15/06/2026
Stradbally GAA notes 15 th . June 2026 sponsored by Norris Bros.
Páirc Uí Chuimín. Some of the newer people to the club and indeed some of our own
younger generations have asked about the field. For almost 100 years, the Stradbally club
was dependent on the kindness of local farmers who gave it the use of their land to train and
host home games. With no field of our own, our base was constantly moving from field to
field. Those farmers who helped out for almost a century will never be forgotten. The last
farmers field used was Fred Moore’s in Carriganna. In 1972 the late Noreen Begley,
committee member, became aware that a field in Newtown, on the outskirts of the village
could be available for purchase in a private sale, from the Harris family. With Paddy Power
as club chairman, a sub committee was formed and the deal was done. Stradbally joined a
very small number of clubs in the county to purchase a field of its own. At the time it was
decided to name the field after Fr Paddy Cummins who had trained the 5-in-a row Senior
Championship winning team of the 1940 to 1944, Pairc Uí Chuimín. Stradbally did not win
the senior championship again from 1944 to 1972. In fact they were relegated to Junior in
the late 40s and only got back up Senior at the end of the 1950s. That team is named on
the wall in the club house. Fr. Paddy Cummins, an Augustinian, was one of a large family of
James and Alice Cummins of Island, born in 1904, and grew up on the family farm of 40
statute acres, accessed by what we now call Clancys boreen. He was based in Washington
St, Friary in Cork and travelled down to train the team by railway to Durrow. At one stage
when he was hospitalised, Fr Tom Halpin of Durrow, took over the team. In the 1940/50s
Ireland was hit by a pandemic of TB and the Cummins household was almost wiped out
(similar but more severe and more contagious than the recent covid pandemic). The only
adult survivor living there, Jimmy Cummins, Fr Paddys younger brother, sold the farm and
moved with his infant son Seamus to Inchidrisla overlooking Dungarvan, to live. The
relations of Fr Cummins in the club today are the Coffeys Ballydwan, Kielys Moonakirka,
Mullaneys Ballyvoile. If you look at the team photos in the clubhouse from that era, the
1937 minor winning team wore a horizontal striped jersey but from the 1939 team onwards,
the red jersey was worn. The story goes that Fr Cummins wanted new jerseys for his
promising senior team, and couldn’t get the colour combination in use in Stradbally at that
time, as the only ones available in a hurry in Cork were red, so his first cousin Dr. P. Kiely
Moonakirka and later professor of surgery in UCC, paid for a set of red jerseys and
Stradbally have been wearing red jerseys ever since.
Feile Peile 2026.
All set for the journey to Banagher in Derry for the 2026 Feile Peile division 1 where
Stradbally are drawn in a group against; Na Piarsaigh (Derry) Éire Óg (Wicklow) Boyle
(Roscommon) St Marys GAC, (Derry), Killygarry (Cavan) St Patricks (Carlow) and Naomh
Éanna (Wexford). One of those teams, from Tullow in Carlow won the division D Feile in
the 1980s. This is the 2 nd year the competition has been held in Derry. The St Marys
Banagher page has a video of last year’s Division 4 parade on the Saturday morning
with each team walking behind their county flag in their club colours. The panel of players
who played in the Waterford Féile were, Fionn Murphy, Ronan Curran, James Keane, Jamie
Keegan, Oisin Casey, Barry Fennell, Andrew Walsh, Colum Power, Dan Walsh, Riain Casey,
Fionn Costello, Patrick Mullaney, Kevin Óg Coffey, Cian Curran, Luke Gough, Donnacha
Power and were captained on the day by Adam Casey. People with Stradbally connections
living in Derry and/or neighbouring counties might like to pop along, meet up with the
Stradbally contingent and lend some support to the team who did the club proud when they
won the right to represent Waterford at the Feile Peile Division 1. This is the first time
Stradbally have won division 1 in the Waterford Feile and well done to the mentors on the
day who coached the boys. The games will be played on June 27 th but those travelling will
need to make the long journey on June 26 th . Hopefully the weather will be good that
weekend. Everyone in Stradbally GAA/LGFA wishes the team and their families every good
wish for the long journey.
Feile Format, people have asked how the format of the competition works. Clubs, as
representatives of their county are graded in divisions based on previous National Feile
results for their county representatives and Stradbally are in a group based in Banagher, Co
Derry with other teams from counties similarly graded in Division 4. In the games like round
robin games here in our own championship, there will be 2 points for a win and 1 point for a
draw. Gaelic football is played on 15 a side basis. Feile promotes the concept of all players
on the team playing up to 30 minutes so that all eligible players get their chance to shine on
the national stage. The referee will give a signal at 8 minutes into the first half and the teams
will introduce 2 mandatory substitutes, and after 4 minutes of the second half again 2
substitutes will be introduced and at other times as necessary. Games will be of 12 minutes
per half with a very short half time. In knock-out games when extra time is required, the
duration shall be 5 minutes per half. In the event of two teams finishing level on points, the
winner of the original game between the sides will be ranked highest, if that was equal the
team with the lowest score conceded will be ranked highest and only if that is equal will there
be a shoot off with frees. If it comes down to frees, 5 players will take one 30 meter free
each, no goalkeeper, as it is points only, but the ball can bounce and/or hit the woodwork and
once a point is scored it counts. Players will retain the number of the jersey on the official
form, including the goalkeeper if he plays out field. Teams must be on the side line ready to
play 10 minutes before the start of the game. A strict code of conduct is observed by all
players/mentors and parents, following the give respect get respect initiative. Suspensions
from the home county carry forward to this competition, so a player suspended in his own
county may not play. The team may have 4 mentors only, including the trained first aider.
Sanctions outside of playing infractions will be referred to the relevant disciplinary body. Red
card/ disciplinary action against a mentor will result in that mentor receiving a side line ban
for the duration of the tournament. Any team player who is red carded will get a one match
ban. The Feile organising committee have disciplinary and hearing committees that mirror
those structures in place for all other national competitions, and they make decisions on the
day. There are 9 pages of Feile notes available online, this is only a brief summary.
Cumann na mBúnscoil Final
Stradbally GAA congratulates the local primary school, Our Lady of Mercy, on winning the
Roinn B County hurling final in Walsh Park on Tuesday against Mount Sion. Walsh Park
hosted the Roinn A and Roinn B finals on Tuesday morning. The lads watched most of the
earlier game between Scoil Garbhán and De La Salle Stephen St which the city school won
with interest, before making their way to the dressing rooms. With the wind in the first half
Stradbally went into a comfortable half time lead of 0:02 to 5:05 and even against the
elements in the second half ran out comfortable winners on 5:07 to 1:03 with Dan Walsh
leading the boys up the steps to accept the trophy. The boys are part of our under 12 and
under 14 hurling and football panels with a few making the Feile football panel for the trip to
Derry. Some tasty hurlers there in the making. It was a great win for the boys led by Mr
Walsh, Principal and Mr. Griffey. The club would like to acknowledge the tremendous work
being done at primary school level by the schools in the parish to help promote Gaelic games
among the boys and girls not alone in Stradbally but also in Seafield and in St James’s.
The Cumann na mBunscoil Roinn B winning team from Our Lady of Mercy Primary
School, Stradbally enjoying the sunshine in Walsh Park.
Déise Draw
The Stradbally GAA club has received its allocation of 2026 Déise Draw tickets, with draws
scheduled for late June, July, August, September and October. Tickets are €100 and are
available from the club committee and online. Cash prizes worth €126,000 will be available
over the period of the draw. The main prizes each month are €12,500, €5,000, €2,500,
€1,000, €500, €250. A significant proportion of each ticket price goes to the GAA club, €63
from each ticket sold up to the first 150 tickets and €73 from each ticket thereafter. €10 from
each of the first 150 tickets goes to the county board and €17 from all tickets goes to create
the prize fund up to 150 tickets and only the €17 to the prize fund is taken from any tickets
sold above 150 tickets. Tickets and payment must be returned to Breda Kiely GAA club
coordinator by June 18 th . When purchasing tickets online, please click Stradbally GAA as
your club on the drop-down menu, so that the club portion of the money is sent to Stradbally
GAA by the Co Board. As the dropdown menu is in alphabetical order, you must be patient
to scroll down to Stradbally.
Off road parking
Off road parking is available in the field at the country-side of Stradbally GAA club for club
games and training. All members, players and supporters are asked to avail of this facility
and leave the left-hand side of the road free of cars. When mentors are speaking to
opposition mentors about upcoming games/challenge games, could they please mention that
parking is available in the field.
Gaeltacht Bursaries.The Waterford Co Board of the GAA are now accepting
applications for partial Gaeltacht Bursaries for Coláiste na Rinne this summer.
