The GAA has released the Allianz League fixtures for the coming season. Beginning on May 8th and concluding on June 19th, the schedule is mostly notable for the fate of the four football counties found to have been training during the close season.
Cork, Down, Dublin and Monaghan all have no home fixtures as a result of being stripped of one and drawn away in their two others.
All-Ireland champions Dublin’s first match is away to Roscommon. Then they must travel to Semple Stadium on May 23rd to take on league holders Kerry in a 20-year reunion of the All-Ireland quarter-final and replay held in Thurles in August 2001. Kerry nearly lost the first day but were saved by a dramatic lineball, kicked by current selector Maurice Fitzgerald.
Dublin manager Dessie Farrell hit a point-blank shot off the underside of the bar in the drawn match.
Also in Thurles on May 15th, Cork will play Kildare - mindful that the last time this happened six years ago, they were defeated in a fourth-round qualifier. Down play Meath in Armagh in a rerun of the All-Ireland final from 30 years ago.
Monaghan’s opening fixture against Armagh on May 16th is another with a storied past, as it brought Monaghan their first senior national title when the counties met in the 1985 league final.
Each division is structured into two geographically convenient groups to minimise travel. Group winners will play finals on the weekend of June 19th and 20th unless they have a championship match the following week in which case the title will be shared.
The hurling league is first out of the traps in just over two weeks. The first fixture sees Galway travel to Westmeath before, later that evening, Limerick and Tipperary meet for the first time since last November’s deluge in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which Limerick won on the way to victory in both the Munster championship and the All-Ireland.
There will be no final between the counties on top of the divisional groups unless they are drawn together in the championship in which case that will double up as the final, as happened with Limerick and Clare last year.
Allianz League fixtures 2021
Saturday May 8th
AHL Division 1A: Westmeath v Galway (Cusack Park, 2pm); Limerick v Tipperary (LIT Gaelic Grounds, 5.30pm)
AHL Division 1B: Dublin v Kilkenny (Parnell Park, 3.30pm)
Sunday, May 9th
AHL Division 1A: Cork v Waterford (Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3.45pm)
AHL Division 1B: Antrim v Clare (Corrigan Park, 1pm); Wexford v Laois (Wexford Park, 1.45pm)
AHL Division 2A: Kerry v Down (Austin Stack Park, 1pm); Meath v Offaly (Páirc Tailteann, 2pm), Carlow v Wicklow (Cullen Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 2B: Donegal v Roscommon (O’Donnell Park, 2pm), Mayo v Derry (MacHale Park, 3pm).
Saturday, May 15th
AFL Division 1 North: Tyrone v Donegal (Healy Park, 5pm)
AFL Division 1 South: Kerry v Galway (Austin Stack Park, 3pm)
AFL Division 2 North: Mayo v Down (MacHale Park, 2pm)
AFL Division 2 South: Cork v Kildare (Semple Stadium, 3.30pm)
AFL Division 3 North: Longford v Derry (Pearse Park, 5pm); Fermanagh v Cavan (Brewster Park, 7pm)
AFL Division 3 South: Limerick v Tipperary (LIT Gaelic Grounds, 5pm)
AFL Division 4 North: Louth v Antrim (Geraldines Club, 3pm)
AFL Division 4 South: Waterford v Carlow (Fraher Field, 7pm)
AHL Division 1A: Tipperary v Cork (Semple Stadium, 7.30pm)
AHL Division 1B: Laois v Dublin (O’Moore Park, 5pm)
AHL Division 2A: Wicklow v Meath (County Grounds, 3pm)
AHL Division 2B: Kildare v Donegal (St Conleth’s Park, 1pm); Roscommon v Mayo (Dr Hyde Park, 2pm)
Sunday, May 16th
AFL Division 1 North: Monaghan v Armagh (Brewster Park, 3pm)
AFL Division 1 South: Roscommon v Dublin (Dr Hyde Park, 1.45pm)
AFL Division 2 North: Meath v Westmeath (Páirc Tailteann, 3.45pm)
AFL Division 2 South: Clare v Laois (Cusack Park, 3.45pm)
AFL Division 3 South: Wicklow v Offaly (County Grounds, 2pm)
AFL Division 4 North: Sligo v Leitrim (Markievicz Park, 3pm)
AHL Division 1A: Waterford v Westmeath (Walsh Park, 1.30pm); Galway v Limerick (Pearse Stadium, 3.45pm)
AHL Division 1B: Clare v Wexford (Cusack Park, 1pm); Kilkenny v Antrim (Nowlan Park, 1.30pm)
