Hurling on the rise at the Masters
The ancient Irish sport of hurling is presently witnessing a huge rise of popularity in the Four Masters GAA Club in Donegal Town.
Hurling is a game which has prehistoric origins, it has been played for over 3,000 years and is considered to be the world’s fastest field sport.
The development of hurling and camogie within the club has been taking place over the past few years and has seen structures put in place for underage players from Under 8 though-out secondary school level.
As it is the only Club within the locality to play hurling and camogie it attracts players from many other clubs in south Donegal.
The structures put in place have been proving a winning formula, with the various teams competing successfully.
The camogie team recently travelled into the heart of Derry, the home of Na Magha camogie and hurling and they put on a great display.
Winning the game 5-02 against Na Magha who failed to register a single score.
The under 14 hurling squad has made a very impressive start to this years Division B league campaign by maintaining their 100% winning record in the 5 games played to date. The league campaign involves playing home and away fixtures against Dungloe, Letterkenny Gaels, Setanta and Carndonagh and will conclude with the semi-finals and final scheduled to take place on 22nd and 29th May respectively. Following this, the under 14 championship will then commence with the final scheduled to be completed on 12th June.
The Under 14 squad consists of 22 players from the Four Masters, Niamh Brid, St Nauls, Na Cealla Beaga & Naomh Conaill GAA Clubs.
Mark Sweeney, U14 Manager commented, “the manager and mentors are very impressed with how well all the players from the different clubs have bonded and is encouraged by the players attitude to the game and the team spirit that is developing within the squad.”
Under 8 and Under 10 players meanwhile have recently been brought to Convoy to participate in an all-county blitz. The structures being put in place are for overall development of young players and bodes very well for the future.
Laurence Doherty, hurling development officer, commented, “the Academy has been a fantastic contribution and has introduced many young players to our native sport of hurling/camogie. There is certainly quite a lot of progress being made and enthusiasm is a great motivator. We have a fantastic bunch of players and our coaches are very committed to ensuring that children enjoy training and developing new skills”.
In addition to the above, Ulster GAA are hosting the 2014 Feile for both hurling and camogie and our squad will be taking part in this competition against up to 70 teams from all over the island. The Feile will be held between Friday 20th June and Sunday 22nd June. The Four Masters Club have the honour of hosting one of the visiting teams and many local parents have volunteered to be host families.
For further information or to get involved in hurling/camogie in the Club, contact Laurence Doherty on 087 753 2705.