Pictured Above: The parade of teams ahead of the Hurling Féile hosted at Sean Moore Park – both players and the Club did themselves proud.
Clanns Proudly Hosts Hurling Féile
Further evidence of the great strides which the Clanna Gael Fontenoy club continue to make came in the decision by the authorities in Parnell Park to have the Club host, for the second year running, the Division 4 Hurling Féile – the once-in-a-lifetime tournament for U14s. The inclement weather did not deter players and supporters from turning out in big numbers.
Our own U14 hurlers did themselves and the Club proud. They won all three of their group games with good wins over Parnells, Naomh Fionnbarra and Rialto Gaels. Though all games were played in very difficult wet conditions, play at all times exemplified the good spirit and purpose of this tournament.
By topping their group, Clanns retained home advantage for their semi-final game against Naomh Olafs. They dominated much of that game, especially when they would have been least expected to when playing against a strong wind in the second half.
They built up a deserved 1-2 lead, only to see the Olafs centre back single-handedly rescue his team with two excellent solo runs and goals to claim a two-point win in the end. Notably, Olafs went on to beat Fingallians by three points in the final – a case of what might have been for Clanns!
Still, great credit is due to the players and their mentors on a successful tournament. And considerable credit is due to the wider group of volunteers who worked tirelessly off the field of play to make the Club’s hosting the event such a success.
It’s not just the boys who have been achieving success in Féile competitions. Just the previous week our U14 girls football team successfully came through their group, which included St Patrick’s Donabate, Templeogue Synge Street and Érin Go Bragh. They did very well in reaching the semi-final, only to lose out narrowly in the end.
Pictured Above: The Senior footballers in action against the Garda – they’re going well in Division 3.
While the recent performances of our U14 teams exemplify all that’s good about sporting activity right across the hundreds of youngsters involved in the Juvenile section of the Club, our Senior hurling, camogie and football teams also continue to ‘fly the flag’ with pride and distinction. The footballers, for example, have been giving a good account of themselves in Division 3. At time of writing, they stand in the top half of the table following two good wins against St Sylvesters and Naomh Fionnbarra and two draws with St Judes and the Garda Club; their one defeat was by a mere point to Whitehall Colmcilles in their first league outing.
There’s also been a huge amount of activity off the field of play – including a visit by Dublin footballer Jonney Cooper to make presentations for achievement to our U15 squad. Of course, all of this on and off-field activity would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors: our principal and long-standing sponsors, Dublin Port Company; and Meaghers Pharmacy, who have recently come on board with a support package that also includes very useful information to help educate and raise awareness on important health issues.
By Felix O’Regan
