Skip to main content

PÓC OFF

Image
By



PÓC OFF!

The second annual Póc ar an Cnoic for the Edward Carson Memorial Trophy was an outstanding success again this year and I will post some photos over the next few days. As regular readers of this blog, historians and hurling aficionados will know Unionist leader Carson was a hurler. He played for Trinity College away back in the day. And so, as part of Féile an Phobal, this blog and other atheletes gathered in the Stormont estate in the shadow of his famous statue Saturday. It was a mighty day of craic and sport.
First off our young folks, camógs and hurlers battled in a series of very exciting games on the lawns in front of Parliament Buildings.
Then a best out of two for the póc fada. Mark Sidebottom was defending his title from last year. Big Rogey – Martin Rogan heavy weight boxer – was obviously in training. Barry McIlduff obviously wasn’t. Neither was Mickey Brady. Or Lucilita Breatnach, Cathy Power or Madge McEldoone.

Peter Bunting did well. And Dominic Bradley. This blog was robbed. I was ahead when Mark Sidebottom sidebottomed me. There was only a bounce of the ball in it. But sin é. There will be no sticking him now when he is commentating. Mr Two in a row.
And then as Barry McIlduff said, before he fled to Croke to watch his son and Tír Éoghan and Baile Atha Cliath play in the national stadium, it was down to the serious business.

This was the real long póc when a range of senior hurlers and camógs competed to see how many pócs it took them to cover the mile long avenue which is the main entrance into Stormont. After a mighty battle Niall McManus from Rossa won the men’s event and Claire O Kane from Doire won for the women.
Everyone had a great day out. Carson certainly would have approved. Our sponsors – O Neills, Martin Donnelly and Translink did a great job. So did all the stewards and mentors and every competitor. And the Poc Fada lads from the Cooleys. And the staff at Stormont. This blog sends special thanks to our good friend Paula Mac Manus who kept the whole thing going. She did a mighty bit of work.
Comgheardas also to Kevin Gamble. This was his first outing as Féile Director. And a very fine outing it was also. Well done to all the Feile team.

Comments

James and Linda said…
Sounds like you had a póc-ing good time! Looking forwards to seeing your pictures.
August 8, 2011 at 1:43 AM
Timothy Dougherty said…
Hello Gerry ,
I do hope that Póc ar an Cnoic, had some great media interest. I for one, would enjoying viewing a video of this event. I was talking about a national healh and education program of national improvement fitness and performance in Irish lifestyle. I was reading on Cross-Training for Irish Dance and how this factor works. Improving skills that make them as an Irish dancer even more competitive and stress carriage. As music helps with rhythm and timing, as with Soccer helping with stamina, keeping feet quick and light, and turn-out of feet. Dribbling, passing, and kicking the ball. A national program that could create a everyday interest in Irish healh care seem relate our self image as Irish people. Good carriage, Stamina, Flexibility something basic for most people.
enjoy our time Gerry,
August 9, 2011 at 3:08 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Turf Lodge – A Proud Community

By
This blog attended a very special celebration earlier this week. It was Turf Lodge: 2010 Anois is Arís 50th Anniversary. For those of you who don’t know Turf Lodge is a proud Belfast working class community. Through many difficult years the people of Turf Lodge demonstrated time and time again a commitment to their families and to each other. Like Ballymurphy and Andersonstown, Turf Lodge was one of many estates that were built on the then outskirts of Belfast in the years after the end of World War 2. They were part of a programme of work by Belfast City Corporation known as the ‘Slum clearance and houses redevelopment programme.’ The land on which Turf Lodge was built was eventually bought by the Corporation in June 1956. The name of the estate, it is said, came from a farm on which the estate was built. But it was four years later, in October 1960, and after many disputes and delays between builders and the Corporation, that the first completed houses were handed over for allocation...
2 comments
Read more

Slán Peter John

By
Sinn Féin MP Conor Murphy, Fergal Caraher’s parents, Mary and Peter John, and Sinn Féin Councillors Brendan Curran and Colman Burns at the memorial in South Armagh dedicated to Fergal Caraher It was a fine autumn morning. The South Armagh hilltops, free of British Army forts, were beautiful in the bright morning light as we drove north from Dublin to Cullyhanna to attend the funeral of Peter John Caraher. This blog has known Peter John and the Caraher family for many years. A few weeks ago his son Miceál contacted me to let me know that Peter John was terminally ill. I told him I would call. It was just before the Ard Fheis. Miceál explained to me that Peter John had been told he only had a few weeks left but had forgotten this and I needed to be mindful of that in my conversation. I was therefore a wee bit apprehensive about the visit but I called and I came away uplifted and very happy. Peter John was in great form. We spent a couple of hours craicing away, telling yarns and in his c...
2 comments
Read more

The murder of Nora McCabe

By
Nora McCabe was murdered almost 29 years ago on July 9th 1981. She was shot in the back of the head at close range by a plastic bullet fired from an RUC armoured landrover. She died the next day in hospital from her injuries. It was the same morning Joe McDonnell died on hunger strike. Nora was aged 33 and the mother of three young children, the youngest three months old. Over the years I have met her husband Jim many times. He is a quiet but very determined man who never gave up on getting the truth. Jim knew what happened, but as in so many other similar incidents, the RUC and the Director of Public Prosecutions office embarked on a cover up of the circumstances in order to protect the RUC personnel responsible for Nora’s murder. At the inquest in November 1982 several RUC people gave evidence, including James Critchley who was the senior RUC officer in west Belfast at the time. He was in one of the armoured vehicles. The RUC claimed that there were barricades on the Falls Road, tha...
3 comments
Read more