Westport-based Abbvie to contest Inter-firms All-Ireland final

ABBVIE will return to familiar territory when they contest the All-Ireland Interfirms final on Sunday.

Still known to many as Allergan, the company, which has given a living to thousands of men and women throughout West Mayo since the 1970s, will boast a strong panel when they face Limerick’s Regeneron.

Westport’s Killian Kilkelly, Alan Kennedy, Kevin Keane, Stephen Corrigan from Louisburgh, Ballinrobe’s Darren McDonnell and Crossmolina’s Stephen Duffy and Cathal Carolan are among the best-known names togging for the pharmaceutical giants.

Neil Chambers, who won the title as a player in 1998, manages the side alongside Glen Young and JP Campbell.

The company last won the junior title in 2017 prior to the pandemic and will contest the intermediate decider on Friday.

In 1998 Chambers was a central figure on the Allergan Pharmaceuticals team that won the All-Ireland Senior Inter-Firms final when they defeated a star-studded Cork Gardaí team by a single point.

The Allergan team was managed by Louisburgh’s Padraic Walsh, captained by Kilmeena’s Pat Mulchrone and also featured future Mayo senior manager James Horan, Mayo News Head of Sport Michael Gallagher and a man-of-the-match performance from Burrishoole’s Seamus Brady.

The pivotal moment of that memorable final arrived midway through the second half when Westport’s Paul Kelly blasted an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net guarded by then Cork inter-county goalkeeper Kevin O’Dwyer.

Throw-in is on Friday, April 12 at 12pm in at St Mary’s GAA, Kent Park, Sligo.