Visitors flock as Offaly helps to host Féile Peil na nOg

Some 24 Offaly teams are this weekend taking part in Féile Peil na n"g, the national festival of under age Gaelic Football being hosted in Laois and Offaly. Over the weekend of June 22 to 24, seventy six visiting teams will be hosted by local clubs with approximately 4,000 boys and girls taking part in 268 matches over the weekend. Today (Friday) some 76 matches will take place before teams proceed to O'Moore Park, Portlaoise for the Féile Parade through the streets of Portlaoise where a crowd of approximately 10,000 is expected to attend. On Saturday games commence at 10am in 38 venues to decide the semi finalists to play off on Saturday evening for the right to compete in the Féile finals on Sunday 24th June at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise and Portlaoise GAA Grounds. A total of ten finals take place during the day with the presentations to be made by Uachtaran Cumann Luthchleas Gael Liam O'Neill and Uachtaran Cumann Peil na mBan Pat Quill. The visiting clubs to Féile Peil na n"g include some famous names including current Dublin senior champions St. Brigid's led by former Dublin star Keith Barr, current AFL and Kerry All Ireland medallist Tommy Walsh's club Kerins O'Rahilly's and St. Canice's Dungiven, home club of Joe Brolly Sunday Game analyst all competing in Division One of the boys competition with local clubs like Ferbane/Belmont, Clara and Edenderry. In Division Two Skryne from Meath, Burren from County Down, Castlebar Mitchells with whom the Taoiseach has a strong association and Kilmacud Crokes come up against home clubs St Vincent's, Kilcormac/Killoughey, Shamrocks and Ballinamere/Durrow. Looking through the remainder of the divisions names like Castlehaven (Niall Cahalane, Larry Tompkins), Newtown Blues (Louth) and Eire Og (Carlow) join local clubs like Tullamore, Rhode and Gracefield with some close and exciting competition expected as well as lots of enjoyment. In Ladies football the competition will be close also with Foxrock Cabinteely, Dublin joined in Division One by last year's finalist St. Val's from Cork, Monaleen from Limerick, Rathmore (Kerry), St. Laurence's (Kildare), Westport (Mayo), Kilmurray Ibrickane (Clare) and Galway champions Claregalway competing with local clubs including St. Rynagh's and Tullamore. In total there are thirteen overseas entries as well as representatives from each of the 32 counties. The overseas counties are New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, Hertfordshire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire, London, Lancashire, Gloustershire and Scotland. In the case of London there will be boys teams from both North and South London while London and New York will field teams in both the boys and ladies competitions.