Feile na Gael 2017 Shield Final Winners- Adamstown (Posted: 27-06-2017)

Adamstown U14 hurlers made history at the 2017 Feile na Gael competition hosted by Wexford/Carlow & Kilkenny on June 16th, 17th & 18th. In winning the Div 7 Shield Final they became one of only two Wexford clubs to secure silverware in this year’s competition with our New Ross district neighbours Fethard winning the Div 5 Cup (beating Horeswood in the final). Adamstown has a proud tradition within Feile winning a title in 2008 and also being beaten finalists back in 1984 so a bold showing was expected and they didn't disappoint.

The weekend began with a victory on Friday evening over Roscrea (Tipperary) at Castleboro before the boys just didn't perform at all in their next game against neighbours Cloughbawn and were deservedly beaten on the night. To be fair to them they regrouped over night before going down to our guest club St Mollerans (Waterford) in a titanic battle on home grounds on Saturday morning. St Mollerans actually went on to win out the cup section and were an exceptionally strong outfit both in terms of size and ability. This game did however show that Adamstown were made of strong stuff and really set them up for a Saturday afternoon quarter final against Carrick on Shannon which they ran out comfortable winners of and sent them forward to the semi-finals.

Feile na Gael Finals Day is always one of the best spectacles in GAA as it is effectively an All-Ireland Final bonanza for the U14 age group. The crowds (estimated at 5,000+ at Ferns Centre of Excellence) and atmosphere were fantastic and it was an amazing backdrop for any of the boys to compete within. Our team really rose to the occasion and dismissed Castleblayney in the semi-final setting up a rematch with Roscrea in the final.

At this point the boys had already done themselves proud so victory was just going to be a bonus but this group would not be happy with anything less. They set their stall out early to go 0-03 to 0-00 only to be sucker punched when their opponents scored a goal against the run of play but Adamstown tagged on one more score to lead at half time by 0-04 to 1-00. 

Again they flew out of the blocks in the 2nd half scoring many top class points to go 0-09 to 1-00 and looked to be coasting to victory. To the great credit of their Roscrea opponents they fought back and scored an opportunist goal to make the score line 0-09 to 2-00 with 6 minutes to go. Adamstown were now being tested to the maximum but they did not panic and thanks to some fearless defending and great interchange play they found the resolve to get one more score making the game safe at 0-10 to 2-00.

Scenes at the final whistle were a joy to behold and there were many proud families on hand to witness their sons explode onto the national stage. It was also a great sight to see so many club members and current players whom had no connection with the team yet made the effort to travel to Ferns in support. The boys really appreciated this and the cheers of "Hon Adamstown" rang out around the grounds as Chairman of Feile na Gael Martin Skelly presented the trophy to our captain Craig Bradley. A memory that will live long for all those in attendance.

The victorious Adamstown panel for Feile na Gael 2017 was: Liam Furlong, Aidan Whelan, Robert O'Brien, Ben Wall, Tomas Jackman, Conor Whelan, Colin Stephenson, Diarmuid Murphy, Kevin Dunleavy, Matthew O'Neill, Craig Bradley, Tadgh McDonald, Robert Wall, Dean Kehoe, Conor Gahan, Dara Furlong, Adam O'Gorman, James O'Keeffe, Laurence Power, Philip Kearns, and Oscar MacGabhann. Every boy started at least one game and each played his part in what was a long weekend of effort for everyone. Mentors were Tom Galway, Brendan Furlong, Richard O'Gorman, Evelyn O'Gorman & Martin Smith. Massive thanks also to Feile Co-Ordinator Deirdre Whelan and all those volunteers who did trojan work both in looking after our boys but also visiting clubs. The club committee also treated the boys to a celebration lunch on the way home at The Riverside Park Hotel which was much appreciated and indeed deserved and the boys would also like to pay a special tribute to Martin McSorley, McSorleys Centra Ballinabola for sponsoring their gear for the Feile competition- not alone did they perform like a united army they looked the part also.

This win is a massive boost for hurling in the often forgotten New Ross district and is certainly a major feather in the cap of Adamstown GAA Club particularly as we embark on an ambitious pitch development. These are the boys who will represent us in the years ahead at adult level and hopefully will be winning many more trophies for us all to celebrate. They are a product of the excellent work being done at underage level under the stewardship of Coaching Officer Patrick Doyle, and Coiste na nOg Chairman TJ McDonald. There are now 100s of kids from U6-U16 each week receiving coaching from the many volunteers whom have been recruited by the club and received training from Wexford Co Board. This process and investment in the kids is sure to pay dividends in the years ahead and this Feile na Gael title is just an early reward. Congratulations to all the coaches and mentors within the club who generously give their time and the boy’s victory is testament that your efforts does make a difference. With so many volunteers now involved the next phase of the clubs development will be the addition of our new pitch over the next few years and this investment will mean that there is ample room to accommodate every boy & girl, man and woman who wants to wear our colours in the future. The fund raising and work will not be easy but in the long term in will be worth it and victories such as Feile 2017 will keep us all going along the way. Hon Adamstown!