Traditional demarcation lines of Offaly football and hurling are “blurring” – County Board told

THE traditional demarcation lines in Offaly football and hurling are “blurring”, a meeting of the County Board was told this week.

Planning and Training Officer Joe Cleary referred to the recent Offaly Cumann na mBunscol hurling finals and wins for Boher and Clonmacoise National Schools. Boher, in the Ballycumber area and Clonmacoise, in Shannonbridge, are in the traditional heartland of Offaly football – Clonmacnoise gets some pupils from a predominantly hurling area in Belmont.

Noting that those schools have been beating ones from the hurling strongholds in the south of the county, Mr Cleary stated that he had spoken to teachers involved and being told that many of the players are hurling in the school only and not getting any at club level.

Another football club, Ballinagar also won a Cumann na mBunscol hurling title, though this was in a grade for schools in traditional football areas and Mr Cleary threw the gauntlet down to clubs to examine this trend.

At the moment, this trend has been more noticeable with hurling becoming more popular in football areas – Edenderry and Daingean have fielded U14 hurling teams this year -, though Mr Cleary said there were also good footballers slipping through the net in hurling areas in the south. He maintained that the players were getting hurling in their school but not in their club.

The traditional north-south divide between Offaly hurling and football has been a rather loose line from the Blueball across the county – with most areas south of that in the hurling area and the north in the football end. There have been anomalies with a strong hurling tradition north of it in Tullamore, Ballinamere and Killeigh while there is a hugely important football area in the west of the county across Ferbane, Ballycumber, Doon, Erin Rover, Tubber and Shannombridge.

The Shinrone man also highlighted a growing issue that has been long championed by former Offaly GAA chairman Michael Duignan, whose five year term ended in 2024 – one of the few things that he was rejected on during his reign was proposals to make clubs in big parish amalgamations to field their own teams at Go Games, which cater for players up to U12 level.

Mr Duignan asked clubs to field their own teams at this level but was turned down by some clubs in the parish underage amalgamations – St Vincent's in Daingean parish (Ballycommon, Cappincur, Daingean and Kilclonfert), Na Fianna in Killeigh (Ballinagar, Clodiagh Gaels and Raheen), St Broughan's in Clonbullogue (Bracknagh, Clonmbullogue and Walsh Island) and St Manchan's in Boher parish (Ballycumber, Doon and Erin Rovers) are mammoth amalgamations, catering for a wide area, primarily football.

Mr Duignan made emotive pleas for clubs to give his proposals a chance in recent years, arguing that they were losing players and that their participation rates were low compared to most counties while young players did not have an identity with their own club – playing with the parish teams up to adult level when they were then expected to play with a separate club in their own area.

Mr Cleary touched powerfully on this in a poignant and thought provoking few words when he spoke at the June County Board meeting. “When I looked at the programmes that were brought out, I saw small rural schools fielding twenty boys in finals and maybe a few girls as well. Then I see they are not fielding a team on their own at U12 or 13 level for their club. They are an amalgamation.

“What have we, over forty clubs and we have about fifteen teams at U16 hurling and something similar in football. We are saying that our participation rates are not as high as they should be.”

Pointing out that players playing for a school and not a club was also an issue for camogie, Mr Cleary recalled speaking to a person beside five young girls, asking how many were playing for their local club and being told none of them were.

“They play lots of sports but they are not in their local club. I think the club is falling down there. It is not the girls fault, it is not the schools' fault.”

Noting that the football finals would take place in the next school term, Mr Cleary said he was sure the same problem would emerge of players “not having an opportunity to play with a club”.

He added: “I talked to a principal after one of the finals in Birr and he said, I have good footballers in my club down here but they won't be playing because there is no club there for them. We need to look at this.”

Stating that his role is recruitment and training, Mr Cleary added: “At the end of the day, the most important people we have is our players. I would ask delegates to take this back to their clubs. Club chairpersons and secretaries and treasurers are the key people in their club. If a club chairperson is not really behind starting football in their area, it probably won't happen and vice versa. We will come back to it again when the football is going on but bring it back to your club, put it on the agenda and see what can be done.

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“I am 45/46 years involved in going to Cumann na mBunscol matches, things have changed. This thing of a football area and a hurling area, the lines are blurring there and I think that is a positive thing and that is the message I would like you to bring back to your clubs.”