It promises to be a ‘Super Saturday’ in Salthill.

Mike Finnerty | 15 May 2025

Exclusive to GAA+, A Galway double-header in Salthill

There is only one thing better than a GAA championship match in Salthill on a beautiful summer’s day.

And that’s two GAA championship matches in Salthill on a beautiful summer’s day!

There has been talk of little else around the coffee shops and pubs of the picturesque Galway suburb this week as Pearse Stadium prepares for the arrival of thousands of supporters from Dublin, Galway and Antrim for a delectable double-header on Saturday.

The storied old ground, which is only a few minutes’ walk from the legendary Salthill Prom and one of the best-known beaches in the country, will be a kaleidoscope of colour and a smorgasbord of accents.

The fact that the games look set to unfold during a heatwave will only add to the carnival atmosphere and the sense that the championship is now in full swing.

The hurlers of Galway and Antrim will enter the arena first, competing for precious Leinster championship points that will help to shape the final standings in an ultra-competitive round-robin group.

A third successive win for Micheál O’Donoghue’s work-in-progress Galway team would keep them in the frame for a top three finish and a ticket to the All-Ireland series.

A fourth consecutive defeat for Davy Fitzgerald’s Antrim will leave them looking at a straight shoot-out with Offaly a week later to avoid the dreaded drop to the Joe McDonagh Cup.

The fact that Galway have won the last five championship matches between the counties over the last 20 years, by an average of 22.4 points, means that the prospect of an upset looks highly unlikely.

But that won’t stop the dedicated, die-hard supporters from the Glens of Antrim, and hurling heartlands like Dunloy, making a round-trip of more than 420 miles to follow their team.

They will think nothing of the nine-hour journey to the City of the Tribes. Because supporting Antrim through thick and thin is part of who they are.

The same can be said of Dublin’s large and loyal fan-base who will descend on Galway via trains and automobiles in huge numbers for the weekend.

The prospect of seeing Con O’Callaghan and company facing off against the ageless Paul Conroy and friends in the first game of the All-Ireland group stages is too good an opportunity to turn down for the ‘Hill 16 On Tour’ brigade.

It’s also why so many Galway supporters will stream into Salthill and sit in the infamous traffic around Pearse Stadium for ages afterwards.

Because these two All-Ireland contenders have squads packed them with All Stars and talent and, in Dublin’s case, multiple All-Ireland winners.

Plus, Galway’s win over the Metropolitans last summer at Croke Park was their first championship victory in this fixture since 1934.

It was why the result was celebrated with such gusto afterwards by everyone from Padraic Joyce to the team’s supporters.

You can be sure those scenes will be recalled by some in the Dublin camp ahead of this rematch as the next chapter in this new rivalry is written.

It promises to be a ‘Super Saturday’ in Salthill.