Full list of fixtures as Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship begins this week

The launch of the St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League took place in UPMC Nowlan Park ahead of the big throw-in around the county over the next few days.

The feast of action gets under way on Thursday night with a big Kilkenny City derby involving O’Loughlin Gaels and Dicksboro, and it’s set to be a blitz of hurling fare with five games in six weeks bringing the league to a conclusion ahead of the championship.

One of the main storlines ahead of the 2026 summer action is how defending champions Shamrocks Ballyhale will fare as they are now without the new Kilkenny manager Henry Shefflin.

Read Next- "An unbelievable experience" - Kilkenny handballers end All-Ireland wait

Eoin Cody was speaking ahead of the Shamrocks opening fixture against Castlecomer on Saturday evening and how the preparation has differed this year on the back of Kilkenny’s early exit from the Leinster Championship.

"It’s exciting to be facing into the club championship again and it’s been a long build up after finishing up earlier with Kilkenny this year and we can’t wait to get going,” he said.

"It was very different this year to any other year as usually we’d just have the two or three weeks lead in to the start of the league and it’s been six or eight weeks this time around but it’s still being enjoyable and we just want to get on with the games now."

The Shamrocks are now under the management of Mark Aylward, and despite the change on the sideline, Cody feels there is still a huge expectation in the club.

“Every year you throw on the Ballyhale jersey, you are hoping to be contesting a county final and bring the Tom Walsh Cup home and it’ll be no different this year. It was really special to win last year after a two year drought and we are just looking to build on that for this year,” Cody finished.

On the other end of the scale, Danesfort are the new faces in this year’s championship after defeating James Stephens in last year’s intermediate county final. Diarmuid Phelan feels they are in a nice spot to compete against the big boys of Kilkenny hurling.

“I think we are in a better place than when we came up the last time as the team is a bit older and we have a nice mixture of new and experienced players. Speed is very important with the way the game has gone so that injection of youth has been a big help to us.

“Training has gone very well for us and we’ve had plenty of challenge matches so we’ll be confident going in and we know the first two games are very important,” he added.

​

St Canice’s Credit Union Senior Hurling League Fixtures

​Round 1

Thursday July 30

Canon Kearns Park: Dicksboro v O’Loughlin Gaels, 7pm

Saturday August 1

Mullinavat: Thomastown v Clara, 3.30pm

St John’s Park: Shamrocks Ballyhale v Erin’s Own, 5.30pm

Sunday August 2

Pairc Lachtain: Danesfort v Tullaroan, 1pm

Dunnamaggin: Graigue Ballycallan v Bennettsbridge, 1pm

Mooncoin: Glenmore v Mullinavat, 5pm

​

Round 2

Friday August 7

Tullaroan: Erin’s Own v Danesfort, 7pm

Saturday August 8

Gowran: Clara v Graigue Ballycallan, 3.30pm

Pairc Lachtain: Tullaroan v Dicksboro, 5.30pm

Páirc na Seamróg: Mullinavat v Thomastown, 5.30pm

Sunday August 9

Thomastown: O’Loughlin Gaels v Shamrocks Ballyhale, 1pm

Inistioge: Bennettsbridge v Glenmore, 3pm

​

Round 3

Saturday August 15

John Locke Park: Tullaroan v Shamrocks Ballyhale, 1.30pm

Muckalee: O Loughlin Gaels v Erin’s Own, 1.30pm

Mullinavat: Thomastown v Glenmore, 3.30pm

Tom Ryall Park: Dicksboro v Danesfort, 3.30pm

St John’s Park: Clara v Bennettsbridge, 5.30pm

Sunday August 16

Danesfort: Mullinavat v Graigue Ballycallan, 1pm

​

Round 4

Tuesday August 25

Páirc na Seamróg: Bennettsbridge v Mullinavat, 6.30pm

Ballyragget: Erin’s Own v Tullaroan, 6.30pm

Wednesday August 26

Thomastown: Glenmore v Clara, 6.30pm

Pairc Sheamuis Stiophan: Shamrocks Ballyhale v Dicksboro, 6.30pm

Thursday August 27

Clara: Danesfort v O’Loughlin Gaels, 6.30pm

John Locke Park: Graigue Ballycallan, Thomastown, 6.30pm

​

Round 5

Saturday September 5

Dunnamaggin: Mullinavat v Clara, 5pm

Gowran: Danesfort v Shamrocks Ballyhale, 5pm

Pairc Sheamuis Stiophan: Tullaroan v O’Loughlin Gaels, 5pm

Piltown: Glenmore v Graigue Ballycallan, 5pm

Muckalee; Dicksboro v Erin’s Own, 5pm

Bennettsbridge: Thomastown v Bennettsbridge, 5pm