Dublin, IRE, WPH Press, 5/10/25
Semifinals recap from the 2025 4-Wall All Ireland Championships HERE
Oneills.com proudly presented the 2025 GAA 4-Wall All Ireland Championships at the GAA National Handball Centre at Cloke Park, featuring Ireland’s four best players.
The men’s singles featured six-time defending world champion Paul Brady challenging GAA #1 David Walsh, who rode a twelve-match, two-tournament winning streak into the 2025 GAA 4-Wall All Ireland Championship final. In a rematch of the women’s world championship final from November of 2024, Martina McMahon rode a four-tournament winning streak (two WR48 events, two GAA events) into the final against current world champion Ciana Ni Churraoin.
Men’s Final: Walsh vs. Brady
Paul Brady and David Walsh staged one of the most dramatic All Ireland finals in history, with sensational shot-making, nervous errors, injury timeouts, and an unforgettable finish.
Seeking his twelfth All Ireland 4-Wall singles title, Brady was matched in every way in the first game by Walsh, who is nearly twenty years Brady’s junior. The pair traded the lead throughout the first, with Brady ultimately serving at 20-all. Brady clinched the first game with a kill and a fist-pump that resembled his first game win in the 2012 world championship final. Similar to 2012 world championship final, Brady carried the momentum into the second game, quickly taking an 8-1 lead and seemingly just minutes from the championship. Walsh surged to a 17-13 lead and eventually a second game win, while Brady appeared to suffer a similar leg injury that forced him to retire with a one-game, 16-10 second game lead in the 2024 All Ireland final.
Brady labored through the remainder of the match, taking all of his timeouts and injury timeouts to stretch his leg. Appearing to be on the verge of retirement in several instances, Brady soldiered on, somehow building and maintaining a lead throughout the tiebreaker. Leading 10-7, Brady set up for what appeared to be his patented match-ending right hand kill from just behind the short line but inexplicably missed, giving Walsh a reprieve. Walsh closed the gap to 9-10, but surrendered a side out and a second match point for Brady. Brady ended the match with the shot of the year, possibly the shot of the century, as Walsh punched a Brady return of serve to the ceiling, Brady let the ball just barely touch the back wall at only one foot from the ground and crushed a flat roll out for the match.
“David has been on a great run and you can see why he’s the number one player,” Brady told the GAA in the post-match, on-court interview. “Well, I wanted to push after the first game, I couldn’t keep going as much as I would have liked. I always wanted to be a player that you had to fight to the death to beat me. There was a bit of that today. David had momentum but I had to go for. Thankfully, I had to exercise the ghosts of last year. I am not going to play here anymore.”
Final: Brady def Walsh 21-20, 13-21, 11-9
Women’s Final: McMahon vs. Ni Churraoin
Martina McMahon was ruthless in the first game of the final, undoubtedly inspired by what she considered to be a poor performance in the world championship final in November against Ni Churraoin. McMahon blasted serves and looked to attack the first ball, often with fly kills. McMahon emphatically closed out the first, standing just one game from the coveted title.
Ni Churraoin worked her way into the match in the second, matching McMahon’s power and maintaining scoreboard pressure. McMahon was too strong, ending the match with a left hand kill down the left.
“I suppose I’m delighted to get over the line,” McMahon told GAA Handball following her win. “I suppose I could do nothing wrong in the first game and Ciana was on the back foot from the start. It’s easy to lose the momentum and she showed the poise in the second game. I suppose I relish these moments and they don’t come around too often. When I’m in here I just think ace by ace. Since my back surgery I feel like a cat with nine lives. I owe these victories more to Pat Murphy than myself.”
Final: McMahon def Ni Churraoin 21-5, 21-18
2024/25 GAA Ranking Events
2024 World Championships Men’s Open Champion: Paul Brady
2024 World Championships Women’s Open Champion: Ciana Ni Churraoin
WPH World Championships recap HERE
2024 Golden Gloves Men’s Open Champion: David Walsh
2024 Golden Gloves Women’s Open Champion: Martina McMahon
WPH 2024 GAA Golden Gloves recap HERE
2025 Southern Classic Men’s Open Champion: David Walsh
2025 She’s Ace Women’s Open Champion: Martina McMahon
WPH 2025 Southern Classic/She’s Ace recap HERE
To watch the All Ireland finals matches, go HERE
For more visit GAA Handball HERE
Photos courtesy of GAA Handball
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer