Gaeltacht tournament 'more than football'

One of the most celebrated cultural events in the GAA calendar Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta will take place in Cill Chartha, Co Donegal this weekend.

Twenty-six men's and women’s football teams representing all seven Gaeltacht counties along with teams from Dublin and Antrim, will compete in south west Donegal.

A challenge match played in winter snow in 1969 heralded the start of the competition that has brought Gaeltacht and Irish-speaking communities together for six decades.

On 5 January 1969, a team from Corca Dhuibhne, Co Kerry made a 1,032km round trip bus journey through sleet and snow to play a challenge match in Gaoth Dobhair.

Those bonds of friendship laid the foundation for Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta; described by Seán Mac an tSíthigh as 'An Síol a cuireadh sa tSneachta’ – the seed that was planted in the snow.

Over the next four days, teams will compete in junior and senior men’s grades as well as junior, intermediate and senior ladies grades.

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and TG4 will provide coverage of all games between radio, online and television from Páirc Tamhnaigh.

The preparations in Cill Chartha, a club home to household names including McHughs and former Donegal captain Paddy McBrearty, have been ongoing for several years.

"It’s a huge honour to host it and it doesn’t come around too often. It’s 22 years since we held it in 2004," Cill Chartha club chairperson Mícheál Ó Lúdhóg told RTÉ News.

A new stand has been built, marquees erected, accommodation secured for visiting teams and supporters and a shuttle bus system arranged at Páirc Tamhnaigh.

Mr Ó Lúdhóg said club volunteers have done Trojan work. He acknowledged the support of neighbours CLG Naomh Columba in Gleann Cholm Cille and Ard an Rátha, who will host some games.

He describes the comórtas as "a massive help" in promoting the Irish language in the Gaeltacht, a sentiment echoed by Chairperson of the National Committee Dónal Ó Laoire.

"It’s a football competition, but it’s a lot more than that. It encompasses the rich culture and the heritage of the Irish language, through the medium of football," Mr Ó Laoire told RTÉ News.

Music in the marquee, the Cáilín Gaelach, a celebration of culture and a renewal of friendship form a huge part of the annual competition that rotates around the provinces.

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Bród agus borradh faoin nGaeilge: Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta

Some of the larger Gaeltacht counties held qualifiers ahead of the national competition, which has been running for 55 years. It did not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19.

Mr Ó Laoire said the longevity of the comórtas is a testament to the people who have gone before and each club that has hosted the competition.

"You can see it in every club that hosted it; the infrastructure that's left after it, but also the ‘spreagadh’ or motivation to keep the Irish language, culture and heritage going.

"In every Gaeltacht region, we always feel that our backs are to the wall to be honest. There's a lot of good work happening in the Gaeltachtaí.

"It's a time to showcase what we are about … it’s more than the football. It's an inner belief that we need to stand up for ourselves," Mr Ó Laoire said.

The host club learns from the previous host and that knowledge helps to lay a foundation for the preparations required.

Mr Ó Laoire remarked on the bonds of friendship, the camaraderie and the celebration of culture, which continues each year as the competition rotates around the Gaeltacht regions.

Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta has featured household intercounty names, many sharing a deep affinity with the competition.

Cill Chartha club legend James McHugh, who won four national Gaeltacht titles, played in his first comórtas as a 17-year-old in Gaoth Dobhair in 1982.

"Our own family connection’ huge. I was captain in 1990 when we won the comórtas down in Gallarús. In ’24, my son Eoin was when they won in Cill na Martra.

"It’s been a huge honour, you know, Martin, Mark, and Ryan were all involved as well. We take great pride and pleasure in it and it’s a huge honour for Cill Chartha to be hosting it.

"It’s something that hugely important to us and it’s hugely important to the club. We won our first one in Béal an Mhuirthead in 1987.

"It was a huge for the whole club and the community at that time. You had Séamus MacGéidigh and Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, God rest them, commentating and people at home listening to it.

"It was the first time that our club would have got national recognition, pre the All-Ireland in 1992. It gave us a great profile. People at home revelled in that," he said.

The south west Donegal club has won the competition seven times, winning three in a row between 1989 and 1991.

Mr McHugh paid testament to the work ongoing in the south west community, describing it as "a huge undertaking".

"Everybody is really giving it a dig out, which you need in a small community. The whole Gaeltacht community is very much ingrained.

"It’s not just about football. It’s a celebration of the whole Irish culture between dancing, music and the language," he said.

Gaoth Dobhair will take on Cill tSéadna from Co Mayo in the first game of Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta at 7.30pm in Páirc Tamhnaigh.

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