Waterford is well represented at Feile.

The weekend that three clubs within Waterford has arrived. Two clubs have made their way to Limerick for this years Feile na Gael and if the third Waterford Club has not arrived yet, they wont be too long more behind those that have already arrived.

Feile na nGael is an annual national festival of Hurling, Camogie and Handball for boys and girls under 14 years of age. Feile na nGael is currently sponsored by Bus Eireann and in these tough times it would not be possible to host such an event without such a sponsor. Every year in the region of 25,000 boys and girls take part in this festival in all 32 counties with London and Warwickshire also participating.

Each year a host county is picked and often get a second year to host the competition if all goes well. Each club in that county gets to play in the competition with each of the other participating counties invited to send at least one Hurling, Camogie and Handball.

First staged in 1971since then over one million people have participated in this great festival of hurling, Camogie and Handball, including some of the finest players in each code currently playing the games.

Abbeyside will represent Waterford in Hurling at this years competition. The Abbeyside/Ballinacourty Club last weekend made the long trip to Derry to compete in the football Feile. While they did not make the knockout stages of the competition, the players involved gave a very good account of themselves but will be hoping this weekend to make the knockout stages of the competition.

Abbeyside play their first game this afternoon (Friday July 5) when they take on Limerick side Bruff at their own Club Grounds. Tomorrow, the Village Club have two games, both in Kilmallock. They play the host club at 10am and four hours later they take on Wexford’s representatives Saint Martins.

One club from this group will advance to the semi finals of the competition later in the evening. It is possible that the club that will advance to the semi finals could do so on four points from the six available, but will more than likely will need all six points, but could get away with five if they put up good scores in their two of their games that they win.

Abbeyside play in group two and if they were to advance to the semi finals they would remain in Kilmallock where they would play the winners of group one. The final is fixed for 3pm on Sunday in Kilmallock.

In Camogie, Gaultier will represent Waterford.

 

Some great work has been done in the Barony in recent years to promote the game. Lismore for a long number of years were Waterford’s representatives at this annual event and last year it was De La Salle. The fact that the team that represents Waterford is starting to move around shows the great work done within the county and that more and more clubs are not reaching the heights that Lismore have set.

No doubt, the work in Gaultier has been made a little bit easier as more and more girls from the area see what their own Club person Trish Jackman has achieved. When young players see what players from their club and players that they know achieve it spurs them on to try and achieve the same standard.

Gaultier play their first game this afternoon (Friday) when they take on Kilmallock at the Kilmallock grounds. Tomorrow, the Barony girls have two games, the first against Bruff in Bruff at 10am and at 1-30pm they play Ballycastle.

Gaultier play in group one of division two and if they were to come out on top in that group they would play their semi final on Saturday evening at 6-15pm against the group two winners at Bruff, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final in the Gaelic Grounds at 1pm.

In Handball, the Friary/Abbeyside/Ballinacourty Club are again representing Waterford in this year’s competition.

They are not in action until Saturday when they take on Kingscourt at 11-30am in Ballydesmond and an hour later they play Cullohill at the same venue.

One team from group two of division three of the 40x20 competition where they wil play the winners of group one in the final on Sunday at 10am.

In the past, Friary/Abbeyside/Ballinacourty has also sent a girls team to the competition. I have to admit, I have tried to search if they are competing this year but I cannot find anything. If there is a girl’s team from Waterford travelling to Limerick to compete at Feile, like with Abbeyside, Gaultier and the Friary/Abbeyside/Ballinacourty’s boy’s team, they are wished the very best of luck.

What is known is that nearby Kilworth from North Co Cork have two teams at Feile in the girls handball competition and they too are wished the best of luck.

In the Feile Skill's Competition, Niamh Murphy from De La Salle will represent Waterford in the Camogie Competition while in hurling Shaun Murray from Dungarvan is Waterford's representative.