REIGNING ALL-IRELAND senior football champions Dublin will hit the road next summer when the face either Laois or Wicklow in Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park.
Since a narrow Leinster Championship win over Longford in 2006, the Dubs have played every Championship fixture on their home turf on Jones’ Road, but tonight’s Leinster council fixtures meeting has approved the move to send Dublin to a neutral venue.
Laois and Wicklow will play for the right to meet the champions in their Leinster Championship first round match in O’Moore Park on 15 May, with the winner going on to the quarter-final meeting in Kilkenny on 4 June.
The remaining first round football fixtures see Louth take on Carlow (15 May) for the right to meet Meath in the last eight and Longford will battle Offaly in O’Connor Park with the victors bound for Mullingar to face Westmeath.
The Leinster hurling championship draw has Kilkenny nestled in the semi-final awaiting Dublin or Wexford who face off in Croke Park on 29 May.
On the other side of the draw, Galway will meet the winners of a round-robin featuring Kerry, Carlow, Westmeath and Offaly, while Laois are to face the runners-up in the other quarter-final.
