The August Bank Holiday brings with it this year’s GAA Poc Fada, taking place from 12pm this Saturday.
All roads on Saturday lead to Annaverna Mountain, Ravensdale on the Cooley Peninsula, Co. Louth for this year’s national final.
As hurling and camogie hopefuls from senior and junior grades head to the hills, there’s good representation for Carlow and Kilkenny too.
Carlow’s Tracy McNally was crowned the Leinster Poc Fada champion for 2018 in July this year and she takes her place in the senior camogie lineup alongside Fiona Connell (Roscommon), Emily Mangan (Meath), Brianna O’Regan (Waterford), Louise Duggan (Derry) and defending champion Susan Earner (Galway).
The Kilkenny flag will be flown by multiple-time All-Ireland and All-Star winning goalkeeper Eoin Murphy of Glenmore, who is also in the running for this month’s sport star award.
The Senior Hurling Battle
This year’s senior battle will be a hotly contested one with a lot of eyes on previous winner and former Tipperary stopper Brendan Cummins, alongside Kilkenny’s Eoin Murphy and the defending champion Tadhg Haran (Galway)
They’re joined by Paddy McKillian (Tyrone), Anthony Daly (Galway), Mike Flannery (Tipperary), Brian Connaughton (Westmeath), Ruairi McCrickard (Down) and John Chawke (Limerick).
Ronan Byrne (Louth), Declan Molloy (Leitrim) and Cillian Kiely (Offaly) are also in the mix.
Players, fans and officials will start gathering from 11am on the mountain, and here’s how things look for the day.
- 12.00 Senior Hurling Competition begins.
- 12.00 U16 Hurling competitions begins, on Short Course
- 12.20 Senior Camogie competition begins, on Short Course
- 12.30 U16 Camogie begins, on Short Course
- 14:10 U16 Hurling competition concludes
- 14.40 Senior Camogie competition concludes
- 15.00 U16 Camogie competition concludes
- 15.15 U16’s & Senior Camogie presentations
- 15:30 Senior competition concludes
- 15:45 Presentation of trophies.