By John Harrington

Between 2018 and 2021, the Sligo senior hurlers won four national titles.

In 2018 they were Lory Meagher Cup champions and the following year claimed the Nickey Rackard Cup.

In 2020 they won Division 3B of the Allianz Hurling League and then the following year were crowned Division 3A champions.

According to Connacht GAA Games Promotion Officer Darragh Cox who himself played for Sligo with distinction for many years, this sustained burst of success is no happy accident.

“You can really trace it back to the early days of the Celtic Challenge,” Cox told GAA.ie

“If you go through the Sligo team of the last couple of years that has won the Lory Meagher title in Croke Park and then followed it up with the Nickey Rackard title and has also won two national league titles, I would suggest that up to 70 or 80 per cent of that team played Celtic Challenge for Sligo.

“That put a proper structure in place for the first time for young fellas to come into an inter-county set-up, see what it was like, and raise the standards. Also in terms of developing coaches, it brought that a little step up from club to a different kind of set-up.

“The opportunities and prestige that gave to hurlers in Sligo was ultimately what kept them in the game, what kept the best players playing and ultimately helped us produce teams that were able to be competitive on the national stage.”

Games Promotion Officers like Cox and club coaches working in the developing counties will consistently tell you that what’s needed to grow the game are more meaningful, competitive matches.

Since it was established in 2016, that’s what the Electric Ireland Celtic Challenge has provided for U-17 county hurlers.

This year 38 teams from 30 counties will compete initially in group stages which will then be followed by graded knock-out rounds to give every team an opportunity to compete at their own level.

For the best hurlers from developing counties like Sligo, this opportunity to play a significant number of matches together as a panel is priceless.

“Even back in my own playing days I remember there was a token fixture maybe at minor level just to say there was a game played or to say you were given a chance,” says Cox.

“It was always straight knock-out, it was always a case of the team really being put together the week beforehand. No structure to it at all whatsoever. Very hard to convince people that it was something worthwhile and something worth investing time and energy in to.

“For parents in particular at that age-group it's very hard to convince people that it was something to aspire to. The Celtic Challenge changed all of that. It put structures in places there was never structures before. But, most importantly, it gave a number of fixtures as opposed to one knock-out game and that was crucially important.

“Because even if you played five games and lost all five, it's still five games that generations before never got.

“The amount of learning that was done, the amount of resilience that was built up in ways, and the amount of enjoyment, friendship, spirit, that was galvanised through keeping that group together and playing the games, you can't quantify that and the results are great.

“When you're on the ground working like I am you can see the effect that it has. It's been nothing but positive to the four counties outside of Galway in Connacht. All four have really, really benefited from it.”

After the group phase the Celtic Challenge funnels into six knock-out cup competitions. Last year Sligo won the Michael Feery Cup, just like they did in 2018.

The experience of winning silverware at this age is money in the bank for Sligo hurling, because Cox knows it means a greater number of the players involved will continue to commit to the game into the adult grade.

“It's been such a strong link,” he said. “Because there is quite a jump from U-17 to senior level. There's always been a traditional drop off rate and there always will be. There's only so much you can do to try to counter-act that. But one thing you can definitely do is build those friendships and build those bonds between players.

“Players want to play because their friends are playing. The people they've grown up with, the people they've shared great experiences with are still involved and they want to stay involved for those reasons.

“The group last year in Sligo that won the Michael Feery Cup were the strongest knitted group I've seen at Celtic Challenge level. A lot of the coaches that have been involved with them have been involved with them in development squads since U-13 level.

“You try to create a good environment for these players and the coaches have done that but you also try to have a little bit of consistency and a little bit of familiarity.

“I would look at last year's victory as a culmination of four or five years work with those players. But, of course, that has to start again. You can't focus on one group, there has to be a cycle coming through every year.

“Down the road then you start to see the conveyor belt of players that are coming through of a standard to compete at senior inter-county level.”

Sligo hurling was given another boost earlier this year when Easkey reached the AIB All-Ireland Club Junior Hurling Final.

Achievements like that, success in the Celtic Challenge, and the glut of silverware won by the county senior hurlers in recent years have done wonders for the profile of hurling in the county.

Now a new generation of players are growing up wanting to play hurling because it’s associated with success and they’ve no shortage of visible role-models to look up to.

Absolutely, you can see it when I'm working in national schools,” says Cox. “We had a couple of great days bringing the Meagher and Rackard trophies around.

“Last year when we won the Michael Feery Cup in the Celtic Challenge a number of players brought it around to their former national schools. They went in and visited the kids and the kids got their photos taken, got to lift the cup, got to be part of it and enjoy it. That can't help but inspire them.

“Whatever sport you want to excel in, when you have role-models to aspire to it's only positive for the whole county. When I work now with younger hurlers at development squad level and you talk to them about the Celtic Challenge they know straight away what you're talking about.

“Previously you could talk to younger footballers about a Connacht minor or senior championship and instantly there's a connection with them because their parents have brought them along.

“We're now getting that connection with Celtic Challenge. We're able to talk to kids and say look where these lads have gotten to and wouldn't it be great to get there yourself.”

For decades the story of hurling has been one of haves and have nots, the ‘traditional powers’ and ‘the weaker counties’, with the latter usually after-thoughts.

One of the huge positives of a competition like the Celtic Challenge is that it gives the developing counties a chance to test themselves against those ‘traditional powers’, and in doing so feel a more visible and valued member of the hurling family.

“This year Sligo play the likes of Antrim and Offaly and Armagh are also in their group, so you're talking about a broad spectrum of clubs from traditional hurling counties right down to development hurling counties,” says Cox.

“It makes you feel like you're part of that family as opposed to being, well, this where you stay and this is where everyone else plays, and there being a chasm between them.”