Two Offaly competitors chasing glory in All-Ireland Poc Fada final on Bank Holiday Monday

The annual All-Ireland Poc Fada Final returns to Annaverna on Monday, August 4 in the Cooley Mountains in Louth with two Offaly competitors hoping to take home titles.

Former champion Cillian Kiely of Kilcormac/Killoughey will be one of 12 competing for the Senior Men's title while St Cillian's Siofra Ginty will be one of four competing in the Under 16 Camogie. Both of the big hitters won the Offaly and Leinster titles already this year.

Competitors taking part this year are of the highest calibre, with many holding All-Star Awards, All-Ireland Club and County medals and numerous other accolades.

The modern Poc Fada recreates the legendary journey of Cú Chulainn, who, as the 7-year-old boy Setanta, decided he had waited long enough to become a member of the famous Red Branch Knights of Ulster.

So he set off from his home in Dundalk for the Macra, the Red Branch Knights school in Ard Mhacha (Armagh), some 60km away.

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While crossing the Cooley Mountains, Setanta hit his sliotar far ahead and ran forward to catch it on his hurley stick before it hit the ground.

While today's competitors cannot fully recreate Setanta's mythical feats, they do compete over the same Cooley mountains as Setanta once passed.

The 5km Senior Hurling and 2.5km Senior Camogie and Under-16 courses do provide ample opportunity to practice poc's, as on average the Senior Hurling takes 46 pocs to win.

The modern All-Ireland Poc Fada dates back to 1960 when six boys from Dundalk (Mal Begley, Peter Crilly, Seán McAeney, Jerome McDonagh, Peter Myles and the first ever winner Damien Callan) under the watchful eye of An tAthair Pól Mac Shean, took part in the very first Poc Fada. The first All-Ireland Poc Fada took place the following year in 1961.

READ NEXT: STAT ATTACK: Top scorers and more in the Offaly Senior Hurling Championship →

First sponsored by Martin Donnelly over 25 years ago, the MD Sports myclubshop.ie All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals represent one of the longest-running sponsorships within the GAA & Camogie Association.

Everyone is very welcome to Annaverna on Bank Holiday Monday, so why not make your way to the mountain for 11.00am and make sure to bring the kids, who can meet our hurling heroes.

The full playing order is:

Senior Hurling - 1. Cathal Dillon, Tipperary, 2. Pearce Smyth, Down, 3. Noel Fallon, Roscommon, 4. Sean Og McLaren, Antrim, 5. Killian Phelan, Kilkenny, 6. Cillian Kiely, Offaly, 7. Darren Geoghegan, Louth, 8. Brendan Cummins, Tipperary, 9. Pat Burke, Westmeath, 10. Bobby Douglas, Mayo, 11. Colin Ryan, Limerick, 12. Fionan Mackessy (2024 Champion, Kilkenny).

Senior Camogie - 1. Isobelle McInerney, Clare, 2. Ellen Leech, Antrim, 3. Patricia Coote, Westmeath, 4. Maeve Muldoon, Galway, 5. Sara Louise Graffin, Down, 6. Molly Lynch - 2024 Champion, Cork.

U16 Hurling - 1. Donnacha Collins, Derry, 2. Oran Stratford, Galway, 3. Sean Og O’Regan, Waterford, 4. Conor Raleigh, Westmeath.

U16 Camogie - 1. Siofra Ginty, Offaly, 2. Kayla Garrett, Galway, 3. Saoirse Ryan, Tipperary, 4. Eimear Ward, Antrim.