Cahill's successful visit helps Warrenpoint's hurling cause

By Cian O’Connell

Ultimately, it was a weekend about hurling and learning in Warrenpoint.

All-Ireland winning manager Liam Cahill was a welcome guest and the Tipperary boss made a significant impression in Down. Adult and juvenile players benefited from Cahill’s guidance during sessions on Friday and Saturday.

Keeping the game going is what Warrenpoint are striving to do. A successful underage amalgamation with Newry Shamrocks as Patrick Rankins has been encouraging too in recent years.

Cahill’s visit delighted Warrenpoint’s hurling chairperson Seán Mallon. “Every sport is fighting for a bit of people's time, parents time, the kids time, it is how you promote that,” Mallon explains.

“I think we've promoted it, the past weekend, the best that anybody can promote it. Him agreeing to come up the road, it has absolutely raised the profile.”

Warrenpoint’s adult hurling team face Carryduff in a Down Intermediate semi-final on Sunday. “Having Liam up, and co-incidentally, the weekend he was available was the weekend prior to playing the semi-final, he agreed to take them for a session on the Friday night,” Mallon says.

“He had a chat with our manager, the two boys devised the training session for them. It was unbelievable. Liam just ran the show. The man is amazing.”

Then, the following morning juvenile players, coaches, and parents thoroughly enjoyed Cahill’s company. “He is an absolute gentleman, unbelievable, so down to earth,” Mallon says.

“I picked him up on Saturday morning to bring him to the pitch where we had all of the juveniles out. He went around to every single one of them. We'd upwards of nearly 100 children there, he took time. We knew he had to be in Dublin for early afternoon, but it didn't bother him.

“He was taking his time, photographs with children, family photographs, individual photographs, the man spoke to every group, every individual. It just blew us away; how much time he put into it.

“He was more than obliging, and keen to come up the road. We invited anybody willing to come along to watch the session on Friday night. You'd local managers and coaches, just to see the man in action.”

Cahill had words of wisdom for Patrick Rankins U14 hurlers too. That managerial set-up includes Ronan Sheehan, who manages Down at senior level, and who is a totemic figure for the sport up north. “We asked Ronan and Peadar O'Loughlin to get the message out into the U14s Patrick Rankins group,” Mallon adds.

“He talked them through stuff, it was very inspirational. While it was simple, it really hit home the things he was saying to the boys. It was absolutely brilliant.

“Ronan Sheehan is the Newry man on that side, we had Peadar O'Loughlin, a Kerry man leading the U14s. We have all these different people. We've born and bred Warrenpoint people too, but we've had Cork men, Clare men, and boys from different clubs in the county, too.”

During the past decade, Warrenpoint have planned and plotted for the future. Developing hurlers and an appreciation for the game is crucial. “In 2019, we produced a pathway, a five year plan,” Mallon explains.

“Most of it was based on the Kilkenny and Down pathways. We produced that, writing out our plan, moving forward with hurling in the area. We've U16s right through to U12s, we used to have U14 teams, we won a couple of Division Two and Three Féile's over the years.

“The numbers at the minute, we get to U10 the numbers are good, then by U12 when they go into post primary, the numbers are just dropping. So much so that from U14 on we're now amalgamating with Newry Shamrocks – Patrick Rankins - is what we call it.

“Newry are in the same boat as us with the hurlers. That amalgamation won the Division Three county Féile this year. We're aiming higher, we played Division One U14 and got to the semi-final of the Championship. We think next year that we can push that on.”

So, there is hope. Mallon acknowledges the diligent work of so many, highlighting Tommy Daly’s efforts. “Tommy Daly, a Cork man, he was the inspiration behind the pathway,” Mallon reflects.

“Tom played for Warrenpoint. He was inspirational, he was mad keen to get U6s going. Unfortunately, Tom died a year ago in September. He was out running one night, took a heart attack at 42 years of age.

“He has been a massive, massive loss. He moved to a different part of the county a few years back, he started up a club there, Mourne. He was a big friend of the club, we'd have been talking regularly in WhatsApp groups. Tom has been a big loss.”

In the club, Warrenpoint simply want to improve hurling, to afford further opportunities for young players. “Following the plan, we'd sit down at the end of the year, and we'd review how the teams are going,” Mallon says.

“We put one of our coaches, who'd measure what is happening against the plan. Are we hitting the milestones? He'd have a look. We wouldn't go back saying you missed out, we'd put a little plan out for the next year, to try to bring the coaches with us, without saying you've missed the plan.

“It is something we've looked at, we need to mark our own homework. We're looking at stuff, especially with the coaching. We're looking at schools. The hurling section introduced paying for a coach to go into the primary school two years ago.

“We've a coach that goes in one day a week. We raise money ourselves in the hurling section and the senior club helps too. Just to get that coaching started in the school. Some of the boy’s volunteer to go into the nursery schools, just to get every kid a stick in their hand, as such. Getting into the schools is part of the pathway. We deal very closely with Down and Ulster coaches.”

Collaborating with others is vital, and nuggets of hope can be found. “We've a lot more underage players making the panel and starting team in the last four years than had in the previous 10 years,” Mallon remarks about integrating emerging players into the adult ranks.

“You could have four starting in the team that aren't long out of minor. Ten years ago, you wouldn't have that even though we probably had more numbers underage then. They just weren't following through, maybe going to U16 and dropping off.

“We put a lot of effort in with the juvenile section, and we work with our camogie sisters a lot. We try to keep the U6 and U8 hurling and camogie together. We've found that is brilliant. At that level, it is more about fun and games. Even at U8 we pair them up.”

A hurling and camogie summer camp is staged on the first week of July every year. There is purpose and passion attached. Similar to Cahill’s approach with Tipperary. “We train at St Mark's on a Friday night from U6 to U12, if you're there the place is full with hurlers and camógs,” Mallon says.

“It is a brilliant sight to see on a summer evening. It is unreal.”