Eight Waterford Clubs in Feile Action this weekend.

Féile na nGael is the annual tournament comprising of Hurling, Camogie and Handball.

Each year, the best teams all around the country meet up and compete over one weekend, where the aim of the competition is to bond communities from different parts of the country and forge ne friendships.

The competition hosts approximately 25,000 boys and girls each year with all 32 counties represented along with teams from the United Kingdom.  

Féile na nGael was first held in 1971 in Tipperary and since then has grown each year and is played each year in late June, in a different areas, with counties usually getting two years in a row to host the competition, however in latter years counties have only got the competition once as a bid is made to move the competition to as many areas of the country as is possible.

This year’s competition takes place this coming weekend. No one county will host the competition this year as the main competition has been awarded to Ulster while under 14 sides from around Ireland will compete at regional competitions in Thurles, Waterford, Portlaoise, Kilkenny, Mallow and Rathkeale.

The wisdom or otherwise of splitting the competition up remains to be seen, and we should know early next week if the new format has worked or not. Personally, I have my doubts, as no longer are the best teams (i.e. the teams that won the county competitions) going to the National Competition.

Waterford have two teams going to Ulster this weekend in Hurling heading north. Waterford will have one team involved at the regional Féile’s at Thurles, Carriganore, Portlaoise and Mallow while two teams will make the journey to Kilkenny.

Abbeyside won this year’s Western and County Feile Final’s. They will play in Thurles. Mount Sion who were beaten in the County Féile Final will play in Carriganore. Sacred Heart and Ardmore who contested the County ‘B’ Final will head to Ulster, while De La Salle will play at Portlaoise, Lismore make the short enough trip to Mallow while Ballygunner and Saint Oliver’s have to make the journey to Kilkenny.

In Camogie, Gaultier will be looking to repeat what they did last year in Limerick when they travel to Ulster and they will be joined on the trip north by De La Salle.

In Handball, the Friary Club in Abbeyside will also make the long journey to compete.

Sacred Heart will compete in Division two in Ulster. They are drawn in Group A, along with Naomh Eoin and Saint Gall’s from Antrim and Abbeydorney from Kerry.

The city outfit will have their first game on Friday afternoon when they play Saint Gall’s. They have two games on Saturday morning and later in the afternoon they will have a Cup or Plate Quarter Final game, depending on where they finish in the table. The top two teams in the group will contest the Cup Quarter Finals and the bottom two the plate quarter finals.

The semi finals which up to now were played on a Saturday evening will now be played on the Sunday morning with the final played later in the afternoon.

Sacred Heart Fixtures:

Sacred Heart V Saint Galls on Friday at 2pm in Saint Galls.

Sacred Heart V Naomh Eoin on Saturday at 11am in Saint Galls.

Sacred Heart V Abbeydorney on Saturday at 12 noon in Saint Galls.

Should Sacred Heart finish in the top two of the group their Cup quarter final will be at 3pm in Saint Galls.  If they finish in the bottom two positions their plate quarter final will be at the same venue at 4pm.

If Sacred Heart comes through a quarter final they are in action on Sunday morning. The Cup semi final will be in Ballinascreen at noon with the plate semi final fixed for the same venue an hour earlier. The final of the competition will be in Owenbeg at 3pm, preceded by the plate final an hour earlier.

Ardmore play in Division four and will be based in Armagh. They have their games planned for the same times as Sacred Heart and will play Derrynoose and Cuchulainns from Armagh and Corofin from Clare.

Ardmore Fixtures:

Ardmore V Derrynoose on Friday at 2pm in Saint Galls.

Ardmore V Cuchulainns on Saturday at 11am in Saint Galls.

Ardmore V Corofin on Saturday at 12 noon in Saint Galls.

Should Ardmore finish in the top two of the group their Cup quarter final will be at 3pm in St. Teresa’s.  If they finish in the bottom two positions their plate quarter final will be at the same venue at 4pm.

The semi finals of the Plate and Cup Competitions are fixed for Sunday Morning at Dungannon starting at 11am and 12 noon respectfully with the final’s of both competitions fixed for Garvaghey at 2 and 3pm.

For Abbeyside in their regional Feile Games it’s the familiar journey to Thurles where they will have two games at Dr. Morris Park.

They are drawn in group two and will play Sixmilebridge from Clare at 11-30am and an hour later they play Garryspillane from Limerick.

The top two teams in the group will advance to semi finals later in the day which are fixed for Dr. Morris Park. Should Abbeyside win their group they will play at 3-15pm and if they finish second in the group their semi final will be at 2-30pm.

