IT’S exciting times on and off the pitch for Muskerry club Ballinora. 

The team in red and green operate at Intermediate A level in football and Junior A hurling in the Mid-Cork Division and there’s hope both teams can have successful championship seasons in 2023. 

Off the pitch the club have ambitious plans in both their grounds in Ballinora and Ballymah at a total cost of €275,000. 

The plans at the Ballinora ground include a better drained sand based pitch, Astro at both goals, new dug outs, new ball stop nets, fencing around the perimeter and meeting rooms upgrade while at the Ballymah ground, which is situated near the Bons Secours Hospital, dressing rooms upgrade is the target in the years to come.

Between the hurling and football sections as well as camogie and ladies football clubs, Ballinora have 400 players for all ages, 200 non playing members, 100 coaches/selectors and 40 members of various committees between the clubs and with the population increasing, it’s easy to see why the club have decided to set out the development plan. 

The weekly lotto is a key fundraiser in the plan for the club, which takes place every Monday night. 

More details can be found on Ballinoragaa.ie.

On the pitch, Ken O’Halloran, former Cork football goalkeeper from nearby Bishopstown, is the new coach of the Ballinora football team and with a young team there’s hope last year’s close shave with relegation will stand to them heading into what will be a difficult championship group-stage. 

The team compete in Division 5 of the Cork Credit Unions Football League and have made a slow start to the campaign languishing in the lower reaches of the table. 

The Mid-Cork club are in a trickly looking championship group alongside Mitchelstown, Boherbue and Kildorrery. 

Despite finishing third in Group D of the championship last year behind Aghabullogue and Dromtarriffe, crucially they finished above bottom side St Finbarr’s on points difference. 

The team in red and green suffered a heavy defeat to Aghabullogue in the last group-stage game last year and with the restructuring of the grades at the end of last year with a new Premier Junior grade coming in, finishing bottom would have resulted in relegation but other results went their way as they survived the drop and now they aim to push on this season.

Moving onto the hurlers, Ballinora are going for a third consecutive Mid-Cork JAHC title in 2023 and they will be firm favourites to do so and add to the eight titles they have already won in the Muskerry Division. 

The problem for the club in years gone by is the failure to make a favourable impression in the county championship. 

Since Ballinora’s foundation back in 1924, the club have yet to win a county championship game in hurling. 

The team in red and green have had some great teams down through the years including the team that won two consecutive Muskerry titles back in 1996 and 1997 but failure to make an impact in the county has been a huge disappointment. 

The club had to wait until 2016 to win their next divisional title but Mayfield proved too strong in the opening round of the county on a scoreline of 3-23 to 0-11. 

Despite not beating Cloughduv in the 2018 Mid-Cork final, both teams advanced to the county series where Kilbree easily defeated Ballinora in the round 1, 1-17 to 0-13.

The Muskerry team reigned supreme once again in Muskerry in 2021 and 2022 beating Inniscarra and Grenagh respectively in the final. 

But once again despite being tipped to make an impression outside of Muskerry, Dromtarriffe won 1-19 to 0-8 against Ballinora in the opening round of the county in 2021 and last year Ballinora received a bye into the semi-final where eventual winners Erin’s Own prevailed 1-20 to 3-9. 

Ballinora are in Division 7 of the RedFM Hurling League and have started the campaign quite well sitting in the upper reaches of the table. 

Ballinora are in Group 1 of the Muskerry JAHC this year alongside second teams Ballincollig and Inniscarra and 2017 beaten finalists Kilmichael. 

It won’t be straight-forward but the smart money is on Ballinora landing another Muskerry title and with the likes of Shane Kingston, Darragh Holmes, Neil Lordan and Liam Lyons in the team, it’s easy to see why.