be ready for that and we will just try and put the best version of Maigh Cuilinn football on the pitch; hopefully, it’s enough,” concluded Wynne.