Óg Jones Hat-Trick Leads Iveleary to Victory Over Glanmire
Iveleary 4-16 Glanmire 3-10 (McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC)
Óg Jones hat-trick fires Iveleary’s 2026 statement
Twelve months after heartbreak, Iveleary look in no mood to linger on the past.
Beaten so cruelly by Aghabullogue in last year’s McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the Muskerry men opened their 2026 campaign with a wild, breathless win over Glanmire in Kilmurry on Friday night, driven by a devastating 3-4 from Cork senior forward Chris Óg Jones.
This finished 4-16 to 3-10, but the numbers only tell part of it. Iveleary were cruising. Then they were reeling. Then they were ruthless.
Cagey start, then Iveleary bite
Both sides sniffed early goal chances without landing a killer blow, the game crackling but scoreless until the 10th minute when Tiernan Hourihan finally nudged Glanmire in front.
That woke Iveleary up.
Sean O’Riordan and Sam Pickering clipped over points, the favourites settling into their stride and moving 0-4 to 0-1 clear, their running game beginning to stretch Glanmire’s defence.
Glanmire, though, are not in this grade by accident. IAFC champions in 2024 and Premier Intermediate quarter-finalists last year, they steadied themselves and forced their way back into it. Midway through the half, they struck the first major blow: a penalty, coolly buried by Harry Browne into the corner, dragged them level and injected real edge into the contest.
Iveleary responded with a productive spell, Pickering curling over a stylish two-pointer to edge them back in front. Glanmire hit back again, Shane O’Driscoll answering in kind with a fine two-pointer of his own, and on 27 minutes they led 1-5 to 0-7. Their work-rate, their tackling, their belief – all of it had Iveleary slightly rattled.
Then came the sting.
First Óg Jones goal flips the script
In first-half stoppage time, Glanmire blinked. Iveleary turned the ball over high up the pitch, and in a flash it was with the one man they did not want to see bearing down on goal.
Chris Óg Jones didn’t hesitate. He hammered the ball to the net, and a half that had threatened to tilt Glanmire’s way suddenly belonged to Iveleary. They jogged off 1-7 to 1-5 in front, the tone of the evening changed by one clinical swing.
Iveleary take control
After the restart, Iveleary looked every inch a side with unfinished business in this championship.
They tightened up at the back, began to dominate the middle third and, crucially, became far more efficient in front of the posts. When Sean O’Riordan slipped in behind and finished neatly for their second goal, the gap widened and Glanmire’s earlier confidence started to fray.
Jones then delivered again. His second goal, added to his growing tally of points, pushed Iveleary into what felt like an unassailable position. With eight minutes of normal time left, the scoreboard read 3-10 to 2-8. The contest looked done, the Iveleary machine humming, the crowd already half-thinking about Bantry Blues.
They were wrong.
Glanmire’s blitz from nowhere
Like a switch flicked, Glanmire exploded.
Jeremy Kingston pounced first, rattling the net to drag them back into it. Almost immediately, Brian Galvin followed with another goal, Iveleary suddenly sliced open and scrambling. The energy in Kilmurry changed in an instant – from routine opener to full-blown drama.
Then came the leveller. Harry Cogan, who had been growing into the game, stepped up with a two-pointer that stunned the ground. From eight points down to level in a blur of green and gold, Glanmire had Iveleary on the ropes and the momentum roaring in their ears.
Shellshocked? For a moment, absolutely.
Beaten? Not this group.
Jones brothers slam the door
Iveleary shook themselves awake and went back to basics: win the ball, use the ball, take the score.
Ian Jones was the one to steady the ship, clipping over vital points that wrestled control back. His composure in that spell, with the game threatening to spiral away, mattered as much as any goal on the night.
And then, fittingly, it was left to his brother to finish it.
Deep into second-half stoppage time, with Glanmire finally stretched once more, Chris Óg Jones broke through and buried his third goal. Hat-trick complete. Game killed. Statement made.
By the final whistle, his tally of 3-4 had underlined the gulf in cutting edge. Around him, the likes of O’Riordan, Pickering, Ian Jones and Cathal Vaughan had all played their part in a performance that mixed flair with resilience – and showed why this group is tipped to break into the Senior A ranks.
Iveleary’s intent is clear
There are bigger hurdles ahead and sharper tests than this frantic opener. Iveleary know that; last year’s final still sits too close for comfort to allow any complacency.
But as John McNulty’s side turn towards a championship clash with Bantry Blues, they do so with points on the board, form in the forward line and the sense of a team moving with purpose.
It is only July. The road to Páirc Uí Chaoimh is long and unforgiving.
Right now, though, it will take a serious outfit to derail this Iveleary machine.
