Erin's Own Castlecomer's remarkable success shows the magic of Féile

By Martin Fogarty

In sport there are always stand out moments. Special occasions you get a great kick out of, or where you can’t help having a tear in your eye and marvelling at what you've watched regardless of loyalties.

For me some of these occasions have been: Offaly’s first All-Ireland win in 1981, Clare in 1995, Wexford in 1996, Waterford’s U21 win in 1992, Stephen Roche’s Tour de France win, Sean Kelly’s world championship, Barry McGuigan’s world title, Eamon Coughlan’s gold medal in 1983.

And, of course, the most recent moment of magic, Mayo’s All-Ireland win a few weeks ago.

I could go on and on but a few weeks ago that list got a new entry, one that I was so proud of and one that really blew me away for the achievement itself but also for the number of myths, beliefs, policies, practices, tactics, systems, expert opinions and much more that it absolutely blew out of the water.

I spent five of the most enjoyable years of my life working for the GAA as National Hurling Development manager. During that time I visited clubs in every county in Ireland promoting hurling & camogie (even though camogie was not my remit I always believed both games to be equal and deserving equality) to the best of my ability. I focused most of my efforts in the weaker counties and was humbled, enthused and amazed in equal measures by the experience. I met the best of people, salt of the earth people working at the real coalface of the GAA. I came across every conceivable problem that clubs have and heard all the expert opinions as to how everything should be done or not done.

The Miracle

My own club Erin’s Own Castlecomer winning the 2026 Division 1 Féile. You might ask what was so special about that.

Our girls qualified for Féile this year for the first time ever. The club is only in existence for ten years so to qualify from Kilkenny was an outstanding achievement in itself. We have been trying to qualify in hurling since Féile’s inception in 1971 but never managed to do so.

I have no involvement in the camogie side of things other than a keen interest, some of my good friends having been responsible for setting up the club and a scattering of past pupils now playing, so I rocked up to Portlaoise that Saturday morning to enjoy and take in the wonderful occasion.

I have come across all the ‘expert’ views on how to win, high performance, best practice, preparation, systems, game plans...our girls ticked none of those boxes.

I have also come across, many times, various club rules and views on issues such as ‘Parents being allowed or not allowed to be involved with teams where their own children are part of the squad’, and, ‘playing/not playing players out of their own age grade’.

These issues cause carnage in some clubs, generally due to people with no integrity favouring their own children and resulting in clubs tying themselves up in knots by making rules that often cause more problems than they solve, throwing the baby out with the bathwater so to speak.

The Village.

When I entered the splendid facilities in Portlaoise my eye was immediately taken by the 'Tented Village', the crowds and the rows of buses. It was like a mini version of the Olympic Village. I strolled up and down looking at the various banners over each team's 'base' and this was where the fun began. Some were substantial tents or mini marquees. At least one had flooring in place. I do not want to be scathing or negative and I fully understand the saying ‘Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail’ and the mentality of turning every stone. Yes, the day could have been very wet and 26 players seeking shelter under the one canvas could cause a lot of mud but the stand in O’ Moore Park was available.

Next I noticed the array of food or, should I say, nutrition, spread out on fold-up tables like a food market in a tourist city. The selection of food was impressive. I passed several players throughout the day sucking on various sachets of power gels and chewing energy bars which one usually associates with Iron-Man competitions, marathons and such endurance events. Containers of various ‘shakes’ and recovery concoctions were the norm also, with the simple bottle of water definitely being ‘old school’.

The variety was incredible. Most tents had at least one ‘Physio Bench’ in place; some had two, with cold boxes of ice underneath. As the day wore on there were queues for these benches with great slapping of weary muscles and the old familiar aroma of ‘wintergreen’ filling the air. I noticed a few collapsible or blow up ice baths and wondered how they were filled.

My mind went back to years ago when ice-baths became fashionable and the difficulty of filling them at various venues. The kit man had to bring a garden hose and a variety of connectors to fit the various taps. I don’t think there was a tap in the O’Moore Park dressing rooms so there was no point bringing the baths to Portlaoise.

The Tent

Eventually I found the Erin’s Own tent. Oh dear oh dear! Fair play to whoever brought it and set it up and for even thinking of it as it was the club’s first experience of Féile. No disrespect but I think the last time I saw the same tent it was being held up on four poles by the parishes’ most reverend to cover the Parish Priest as he walked down the street in the Corpus Christi procession. I joke somewhat, but in comparison to many of the ‘Modular Homes’ erected for the occasion, ours was somewhat humble, but it did the job.

I think the girls brought their own sandwiches and rolls which was spot on so there was no need for the fold-up tables, though I did notice the old school slices of oranges being passed around with plenty of cakes & buns and other such lovely treats.

There was no physio bench either (or no physio) so maybe the little canopy was plenty big enough after all. Between matches I met a few past pupils (players) passing back from the shop. One was sucking a lolly pop, another licking an ice cream, while a third had a lovely hot dog. Brilliant, sure that’s what Féile is all about and the girls were there to enjoy the day.