If Abbeyside win their group and reach the final, it will be played in Semple Stadium at 4-30pm while the plate final for teams that finish second in the groups will be played in Thurles Sarsfields an hour earlier.

Ballygunner have their group games at Thomastown. Their first game is at 11-30am where they will play Na Fianna from Dublin. At 12-30pm it’s a south-east derby as Rathnure from Wexford provide the opposition and the final round of games in the group stages see Ballygunner take on the host club at 1-30pm.

Saint Oliver’s will have their group games at the Erin’s Own Club. There first game is against the host club at 11-30pm. An hour later Blackrock from Cork provide the opposition and at 1-30pm it a clash between Adare and Saint Oliver’s.

The two group winners from the games played in Kilkenny will clash in the final at 3-30pm.

As with the games in Kilkenny, there are just two groups in Portlaoise.

De La Salle are in group one and have their first game at 11-30 when they take on Rathdowney/Erril from Laois. An hour later there is a South-East derby when De La Salle take on James Stephen’s from Kilkenny and they have their final group game at 1-30pm when they play Clarecastle from Clare.

The group A and B winners will meet in the final at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise in the final at 2-45pm.

At Carriganore there are two groups of four with the top team from each group contesting the final.

Mount Sion has their first game in Group One when they play Clarinbridge from Galway. At 12-30 Mount Sion play Limerick side Patrickswell and an hour later it is Patrickswell from Limerick that will provide the opposition for the Monastery Men.

The two group winners play in the final at 2-45pm.

In Mallow, Saint Carthages are Waterford’s representatives. They are in a group along with Bride Rovers from Cork and Nenagh from Tipperary. Twelve teams will take part split into four groups of three with the top team from each group contesting the semi finals.

Saint Carthages have their first game at 11-30pm when they play Nenagh and at 12-30pm they play Bride Rovers.

The semi finals are fixed for 1-30pm with the final taking place an hour later.

Fixtures for Divisional Feile

At Thurles:

Group One

Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Dicksboro	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	11.30
Round 1	Midleton	Athenry	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	11.30
Round 2	Midleton	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	12.30
Round 2	Athenry	Dicksboro	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	12.30
Round 3	Athenry	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	1.30
Round 3	Midleton	Dicksboro	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	1.30

Group Two

Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Garryspillane	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	11.30
Round 1	Sixmilebridge	Waterford	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	11.30
Round 2	Sixmilebridge	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	12.30
Round 2	Garryspillane	Waterford	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	12.30
Round 3	Waterford	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	1.30
Round 3	Sixmilebridge	Garryspillane	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	1.30

Group Three

Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Kilmacud Crokes	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	11.30
Round 1	Moyle Rovers	Naomh Eanna	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	11.30
Round 2	Moyle Rovers	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	12.30
Round 2	Naomh Eanna	Kilmacud Crokes	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	12.30
Round 3	Naomh Eanna	BYE	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	1.30
Round 3	Moyle Rovers	Kilmacud Crokes	Dr Morris Park Pitch 3	1.30

Group Four

Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Inagh Kilnamona	BYE	Moycarkey Borris	11.30
Round 1	O'Loughlin Gaels, Kilkenny	Moycarkey Borris	Moycarkey Borris	11.30
Round 2	O'Loughlin Gaels, Kilkenny	BYE	Moycarkey Borris	12.30
Round 2	Moycarkey Borris	Inagh Kilnamona	Moycarkey Borris	12.30
Round 3	Moycarkey Borris	BYE	Moycarkey Borris	1.30
Round 3	O'Loughlin Gaels, Kilkenny	Inagh Kilnamona	Moycarkey Borris	1.30

Semi Finals

Semi Final	1st Group 1	1st Group 2	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	3.15
Semi Final	1st Group 3	1st Group 4	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	3.15
Final	Winner Semi Final 1	Winner Semi Final 2	Semple Stadium	4.30

Semi Finals

Semi Final	2nd Group 1	2nd Group 2	Dr Morris Park Pitch 1	2.30
Semi Final	2nd Group 3	2nd Group 4	Dr Morris Park Pitch 2	2.30
Final	Winner Semi Final 1	Winner Semi Final 2	Thurles Sarsfields	3.30

