Local GAA Clubs Preparing for June and Féile Peile na nÓg

Under Currow Skies: Ballyheigue U-14 goalie, Brendan Reidy patroling his patch during a Coiste Na nÓg game against Currow in Currow. ©Photograph: John Reidy 9-4-2008

Féile na nÓg is a GAA club festival for Gaelic football and Ladies Gaelic football at Under 14 level and it involves teams from across the world-wide reach of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The Féile na nGael National tournaments will be held in Kerry, West Limerick and West Cork on the weekend of 24th – 26th June 2016.
Féile provides an opportunity for U-14 players to participate in an annual festival of Hurling/Camogie, Handball and Gaelic Football and Ladies Gaelic football.
Clubs will experience playing against teams from other counties and provinces and will foster links with those clubs and counties.

Opportunity to Celebrate
It also provides the counties with an opportunity to celebrate Gaelic games by acting as hosts.
A core aim of Féile tournaments is to promote a philosophy whereby every player has the opportunity to participate and play in their respective Féile tournament at a level commensurate to their age, skills and strengths.
Local clubs, Castleisland Desmonds in Division 2 will host Mayo with Ballymacelligott A entertaining Meath. In the same division, Firies play host to Laois. In Division 7 Cordal/Scartaglin get Kilkenny while Currow welcome Scotland and Ballymacelligott B will be the host club to a visiting US team from Boston.

Massive Feat of Logistics
This is a massive feat of logistics from the GAA at home and its almost world-wide diaspora as teams from many parts of the world will converge on the host areas of Munster and Ireland on that weekend.

There will be a special edge to the Division 1 games in Killarney as Legion and Dr Crokes have both been drawn in the same division for the bumper Féile na Peil boys’ U-14 tournament.
Joining them in that division will be: Laune Rangers and Austin Stacks as well as Cork clubs: Douglas, Inniscarra, Glanmire and Carrigaline.
As an example of what’s going on here take a look at the arrangement of visiting and host clubs in Division 6: Spa drew Leitrim; Gneeveguilla host Westmeath 2; Ardfert got Wexford 2; Ballyheigue have Tipperary 2; Kerins O’Rahillys host San Francisco; John Mitchels welcome Gloucestershire; Listowel Emmets get Cavan 2 and Knocknagoshel/Brosna welcome Roscommon 2.

Parade of Teams

Of the 16 teams in each division eight host clubs and eight visiting teams are paired together with each division broken into four groups. In that group of four they play each other – two games on the Friday and another on the Saturday. Once the group stages are complete, the teams placed first and second progress to the quarter-finals and its knockout from then. The teams in third and fourth remain in the competition and play a shield quarter-final.
The quarter-finals will take place on the Saturday afternoon and a parade of teams will take place through the streets of Killarney at 7.30pm that evening.
The semi-finals will be on Sunday morning and the finals are on Sunday afternoon.
If you want to find out more about Feile-Peile-Na-nÓg you can do so with a click on the link here: http://www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/getting-involved/feile-peile-na-nog