Kealan Walsh, New York GAA, during the 2019 Hurling Native Born tournament game against NCGAA, USA, at the Renault GAA World Games in Waterford.
By Cian O’Connell
The 2023 Connacht Hurling League includes New York, who will be involved in the competition at the University of Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome in January.
Significant work has been carried out in the west preparing for the tournament with Connacht GAA secretary John Prenty helping to facilitate the new approach.
Connacht GAA provincial hurling games manager Damien Coleman is delighted with the initiative as Longford are also set to participate alongside a Galway development squad, Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo, and Mayo.
“It is an idea that has come through the Coiste Iomana committee in Connacht, the chairman is Anthony Flaherty from Roscommon,” Coleman explains about New York’s trip to Ireland.
“We always had the Connacht Hurling League as a pre-season competition. Then on a given year, if some of the counties were unavailable, it was hard to run it. So this is the first year in a while with a bit of thinking outside of the box.
“We have the five Connacht counties involved with a Galway development squad. You have stipulations about the make-up of that Galway development squad, it has to be picked from non panellists from U20 or adult senior, and they have to come from junior or intermediate clubs.
“Anyone on a Galway development panel that hasn't previously played is fitting in there. So you have the five Connacht counties joined up for the first time in years in the competition.”
Shane Kenny, Jeddy Ryan, Liam Spillane, and Tomás Mathers, celebrate after winning the Division 4 Plate Final at the John West Féile na nGael National Camogie and Hurling Finals at Boardsmill GAA Club in Meath earlier this year.
Connacht GAA has strong links with New York. “The addition of New York will be a massive draw,” Coleman adds. “We do a lot of work in hurling development in New York, we go twice a year there to support the structures.
“There is a full-time member of staff on the ground now there - Eamonn Fitzgerald - from Kerry. Simon Gillespie is the games manager too over there, he is from Donegal.
“So we have worked a lot with the youth structures and child structures over the years. We are trying to grow that into the adults now. We were thinking what could we do for an U17 or an adult group. The adult group fits in here neatly into the Connacht hurling league.
“Then to bring in Longford too means it is an exciting event that will be run over three days - the first week of January on the 2nd, 4th, and 7th of January.”
The fact that New York’s panel features a number of homegrown players is important according to Coleman. “When we are over there we take sessions with their senior hurlers, at the minute 36 guys are turning up regularly to train for this,” Coleman says.
“We have set up something in Connacht GAA that gives ambition to hurling in New York because there is an incentive.
“They have something meaningful to aim at, purposeful games at ability level. So there are a number of players that are homegrown, second and third generation Irish. That is marvellous to see.”
Damien Coleman, Connacht GAA provincial hurling games manager, is delighted that New York will be involved in the competition.
Adamant about the relevance of the Táin Óg and Cú Chulainn hurling leagues, Coleman is encouraged about progress being made.
“The Connacht hurling counties are boxing well above their weight on a national level in games development,” Coleman says. “Leitrim have been contesting and winning the Lory Meagher, Sligo are the most progressive and productive hurling force in any province in the country.
“They have went from Nickey Rackard through to the last four in the Christy Ring, they are hurling at an ability level that a few years ago you'd never say Sligo would have been able to reach. There is a massive amount of good work done in those two counties.
“Mayo, again this year, were in the Christy Ring final, they have won Nickey Rackards before that, they are contesting at a high level at their own ability level. Roscommon were in the final of the Nickey Rackard this year.”
The way in which the Connacht counties are competing in the Lory Meagher, Nickey Rackard, and Christy Ring Cups is a source of optimism for Coleman.
“These counties, any competition nationally that is put in front of them, they are equal to,” he adds. “You would have to be very proud with what is achieved there nice and quietly in a Connacht hurling context.
“When you think of Connacht hurling everybody talks about Galway, but look back at what Mayo are doing and have achieved, Sligo, Roscommon, and Leitrim too. At their own ability levels they are boxing well in their respective divisions.”