The Background

At this point I must give a bit of background. Erin’s Own camogie was established just ten years ago and commenced with U-6 & U-8. Prior to that there was no camogie in the parish. Some girls played a little in school and a small number continued by joining neighbouring clubs.

Following Trojan work by a small number of parents the club grew and managed five years ago to enter a team in Féile for the first time. With that crew coming through the committee realized just three years ago that they must form an adult team by hook or by crook or they would lose all those girls to other clubs or they would give up the game altogether.

A team was cobbled together and it was just brilliant. Everyone rallied to the call to arms. Hurls were dug out of sheds and boots were dusted off, soaked in water for a while to soften them and then oiled & polished. Husbands were left to hold the fort as the ladies ranging in age, I believe, from 16 to 46 answered the call.

They entered the lowest grade in Kilkenny and actually ended up winning the competition. The joy and sense of achievement at that victory was unreal. I had a number of past pupils on that team. One was a youthful 42-year-old mother of four, now a coach to the Féile team, while another was a more youthful 16 years old.

The Backroom Team: Fast forward to the action in Portlaoise. We had five dedicated, honest parents acting as coaches/selectors. Without them there would have been no team as there are not too many volunteering their time to look after camogie teams in the club. None would assume the title of manager and none would even be comfortable with the title of coach! Fran, who was that mother of four on that famous first adult team tried to convince me that she was just ‘carrying the water’ but I knew different!

The Preparation: The girls had about four training sessions in preparation for Féile and if truth be told many involved were just hoping they wouldn’t make a show of themselves in Portlaoise.

Throughout the day I watched other teams, both Hurling & Camogie, with a keen interest. I noted their management setups, several wired up with walkie-talkies, with mentors at each side and even behind the goals giving feedback to the ‘control tower’. I noticed stats teams of all sorts from the basic sheet of paper with the usual, puck outs won/lost, frees won/lost, turnovers for/against, possessions etc., scribbled on it to the clip board with team layouts and various boxes for comments. The elite had iPads with very modern stats apps that are all just beyond me. I cringed somewhat to myself and thought ‘U-15, what next – GPS?’ Preparation is fine but there is a much ignored term called OTT!

I met a few people that I recognised from around the country and got the low down on who the favourites were, teams that had gone close last year but had almost all the same players again this year and should pull it off, who was over certain teams and other such nuggets of information. Some had put in months if not years of preparation and were seasoned Féile participants. There were some big clubs with high profile managements.

The Gear

Some teams & managements were kitted out better than intercounty senior squads. Our girls got a top & a bag which they were delighted with. I had heard stories in previous years of teams going abroad on training camps in preparation for Féile and in the good old days when teams stayed with host clubs I had heard of teams that would not eat in the host houses but had specially prepared food delivered to them. I knew of clubs bringing ice making machines & ice baths to venues when the whole thing was gone crazy. I think all that sort of practice is now in the past though I did have to ask myself if this was just an U-15 tournament!

The Games

I know that it is not all about winning and that it was a tremendous achievement for our girls to get to finals day in any division not to mention Division One. As I watched and listened I did hope deep down that our girls would acquit themselves well, do ok and to be honest, not get hammered. I had no idea of the national standard and I realized that there were no superstars on our team.

In the first game I eavesdropped the team talk and it was brilliant. “Go out there girls and do your best and enjoy yourselves. We are all proud of ye, whether ye win or lose”. There were no tactics or game plan. As the game progressed the same instructions went in from Fran, Donal, Fergal, Eimear and Shay- “Mark up, drive the ball in, chase, keep going, well done, hard luck, go again, keep going girls”. All straight from the manual of elite coaching & best practice! You couldn’t buy it but you surely could sell it! The entire process of ‘How to win a Féile, Erin’s Own style’, should be packaged & patented!

I was delighted. The girls were going well. I thought they were the better team in the first game against Clare champions Kilmaley but two goal scoring opportunities, any of which if converted would have won the game but didn’t come off while the opposition got through for a goal against the run of play and that decided it.

After the game the coaches praised all the girls and told them they were great. I overhead one ‘expert’, telling one of the coaches that ‘we never had a chance’. The opposition had an ex county player on the line and he figured out our style of play early on! Such rubbish! Our girls had no style of play whatsoever so he couldn’t have figured it out! Our opponents got the break, our girls didn’t, and in 20 minute games one break can decide the outcome.

The Achievement

Whether it was tactics or game plans or shrewd management, having lost that first game our girls won their remaining two group games, beating NewcastleWest from Limerick and St. Colman's of Galway which put them through to the Semifinals where they faced Tipperary’s best, Thurles Sarsfields. Victory there put them in the final where they had a resounding win over Cork champions Barryroe and ended up Division 1 Féile champions, the best U-15 team in Ireland. There is a nice ring to that! Some of the best clubs in the country have never achieved that success. All Ireland champions Athenry and their neighbours Sarsfields have won it just once. Multiple All-Ireland champions Slaughtneil have never won it. Victories like this are not supposed to happen. Erin’s Own didn’t tick all the boxes.