At Kilkenny

Group 1
Round	Team 1		Team 2		Venue		Time
Round 1	Ballygunner, Waterford		Na Fianna, Dublin		Thomastown		11.30
Round 1	Thomastown, Kilkenny		Rathnure, Wexford		Thomastown		11.30
Round 2	Rathnure, Wexford		Ballygunner, Waterford		Thomastown		12.30
Round 2	Na Fianna, Dublin		Thomastown, Kilkenny		Thomastown		12.30
Round 3	Na Fianna, Dublin		Rathnure, Wexford		Thomastown		1.30
Round 3	Thomastown, Kilkenny		Ballygunner, Waterford		Thomastown		1.30
Group 2
Round		Team 1	Team 2	Venue		Time
Round 1		Blackrock, Cork	Adare, Limerick	Erins Own		11.30
Round 1		Erins Own, Kilkenny	St Olivers, Waterford	Erins Own		11.30
Round 2		St Olivers, Waterford	Blackrock, Cork	Erins Own		12.30
Round 2		Adare, Limerick	Erins Own, Kilkenny	Erins Own		12.30
Round 3		Adare, Limerick	St Olivers, Waterford	Erins Own		1.30
Round 3		Erins Own, Kilkenny	Blackrock, Cork	Erins Own		1.30
Final		Winner Group 1	Winner Group 2	Nowlan Park		3.30

At Portlaoise

Group 1
Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	James Stephens, Kilkenny	Clarecastle, Clare	Portlaoise GAA Club	11.30
Round 1	Rathdowney/Erril, Laois	De La Salle, Waterford	Portlaoise GAA Club	11.30
Round 2	De La Salle, Waterford	James Stephens, Kilkenny	Portlaoise GAA Club	12.30
Round 2	Clarecastle, Clare	Rathdowney/Erril, Laois	Portlaoise GAA Club	12.30
Round 3	Clarecastle, Clare	De La Salle, Waterford	Portlaoise GAA Club	1.30
Round 3	Rathdowney/Erril, Laois	James Stephens, Kilkenny	Portlaoise GAA Club	1.30
Group 2
Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Liam Mellows, Galway	Ballyboden St Enda's Dublin	Portlaoise GAA Club	11.30
Round 1	Bishopstown, Cork	Faythe Harriers, Wexford	Portlaoise GAA Club	11.30
Round 2	Faythe Harriers, Wexford	Liam Mellows, Galway	Portlaoise GAA Club	12.30
Round 2	Ballyboden St Enda's Dublin	Bishopstown, Cork	Portlaoise GAA Club	12.30
Round 3	Ballyboden St Enda's Dublin	Faythe Harriers, Wexford	Portlaoise GAA Club	1.30
Round 3	Bishopstown, Cork	Liam Mellows, Galway	Portlaoise GAA Club	1.30
Final	Winner Group 1	Winner Group 2	O'Moore Park, Portlaoise	2.45

At Carriganore

Group 1
Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Sarsfields	Patrickswell	Carriganore	11.30
Round 1	Waterford	Clarinbridge	Carriganore	11.30
Round 2	Clarinbridge	Sarsfields	Carriganore	12.30
Round 2	Patrickswell	Waterford	Carriganore	12.30
Round 3	Patrickswell	Clarinbridge	Carriganore	1.30
Round 3	Waterford	Sarsfields	Carriganore	1.30
Group 2
Round	Team 1	Team 2	Venue	Time
Round 1	Toomevara	Whitehall Colmcilles	Carriganore	11.30
Round 1	Oulart the Ballagh	Douglas	Carriganore	11.30
Round 2	Douglas	Toomevara	Carriganore	12.30
Round 2	Whitehall Colmcilles	Oulart the Ballagh	Carriganore	12.30
Round 3	Whitehall Colmcilles	Douglas	Carriganore	1.30
Round 3	Oulart the Ballagh	Toomevara	Carriganore	1.30
Final	Winner Group 1	Winner Group 2	Carriganore	2.45

At Mallow

Team	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
A	Mallow	Bride Rovers	Valley Rovers	Erins Own
B	Durlas Óg	Nenagh	Silvermines	Ballingarry
C	Aghada	St Carthages	Cobh	Arravale Rovers
10.30am	A	V	B
11.30am	B	V	C
12.30pm	A	V	C
Semi Finals 1.30pm	Winners Group 1	V	Winners Group 2
	Winners Group 1	V	Winners Group 1
Final 2.30pm

At Rathkeale

Team	Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
A	Mungret	Ahane	Monaleen	Ballybrown
B	St Josephs	Ballyduff	Clonlara	Tralee Parnells
C	Glen Rovers	St Finbarrs	Blarney	Fermoy
10.30am	A	V	B
11.30am	B	V	C
12.30pm	A	V	C
Semi Finals 1.30pm	Winners Group 1	V	Winners Group 2
	Winners Group 1	V	Winners Group 1
Final 2.30pm