Tailteann Cup 2026.

[snoopdog]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

[ardtole]

Its a bit of a freak season, with so many big hitters coming up short in recent weeks. The championship as a whole has been excellent this year and all the more incentive for the Tc teams to be in the Sam Maguire next year.

[Captain Obvious]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

Will HQ get the opportunity to introduce a 3rd tier competition before then?

[snoopdog]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

Will HQ get the opportunity to introduce a 3rd tier competition before then?

If there was a 3rd tier how many counties would be in it?. Would you end up with 8 in TC and 8 in junior. Imagine the lack of promotion it would get from the GAA and media. 

[statto]

Its a bit of a freak season, with so many big hitters coming up short in recent weeks. The championship as a whole has been excellent this year and all the more incentive for the Tc teams to be in the Sam Maguire next year.

Championship has been good, Down on their day could put up to alot of teams in Sam, not sure the others left in TC would be capable of doing that.  Though some of the results under new rules will give the smaller counties hope. 

Poor form having the semi finals of TC clashing with the games in Sam Maguire.   

[Armagh18]

Its a bit of a freak season, with so many big hitters coming up short in recent weeks. The championship as a whole has been excellent this year and all the more incentive for the Tc teams to be in the Sam Maguire next year.

Outside of Down would there be any teams in TC that would make Sam more competitive?

Probably not but then again you'd have said the same about Westmeath and they've had what 5 wins and ran Galway close enough.

[marty34]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

Will HQ get the opportunity to introduce a 3rd tier competition before then?

If there was a 3rd tier how many counties would be in it?. Would you end up with 8 in TC and 8 in junior. Imagine the lack of promotion it would get from the GAA and media. 

I'd like to see a senior, intermediate and junior championship.

The GAA doesn't do great PR at any inter-county level. But I don't think people should be surprised at less PR as you down the championships. That's life.


Look at club stuff. Outside clubs in junior level, nobody else cares. Like Div. 4 in league, not many goes to them games and there's literally zero coverage on them.

That's just the way it goes in every sport. 

[statto]

Its a bit of a freak season, with so many big hitters coming up short in recent weeks. The championship as a whole has been excellent this year and all the more incentive for the Tc teams to be in the Sam Maguire next year.

Outside of Down would there be any teams in TC that would make Sam more competitive?

Probably not but then again you'd have said the same about Westmeath and they've had what 5 wins and ran Galway close enough.

Westmeath's progress has certainly been a positive for the TC. 

[Armagh18]

Its a bit of a freak season, with so many big hitters coming up short in recent weeks. The championship as a whole has been excellent this year and all the more incentive for the Tc teams to be in the Sam Maguire next year.

Outside of Down would there be any teams in TC that would make Sam more competitive?

Probably not but then again you'd have said the same about Westmeath and they've had what 5 wins and ran Galway close enough.

Westmeath's progress has certainly been a positive for the TC. 

Down and Meath have had some good results in Sam since winning it as well but arguably neither team should have ever been in it with their pick/tradition.

[Lamps]

It's a bit much giving the TC semi finals Croke Park ahead of big Sam Maguire matches.
The TC final should be there all right.

[Armagh18]

It's a bit much giving the TC semi finals Croke Park ahead of big Sam Maguire matches.
The TC final should be there all right.

Double header!

[ck]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

I don't think it'll be gone but may need a 3rd Tier. At the moment you have counties like Kildare, Down and Westmeath as recent winners, none of whom want to be in it but winning it. The counties who it means a lot to like Carlow, Antrim and Leitrim are going at it hammer and tongs but cannot compete against these bigger counties. A 3rd Tier would make the 2nd Tier ultra competitive and give the 3rd Tier counties something meaningful to play and win

[thewobbler]

The Taulteann cup will be dead in the water in 5 years time. The GAA have no time or reapect for thr so called weaker counties.

I don't think it'll be gone but may need a 3rd Tier. At the moment you have counties like Kildare, Down and Westmeath as recent winners, none of whom want to be in it but winning it. The counties who it means a lot to like Carlow, Antrim and Leitrim are going at it hammer and tongs but cannot compete against these bigger counties. A 3rd Tier would make the 2nd Tier ultra competitive and give the 3rd Tier counties something meaningful to play and win

So a few thoughts on this:

1. There is no possible way to PR the profile of a third-tier competition beyond those directly involved in playing and a tiny hardcore of fans from each county. It just won't resonate on any public interest level and I would expect that most of those county players would play in front of larger crowds in their club championships.

2. The expense of running a county team for an extended period, against its potential to generate sponsorship and gate receipts, is a very real financial dilemma. Might we be expecting our clubs to kick upwards to make this happen?

3. These lads already have a competition among themselves every year. It's called National League D4. Do they really need another one in summertime when clubs and the US are digging around for their players?

[imtommygunn]

It won't be gone because irrespective of whether it works or not in the confines of itself the sam maguire works better with that number of teams and that level of competition. I would highly doubt there will ever be any going back from it.

You read people say Down or Meath didn't deserve to be in it with tradition etc. I think it gave both of them the kick up the arse they needed, they both deserved to be in it and but for a set of unusual circumstances down wouldn't have been near it this year.

it may take a few years to find the right set of teams and there will always be yo yos. You would expect Cavan and Kildare to start to gravitate towards it on current trajectory. Hard to know what way Wexford will go but you would imagine they would get relegated to 3 as well and end up in it.

I don't think a 3rd tier would get any traction at all.

[Lamps]

A 3rd tier competition would be as farcical as the Tommy Cooper Cup. Leave the current be for now.