KILDARE’S KEVIN FEELY says it “wouldn’t be the end of the world” if his side compete in the Tailteann Cup this season.
The Lilywhites, who open their Leinster campaign against Westmeath in the quarter-finals this weekend, will be destined for the second tier competition again if they fail to reach the provincial decider.
Kildare reached the quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup last year where they were they suffered a shock defeat to Laois, with then-manager Glenn Ryan stepping down from the position after the game.
After suffering relegation in 2024, Brian Flanagan’s side have been rejuvenated by achieving promotion and a quick return to Division 2 for 2026. And while Feely says aiming for the Sam Maguire championship is the goal for Kildare this year, he would not be disappointed with another campaign in the Tailteann Cup.
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“To say that it’s essential for us to be in an All-Ireland series when we know how competitive this Leinster campaign is going to be is probably going a little bit too far,” he explains.
“It could well be that we end up in the Tailteann Cup and if we do, we just have to make sure that we bring our best performance to that as well. Obviously our ambition is to try and be in an All-Ireland series, but in terms of our development and progression from last year, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we do end up in a Tailteann Cup.
“But certainly the main ambition is to win every game and try and get into an All-Ireland series.”
A refurbished St Conleth’s Park was reopened for Kildare’s league campaign this year, and was the setting for important victories over Fermanagh, Laois and Antrim. Feely says returning to their home ground after an 18-month redevelopment process was an influential factor in producing those victorious displays as they prepare to open the gates again to Westmeath this Saturday.
“A bigger difference than I thought it would actually. The very first game we played here against Galway, we played a challenge match and it was the most pleasant surprise actually with the atmosphere, the amount of crowd that was there, the real sense of pride that it seemed like every player felt in having the facilities that we have now with the dressing rooms and the new stand and the bigger pitch.
“It was a bigger sense of pride than I thought it would be and that carried over into the league and it definitely seemed to give us that little bit of an extra energy boost in the league games that we played here. Undoubtedly our three home games were our three best performances in the league, so it’s been huge for us I think.
“The surface has always been brilliant at St Conleth’s Park and that’s no different with the new pitch. Yeah, you kind of don’t feel like you’re playing in a uniquely small venue anymore, which was the case beforehand in that you knew that when we go to places like Croke Park, we could get a little bit exposed because we haven’t been playing on this venue for so long. But that’s not the case anymore.”
Kildare go into the Westmeath game on the back of a defeat in the Division 3 final against Offaly. They mustered a late fightback from six points down but couldn’t overturn the deficit in time, eventually losing by two.
Offaly players celebrate at the final whistle of the Division 3 final. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“Confidence probably,” Feely replies when asked for his views on what was lacking in Kildare’s performance.
“We probably came into the Offaly game off the back of a couple of performances where our decision-making wasn’t great in attack, and we probably came into the game with the approach of trying to be a little bit more controlled, a little bit more composed in our attacking play, which in terms of how it looks, looks less off the cuff and fast.
“It certainly wasn’t our intention to be as static as we were at times. We would have definitely liked to have been a little bit more incisive in our play.”
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If Kildare do reach the Leinster semi-finals, the games will be played outside of Croke Park. It will be the first time since 1995 that the provincial last-four encounters will not be played at GAA headquarters, something which Feely believes is a progressive move.
“I think it suits pretty much all the stakeholders in that situation to have a game in a smaller venue where the atmosphere is better, where the energy around the place is a little bit better. As you’ve all seen in years gone by, Leinster semi-finals can look a little bit stale and a little bit dead,” says Feely.
“And potentially that’s to do with the lack of atmosphere in such a big stadium. I see nothing really but positives with that decision.”
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'It wouldn't be the end of the world if we do end up in a Tailteann Cup'
KILDARE’S KEVIN FEELY says it “wouldn’t be the end of the world” if his side compete in the Tailteann Cup this season.
The Lilywhites, who open their Leinster campaign against Westmeath in the quarter-finals this weekend, will be destined for the second tier competition again if they fail to reach the provincial decider.
Kildare reached the quarter-finals of the Tailteann Cup last year where they were they suffered a shock defeat to Laois, with then-manager Glenn Ryan stepping down from the position after the game.
After suffering relegation in 2024, Brian Flanagan’s side have been rejuvenated by achieving promotion and a quick return to Division 2 for 2026. And while Feely says aiming for the Sam Maguire championship is the goal for Kildare this year, he would not be disappointed with another campaign in the Tailteann Cup.
“To say that it’s essential for us to be in an All-Ireland series when we know how competitive this Leinster campaign is going to be is probably going a little bit too far,” he explains.
“It could well be that we end up in the Tailteann Cup and if we do, we just have to make sure that we bring our best performance to that as well. Obviously our ambition is to try and be in an All-Ireland series, but in terms of our development and progression from last year, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we do end up in a Tailteann Cup.
“But certainly the main ambition is to win every game and try and get into an All-Ireland series.”
A refurbished St Conleth’s Park was reopened for Kildare’s league campaign this year, and was the setting for important victories over Fermanagh, Laois and Antrim. Feely says returning to their home ground after an 18-month redevelopment process was an influential factor in producing those victorious displays as they prepare to open the gates again to Westmeath this Saturday.
“A bigger difference than I thought it would actually. The very first game we played here against Galway, we played a challenge match and it was the most pleasant surprise actually with the atmosphere, the amount of crowd that was there, the real sense of pride that it seemed like every player felt in having the facilities that we have now with the dressing rooms and the new stand and the bigger pitch.
“It was a bigger sense of pride than I thought it would be and that carried over into the league and it definitely seemed to give us that little bit of an extra energy boost in the league games that we played here. Undoubtedly our three home games were our three best performances in the league, so it’s been huge for us I think.
“The surface has always been brilliant at St Conleth’s Park and that’s no different with the new pitch. Yeah, you kind of don’t feel like you’re playing in a uniquely small venue anymore, which was the case beforehand in that you knew that when we go to places like Croke Park, we could get a little bit exposed because we haven’t been playing on this venue for so long. But that’s not the case anymore.”
Kildare go into the Westmeath game on the back of a defeat in the Division 3 final against Offaly. They mustered a late fightback from six points down but couldn’t overturn the deficit in time, eventually losing by two.
“Confidence probably,” Feely replies when asked for his views on what was lacking in Kildare’s performance.
“We probably came into the Offaly game off the back of a couple of performances where our decision-making wasn’t great in attack, and we probably came into the game with the approach of trying to be a little bit more controlled, a little bit more composed in our attacking play, which in terms of how it looks, looks less off the cuff and fast.
“It certainly wasn’t our intention to be as static as we were at times. We would have definitely liked to have been a little bit more incisive in our play.”
If Kildare do reach the Leinster semi-finals, the games will be played outside of Croke Park. It will be the first time since 1995 that the provincial last-four encounters will not be played at GAA headquarters, something which Feely believes is a progressive move.
“I think it suits pretty much all the stakeholders in that situation to have a game in a smaller venue where the atmosphere is better, where the energy around the place is a little bit better. As you’ve all seen in years gone by, Leinster semi-finals can look a little bit stale and a little bit dead,” says Feely.
“And potentially that’s to do with the lack of atmosphere in such a big stadium. I see nothing really but positives with that decision.”
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GAA Gaelic Football Kevin Feely Kildare GAA no drama