Wicklow Reach For The Stars Dreaming Of Dubs Upset

Hopes spring eternal for followers of the Blue & Gold - Can Wicklow defy the odds against the grandees of the 'big ball' in Dublin

There’s a familiar buzz building across the Garden County — the kind that only championship football can generate.

This Sunday, all roads lead to Echelon Park in Aughrim, where Wicklow will attempt to pull off one of the great shocks against neighbours and traditional Leinster powerhouses Dublin.

Fresh from a convincing win over Carlow, confidence is quietly growing around Wicklow — and with no confirmed absentees as of Friday morning ahead of their final training session in Ballinakill, Oisín McConville appears to have a full deck to choose from ahead of Saturday evening’s team announcement.

But belief and history are rarely comfortable bedfellows.

The challenge: breaking a century of hurt

Wicklow enter Sunday’s Leinster Championship quarter-final chasing something they have never achieved — a championship victory over Dublin.

Across 15 previous meetings, the Dubs have always found a way through. Recent history makes for sobering reading and yet, this year feels… different.

For the first time in over a decade, Dublin do not arrive as Leinster champions.  Their relegation from Division 1 — just two wins from seven — has raised questions rarely asked of the capital side.

Also it's unclear who will manage them with boss Ger Brennan currently battling a 12-week suspension after an altercation in their League game with Galway.

Wicklow, by contrast, have quietly built something solid. A third-place finish in Division 4 may not scream dominance, but it represents consistency — and crucially, momentum.

Last weekend’s 2-15 to 1-7 dismantling of Carlow was clinical, composed and efficient. Exactly the kind of performance required if they’re to trouble elite opposition.

A win on Sunday would send Wicklow into their first provincial semi-final since 1995 — a drought that has stretched across generations.

Wicklow boss Oisin McConville says the disapointment of the failure to secure promotion in the allianz league was difficult to stomach and he says the panel of players is keen to move on having won in Carlow last weekend,

And, you know, we can't shy away from that. And in fairness, our boys haven't. I suppose the big thing for us is just to try and recover as quickly as you can and try and move on to the next thing. The next thing is the Leinster Championship. Obviously, you know, Carlow was a big game for us away at the weekend. And then, obviously, the same as last year, it doesn't come any bigger than the dubs in Aughrim. And I think most people from Wicklow would agree that even though we were beating the end last year, that, you know, occasion-wise, it was a massive occasion. But hopefully, you know, us as a team, we're over that occasion bit and, you know, we're moving on to try and be much better than we were last year, you know?

The Armagh all-Ireland winner has sympathy for his opposite number Ger Brennan serving his suspension and unavailable 

''I'm sure the Dubs will be coming, you know, as prepared as, as they, as they possibly can, uh, under the circumstances. And it's not easy, you know, losing your manager. It's not easy not having your manager around for a couple of months. And I don't know if the punishment fits the crime in this case, but as I say, I'm sure he'll just take it on the chin and move on.''

He says playing in Aughrim is a great advantage.

''It is on our record. It's been good there a couple of years. Uh, you know, it's definitely stood to us. It's become somewhere where we are very comfortable, obviously, you know, preparation-wise and everything else, travel-wise. So you don't have to worry about any of that. Although, looking at last year, there was a lot more people in Aughrim,than I'd seen before.''

The “Aughrim factor”

There are grounds that host matches — and then there are grounds that shape them.

Aughrim has long held a reputation as a difficult venue, where tight pitches, vocal support and a sense of occasion can tilt the balance.

On Sunday, with a double-header drawing crowds from across the Graden county, that atmosphere will be amplified. 

Echoes of 1989: coincidence or omen?

If Wicklow supporters are searching for signs, they don’t have to look too far.

The parallels to the great group in 1989 are striking:

• Wicklow beat Carlow before facing Dublin
• The scoreline then: 2-14 to 1-7
• The scoreline last week: 2-15 to 1-7

Separated by 37 years — and just a single point.

In that 1989 clash, Wicklow matched Dublin for long stretches but were undone by wastefulness — wides and missed goal chances proving costly.

It’s a lesson Oisín McConville will be drilling into his players: efficiency is everything.

⏳ FLASHBACK FRIDAY: 1989 vs 2026 🔵🟡

Managed by Michael Sargent, Gerry Farrell, and Peter O’Neill, here is the legendary panel that took the fight to the Dubs that day pic.twitter.com/Hi7s9M3h8c

— Official Wicklow GAA (@wicklowgaa) April 17, 2026

So… can Wicklow do it?

Realistically, Dublin remain favourites. Their depth, experience and scoring power still set the benchmark in Leinster.

But the gap may not be what it once was. Because championship shocks don’t come from nowhere. They build quietly… until suddenly, they happen. Before the main event, there’s a full afternoon of action at Echelon Park:

• 12:30pm — Wicklow v Derry (Christy Ring Cup, Round 2)
• 3:00pm — Wicklow v Dublin (Leinster SFC Quarter-Final)

Sunday isn’t just another fixture and if Wicklow are to shock Dublin, there may never be a better time — or place — than Aughrim.

DUBLIN (v Wicklow): Evan Comerford; Eoin Murchan, Nathan Doran, David Byrne; Greg McEneaney, Charlie McMorrow, Eoin Kennedy; Brian Howard, Tom Lahiff; Seán Bugler, Niall Scully, Páidí White; Paddy Small, Killian McGinnis, Con O'Callaghan.

For those who can’t make it to the "Garden County Fortress," Michael Sargent will bring you all the drama, passion, and expert analysis live on East Coast FM.