GAA on TV: Which Championship games are on TV and where can I watch them?
This weekend sees the provincial championship season start to heat up, with four semi-finals to play out across Ulster and Leinster.The action starts on Saturday evening, when Monaghan take on Derry in the first Ulster SFC semi-final of the weekend.The Farneymen are hoping to make their first Ulster final since 2021, when they lost to eventual All-Ireland champions Tyrone.Ciarán Meenagh’s Oak Leafers have waited a little less, last making the showpiece in 2023, winning the Anglo-Celt Cup against Armagh on penalties.The now-Derry manager was involved that day in the backroom team, so he knows that this group of players can perform on that stage again.This semi-final will take place at Armagh’s BOX-IT Athletic Ground, with throw-in scheduled for 5pm.Fans are able to watch this clash of titans on the GAA+ streaming service.Next up, the Leinster Senior Football Championship comes into focus, with holders Louth taking on Dublin for a place in the provincial final to play either Kildare or Westmeath.Dublin suffered relegation to Division Two in the National Football League this season and will be without manager Ger Brennan, who is serving a 12-week ban for an altercation with Galway S&C coach Breathnach McGinn on the last day of the campaign.Louth will look to complete a feat that they have not accomplished in 116 years: retain the Leinster championship title.The game will take place at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise, with throw-in set to take place at 7pm.This match-up will also be available for fans to watch on the GAA+ streaming service.On Sunday, fans have a choice of how to start the day of GAA action off, with RTÉ’s The Sunday Game beginning a double-header with Limerick’s trip to Clare in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship, or the second Leinster SFC semi-final.The round-robin game between the Banner and the Treaty will see the outliers of this year’s Munster race take on the favourites for the provincial and All-Ireland titles.Fans can tune into this heavyweight clash of the ash on RTÉ2, with throw-in set for 2pm.However, for Ulster football(more specifically Down and Cavan) fans, the Leinster SFC semi-final between Kildare and Westmeath may be worth watching.The Lilywhites and the Lake County face off at O’Connor Park in Tullamore for the right to play either Dublin or Louth at Croke Park in the Leinster final.Should Westmeath win, then that could see Cavan or Down doomed to the Tailteann Cup this season, depending on the last game of the day.This fixture will be the third and final game available on the GAA+ streaming service, with throw-in also scheduled for 2pm.Which brings us back up to Ulster, and where better to end the day than in Clones, at St Tiernach’s Park, where Armagh take on Down in a potential do-or-die tie for the Mournemen.After shocking the Championship by beating reigning Ulster Champions Donegal, Conor Laverty’s Down know that the only way they can guarantee their place in the All-Ireland series this season is to shock last year’s Ulster finalists, Armagh and make the Ulster final.By the time throw-in comes around, they will know what they need to know, but they will no doubt be going into this game and trying to keep the ball rolling and produce another giant-killing for their fans.This game will be the second part of The Sunday Game’s double-header and will also be available for fans in the north to watch on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.Throw-in for this second Ulster final-four fixture is due to take place at 4pm.This weekend’s full GAA TV ScheduleSaturday, May 2Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipMonaghan v Derry (BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh, 5pm) - GAA+Leinster Senior Football ChampionshipDublin v Louth (Laois Hire O’Moore Park, Portlaoise, 7pm) - GAA+Sunday May 3Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipClare v Limerick (Zimmer Biomet Pairc Chíosóg, Ennis, 2pm) - RTÉ2Leinster Senior Football ChampionshipWestmeath v Kildare (Glensik O’Connor Park, Tullamore, 2pm) - GAA+Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipArmagh v Down (St Tiernach’s Park, Clones, 4pm) - RTÉ2, BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website