AHL Division 1B: Down v Carlow (McKenna Park, 1pm), Offaly v Kerry (O’Connor Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 3A: Armagh v Longford (Athletic Grounds, 1pm); Tyrone v Monaghan (Healy Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 3B: Cavan v Fermanagh (Kingspan Breffni Park, 2pm); Leitrim v Louth (Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, 2pm)
Saturday, May 22nd
AFL Division 1 North: Donegal v Monaghan (MacCumhaill Park, 5pm); Armagh v Tyrone (Athletic Grounds, 7pm)
AFL Division 2 North: Westmeath v Mayo (Cusack Park, 3pm)
AFL Division 2 South: Laois v Cork (O’Moore Park, 7pm)
AFL Division 3 North: Derry v Fermanagh (Derry GAA Centre, 5pm); Cavan v Longford (Kingspan Breffni, 7pm)
AFL Division 3 South: Offaly v Limerick (O’Connor Park, 3pm); Tipperary v Wicklow (Semple Stadium, 4.30pm)
AFL Division 4 South: Wexford v Waterford (Wexford Park, 3pm)
AHL Division 1A: Tipperary v Galway (Semple Stadium, 1.30pm)
AHL Division 1B: Dublin v Antrim (Parnell Park, 5pm)
AHL Division 3A: Longford v Tyrone (Pearse Park, 2pm); Sligo v Armagh (Markievicz Park, 2pm)
Sunday, May 23rd
AFL Division 1 South: Dublin v Kerry (Semple Stadium, 1.45pm); Galway v Roscommon (Pearse Stadium, 2pm)
AFL Division 2 North: Down v Meath (Athletic Grounds, 3..45pm)
AFL Division 2 South: Kildare v Clare (St Conleth’s Park, 2pm)
AFL Division 4 North: Leitrim v Louth (Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, 3pm); Antrim v Sligo (Corrigan Park, 4pm)
AHL Division 1A: Cork v Westmeath (Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 3pm); Waterford v Limerick (Walsh Park, 3.45pm)
AHL Division 1B: Kilkenny v Wexford (Nowlan Park, 2pm); Laois v Clare (O’Moore Park, 3pm)
AHL Division 2A: Kerry v Meath (Austin Stack Park, 1pm); Carlow v Offaly (Cullen Park, 2pm); Wicklow v Down (County Grounds, 2pm)
AHL Division 2B: Donegal v Mayo (O’Donnell Park, 2pm); Kildare v Derry (Newbridge, 4pm)
AHL Division 3B: Louth v Cavan (Darvar, 2pm); Fermanagh v Leitrim (Brewster Park, 2pm)
Saturday, May 29th
AFL Division 1 North: Armagh v Donegal (Athletic Grounds, 7.30pm); Tyrone v Monaghan (Healy Park, 7.30pm)
AFL Division 3 North: Cavan v Derry (Kingspan Breffni, 3pm); Fermanagh v Longford (Brewster Park, 3pm)
AFL Division 3 South: Wicklow v Limerick (County Grounds, 3pm); Offaly v Tipperary (O’Connor Park, 3pm)
AFL Division 4 South: Carlow v Wexford (Cullen Park, 5pm)
AHL Division 3A: Sligo v Longford (Markievicz Park, 3pm)
Sunday, May 30th
AFL Division 1 South: Galway v Dublin (St Jarlath’s Park, 3.45pm); Roscommon v Kerry (Dr Hyde Park, 3.45pm)
AFL Division 2 North: Westmeath v Down (Cusack Park, 1.45pm); Mayo v Meath (MacHale Park, 1.45pm)
AFL Division 2 South: Clare v Cork (Cusack Park, 1.45pm); Laois v Kildare (O’Moore Park, 1.45pm)
AFL Division 4 North: Antrim v Leitrim (Corrigan Park, 3pm); Louth v Sligo (Geraldines Club, 3pm)
AHL Division 3A: Monaghan v Armagh (Grattan Park, 2pm)
Saturday, June 5th
AHL Division 1A: Limerick v Cork (LIT Gaelic Grounds, 7.15pm)
AHL Division 1B: Antrim v Wexford (Corrigan Park, 3pm); Dublin v Clare (Parnell Park, 5.15pm)
AHL Division 2A: Kerry v Wicklow (Austin Stack Park, 4pm)
Sunday, June 6th
AHL Divison 1A: Westmeath v Tipperary (Cusack Park, 2pm); Galway v Waterford (Pearse Stadium, 3.45pm)
AHL Division 1B: Kilkenny v Laois (Nowlan Park, 1.45pm)
AHL Division 2A: Meath v Carlow (Páirc Tailteann, 2pm); Offaly v Down (St Brendan’s Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 2B: Derry v Donegal (Celtic Park, 2pm); Roscommon v Kildare (Dr Hyde Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 3B: Louth v Fermanagh (Darver, 2pm); Leitrim v Cavan (Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, 2pm)
Saturday, June 12th
AHL Division 1B: Clare v Kilkenny (Cusack Park, 3pm); Antrim v Laois (Corrigan Park, 3pm); Wexford v Dublin (Wexford Park, 3pm)
AHL Division 2B: Derry v Roscommon (Celtic Park, 2pm); Mayo v Kildare (Machale Park, 2pm)
AHL Division 3A: Longford v Monaghan (Pearse Park, 2pm); Tyrone v Sligo (Healy Park (2pm)
Sunday, June 13th
AHL Division 1A: Westmeath v Limerick (Cusack Park, 1.45pm); Cork v Galway (Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 1.45pm); Waterford v Tipperary (Walsh Park, 1.45pm)
AHL Division 2A: Down v Meath (McKenna Park, 1pm); Carlow v Kerry (Cullen Park, 1pm); Wicklow v Offaly (County Grounds, 1pm)
Saturday, June 19th
AHL Division 3A: Armagh v Tyrone (Athletic Grounds, 2pm); Monaghan v Sligo (Grattan Park, 2pm)
