Poc Fada
What a pleasure it was to welcome the Westmeath Hurlers and Camogie players to the Hill of Uisneach this morning for the Westmeath 2024 Poc Fada Championships.
Very well done to all the winners !
An All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship which is held annually, tests the skills of many of the top Hurling and Camogie players.
Poc Fada is Irish for “long puck”. The aim is to hit the sliotar (ball) with the hurl (wooden stick) as far as possible and in as few shots as possible, over a certain distance.
The idea of the Poc Fada competition came from the ancient legend of the “Táin Bó Cuailgne”. Cúchulainn, known then as young boy ‘Setanta’, set out from his home at Dún Dealgan to the King’s court at Emain Macha., in Co. Armagh. He ran hitting his sliotar as hard as he could and then ran ahead to catch it as he travelled over the Cooley Mountains.
The game was founded in 1960 by Fr. Pól Mac Sheáin and the Naomh Moninne club based in Co. Louth. They held the first All Ireland event taking place in 1961.
Hurling and Poc Fada, for this common genesis and for the enormous cultural influence, have recently been identified by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.. . and for the Westmeath competition to take place on the Hill of Uisneach, was a real treat to watch this ancient sport celebrated ! To hear the ‘bang’ of the hurl on the sliotar and then the ‘whir’ of the sliotar above you is so unique !
