Mayo Ladies learn All-Ireland group stage opponents

The Mayo Ladies will doubtless be disappointed in the wake of their defeat to Galway in the Connacht Championship yesterday in MacHale Park.

However, that will have to be parked, with the All-Ireland series fast approaching, and now, in the wake of yesterday’s loss, Liam McHale and his side know who they’ll have to beat in the race for the Brendan Martin Cup.

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Had the Green and Red usurped Galway from the throne of Connacht, they would have had an easier group, with Donegal and Tipperary in Pot One.

That fact wasn’t lost on the side’s captain, Danielle Caldwell.

"We have a really tough group now that we've lost,” the Castlebar Mitchels woman admitted. “I think the winners of this Connacht final had an easier group. We have our work cut out for us.”

Instead, Mayo will be in Pot Two, alongside Munster neighbours Kerry, following their narrow Munster final victory over Waterford, and Cork.

Kerry are a top side, and will be aiming to retain their own title as the best side of Ireland which they claimed in 2024.

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If we’re looking at the formbook here, you’d fancy the Kingdom’s chances of getting a win over Mayo when they next lock horns.

The last time these two sides met was in 2025 League action, when Mayo fell to a 2-8 to 0-4 loss in Swinford. In terms of Championship encounters, the likes of Danielle Caldwell and Kathryn O’Sullivan won’t want to remember 2023, when Kerry denied Mayo a spot in the All-Ireland Final.

In terms of Cork, Mayo have slightly fonder memories. In 2024, a League win for Mayo in Páirc Uí Chaoimh was vital in seeing them stay in Division One.

Two years prior, in 2022, Mayo also emerged victorious in their last Championship meeting, where Mayo triumphed in an All-Ireland quarter final in Ennis.