How was it done? How can a team from a newly formed club with absolutely no camogie history win what is in essence an All-Ireland trophy? How can they win a competition that is coveted by the strongest and best established clubs in the country? Here are a few thoughts:

1: Common-sense won out over nonsense.

2: There was no big fuss made at any stage. Yes, the girls wanted to try to win the county and then the National but it wasn’t a ‘strategic plan’ for two years or even two weeks to do so. The gear was kept to a minimum (the club couldn’t afford more anyway) and there was no hint of ‘high performance’.

3: No nutritionist, no physio and the girls never saw the inside of a gym or heard the term ‘strength & conditioning’

4: There was no extra training or special camps. The girls trained as normal, once or twice a week as they do always. Basically, there was no pressure put on the girls.

5: The management were ordinary people with genuine interest and full of integrity. None of them claimed to be an expert, quite the opposite and that manifested itself in how they addressed and treated the players. Yes, they all had daughters on the squad but without them there would have been nobody to take the team. Parents managing their own is not a bad thing so long as they have integrity. It is in fact a bonus as they are likely to put in a greater effort and ensure there is plenty of action when their own are involved. Only when parents without integrity are involved and unfairly favour their own are their problems.

6: There was no confusion with setups, systems or styles of play. There was no tactics board, analysis, stats or walkie-talkies. The girls were sent out to ‘just hurl’ and make decisions for themselves.

7: The best players were on the squad regardless of age. The club managed to include all 15 & 14 year olds (which might not always be possible) and then carried the best of the remaining players available. This is a very topical issue in many clubs and requires careful and regular discussions as one size does not fit all.

In my opinion clubs should not tie themselves up with hard and fast rules. Of course it always comes down to the integrity of those in charge. In large clubs it might be easy to play all the older players and make no real difference while in a smaller club playing some younger players can make a huge difference, the difference between winning and losing.

Development is very important but is losing an important competition for the sake of development really ‘development’? How will the players who lost, knowing they could have won, feel? How will the player playing who knows there were better players on the line or at home feel if they lose? It is never cut and dried and while there may be disappointment by omitting some players there can be more disappointment by including them.

Sport is full of disappointments but disappointment can build resilience. One of our 13-year-old girls scored two goals in the final. It wasn’t the case but it could have been that maybe without her the trophy might have gone to Cork! Competitions are for winning and that is a very important aspect of all sports. If there is a trophy for it then, in my opinion, it ceases to be a developmental competition. Players want to win trophies.

A slogan that is often used when trying to embarrass clubs that do not practice ‘development’ is ‘Play the Best and forget the Rest’. However, on the same note a balancing slogan for those that go overboard with the ‘Development Ethos’ is ‘Play the Rest & forget the Best’. Holding back a talented younger player is not ‘development’ either!

The cry is often made to coaches – you are not ‘fair’ you didn’t give such a person a game! But sometimes being fair, fair to the team/squad means some do not get a game as it can cost the match/competition and twenty players that could have gone home with a medal go home with nothing! It is all about balance. Our mentors managed to field two Féile teams this year, the second team playing in a special ‘in house Féile’ organized by the County Board.

That meant that in excess of forty players experienced Féile. The easy thing would have been to select twenty girls to play in division one and forget the rest. They did not and great credit is due to those mentors. Incidentally, the second team won their division in the county also. What a year! I am very proud of the club’s efforts which are a great example for other clubs.

Footnote: Lightning sometimes strikes twice!

They say that lightning never strikes twice but it did in Portlaoise on that memorable Saturday. Many years ago, 2007 to be exact, my good friend and Kilkenny trainer Michael Dempsey persuaded me to ‘do a session or two with some Dublin young lads’ where his sister was living.

The young lads happened to be the Castleknock Féile team who had just won the Dublin section and were coming to Kilkenny for the National Finals. Like Erin’s Own Camogie they weren’t expecting much, just hoping not to be hammered. Again, similar to Erin’s Own camogie, the club had just been established for nine years. I met someone at the arranged meeting spot, some hotel I recall, and we went across the road to a park

No club house, no goalposts, nothing, just a park like the Phoenix park. Young lads started to arrive in dribs and drabs on bicycles and on foot. That was it - they had no premises! I did the session, a few skills and drills and probably a little game using cones as goalposts I presume. There was nothing special about it. They were a grand bunch of lads, genuine with no stand out player but their interest and effort was 100%.

One mentor stuck in my mind due to his name, John Kilkenny, and he sported a moustache. I may have come back for a second time, I am not sure, but when Féile arrived in Kilkenny I went to the games with added interest to see how the Dublin lads would get on. What happened? They won it out against all the odds, beating the best teams in the country! Magic! I got a savage kick out of it.

This group of young lads from a club with nothing, coming down to Kilkenny for the fun and beating the best in the land! Amazing! And I met John again and congratulated him. He had a son playing, one Ciarán Kilkenny! The magic of Féile!