Jones Hat-Trick Leads Iveleary to Dramatic Win Over Glanmire

Iveleary 4-16 Glanmire 3-10
(McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC)

Jones hat-trick fires Iveleary’s statement start

Twelve months after heartbreak, Iveleary have come out swinging.

The Muskerry men, beaten so cruelly in last year’s McCarthy Insurance Group PIFC final by Aghabullogue, opened their 2026 campaign with a wild, high‑octane win over Glanmire in Kilmurry on Friday night, driven by a ruthless 3-4 haul from Cork senior forward Chris Óg Jones.

This was no gentle easing into a new championship. It was chaos, quality and, in the end, a cold-eyed finish from a side that looks determined to turn last year’s pain into something more tangible.

Cagey start, then chaos

Both teams flashed early goal chances without landing a decisive blow. It took 10 minutes for the first white flag, Tiernan Hourihan finally nudging Glanmire in front.

That woke Iveleary up.

Points from Sean O’Riordan and the sharp-shooting Sam Pickering settled John McNulty’s side, who moved into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead and began to dictate the tempo. Glanmire, though, didn’t come here to make up the numbers. Winners of the Cork IAFC in 2024 and Premier Intermediate quarter-finalists last season, they have their own ambitions of climbing the ladder.

They struck back in style. Midway through the half, Harry Browne buried a penalty into the corner, a superb finish that dragged Glanmire level and reset the contest.

Iveleary responded with another productive spell, Pickering clipping over a classy two‑pointer as they edged back ahead. Glanmire hit back again, Shane O’Driscoll answering in kind with a fine two‑pointer of his own, and by the 27th minute they held a 1-5 to 0-7 advantage and, crucially, the momentum.

Then came the turning point.

Óg Jones ignites

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Glanmire coughed up possession. Iveleary pounced. The ball found its way to Chris Óg Jones and he did what he so often does for club and county – blasted it to the net with conviction.

In a flash, Glanmire’s neat first-half body of work was undone. Iveleary jogged to the dressing room 1-7 to 1-5 in front, the Cork senior’s strike a psychological dagger just before the break.

They carried that edge into the second half.

Iveleary surged clear on the restart, O’Riordan finishing neatly to the net to widen the gap and underline their control. The tackles bit harder, the runs grew more confident. Glanmire were hanging on.

Jones then struck again. His second goal pushed Iveleary into what looked like an unassailable position, 3-10 to 2-8 up with eight minutes of normal time remaining. At that stage, it felt done. Iveleary were cantering. Glanmire were fading.

Or so it seemed.

Glanmire’s stunning fightback

Like a switch flicked in the Kilmurry evening air, Glanmire roared back.

Jeremy Kingston smashed home. Brian Galvin followed with another quick-fire goal. Suddenly Iveleary, so comfortable minutes earlier, were rattled and retreating.

The drama didn’t stop there. Harry Cogan stepped up and clipped over a two‑pointer to drag Glanmire level, leaving players, management and supporters momentarily stunned. From eight down to parity in a whirlwind spell – the kind of surge that often breaks a favourite’s resolve.

It didn’t break Iveleary’s.

Iveleary finish like contenders

Jolted awake, the Muskerry men went back to basics: win the next ball, nail the next shot.

Ian Jones produced when they needed him most, landing vital points to steady the ship and turn the tide back in their favour. With Glanmire stretched and chasing, the space opened again for his brother.

In second-half stoppage time, Chris Óg Jones completed his hat-trick, finishing with the same clinical edge he had shown all evening. It was the final, emphatic act of a performance that underlined why he is one of Cork’s deadliest forwards and why Iveleary are spoken of as a side ready for Senior A.

He walked off with 3-4 to his name, backed by strong returns from Ian Jones (0-5, including a two‑pointer), O’Riordan (1-1) and Pickering (0-4, also with a two‑pointer). At the other end, Glanmire’s scoring spread – Browne’s 1-1, goals from Kingston and Galvin, and two‑pointers from Cogan, O’Driscoll and C Hackett – told the story of a team that refused to fold, even when seemingly beaten.

But this was Iveleary’s night, and maybe their warning shot to the rest of the grade.

Next up is Bantry Blues, another step on a road they hope ends not in regret at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, but in promotion and redemption. It is only July, the championship still young, yet already it looks like it will take something special to derail this Iveleary machine.