Scholarships are open to all GAA, Camogie and LGFA members aged between 10
and 17 years old. Applicants need to show on their application what they have
participated in GAA ,LGFA, CAMOGIE or Scor activities for their club. CLOSING
DATE - 5PM FRIDAY 31st JULY 2026 For further information
contact [email protected] or from the Oifigeach Gaelige in the
club. Details also from team mentors.
Coaching Courses.
Déise Óg has announced a comprehensive series of Coach Education Workshops aimed at
coaches and aspiring coaches working with U13 to U16 hurling and football teams across
Waterford GAA clubs. The workshops, which are free to attend, will provide practical
coaching sessions delivered by Déise Óg Games Development Coaches (GDCs), followed by
question-and-answer sessions designed to help coaches or potential coaches develop their
skills and enhance the experience of young players. The workshops are designed to support
coaches in creating enjoyable, effective, and player-centred training environments while
keeping up to date with modern coaching methods and developments within Gaelic games.
Déise Óg is encouraging all coaches involved with U13 to U16 teams to take advantage of
the opportunity to learn from experienced coaches, share ideas with their peers, and gain
practical knowledge that can be immediately applied within their clubs. There is no cost to
attend any of the workshops. Coaches are asked to register in advance through the Déise Óg
Coach Education Workshop registration process.
Monday, June 15 – Youth Hurling Attacking Play, Dungarvan GAA Club, 7 pm
Wednesday, June 17 – Hurling Specialist Skills, SETU Arena, 7 pm
Wednesday, June 17 – Gaelic Football Specialist Skills, SETU Arena, 7 pm
Wednesday, June 24 – Athletic Development: How to Build it into Your Sessions,
Ardmore GAA Club, 7.30 pm
Wednesday, June 24 – Making the Most of the New Football Rules for Attacking
Opportunities, Kilrossanty GAA Club, Lemybrien, 7 pm.
Registration is now open, and coaches are encouraged to secure their place early.
Stradbally has made great progress with underage teams in recent years and all
coaches are encouraged to attend these sessions if available.
Club Fixtures
Results With the state exams in full swing there are less underage games in the immediate
future. The under 14 footballers travelled to Abbeyside where they lost on a scoreline of 4:07
to 2:07. The Junior hurlers played Ballyduff Lower in Ballyduff Lower on Saturday afternoon
where they lost on a scoreline of 1:16 to 1:13. The minor hurlers, augmented by the return of
the intercounty panellists from football and hurling, won a challenge game against
Portlaw/Ballyduff Lower in the field on Sunday evening. Their championship will run
through July. On Tuesday evening, our under 12s, half of whom had earlier in the day won
the Cumann na mBúnscoil competition in Walsh Park, lined out in the field where they lost to
Cois Bhride on a scoreline of 1:06 to 4:06. Immediately after that game, the Feile squad won
a challenge game against Gaultier. On a bright sunny Sunday morning in Kill, Stradbally
beat Tramore in the all county Division 6 (junior) football final on a scoreline of 2:17 to 1:07.
Stradbally fielded a relatively young squad who showed a good appetite for the game.
The Stradbally (Junior) Division 6 winning team in Kill.
Our upcoming games include:
Date Team Code Competition Versus Venue Time
15/0
6
Under 7 Hurling Blitz Play and Stay Dungarvan 18:30pm
16/0
6
Under 12 Hurling Championship Lismore Lismore 18:30pm
18/0
6
Under 14 Hurling Championship Tramore Tramore 18:30pm
22/0
6
Under 16 Hurling Championship Passage Passage 18:30pm
23/0
6
Under 14 Football Championship Tramore Stradbally 18:30pm
The underage games up to under 16 are at division 1 and 2 level and therefore the young
players who will line out for Waterford in years to come, will visit Stradbally on their club
teams and you have the opportunity to see them first in our fields. Please come up to support
our young players against the best the county has to offer. Where our teams finish in this
years championship can influence what division our future teams play in next year, so it is
very important to have as much support as we can muster for every game. Underage games
are usually free of charge until it gets to the later stages of the championship.
Reading the Waterford Co Board website.
We have started the round robin stages of the county underage championships, mostly in
Division 1, with results and fixtures displayed weekly on the Waterford Co Board website.
People ask where they can find out information about the fixtures and results. The Co Board
have quality information uploaded to their website when you become familiar with how to
access it. For example, open Waterford GAA.ie, go down to Results, press “view all” and the
games come up. Clubs are identified by their club crest, ours is red on a white background,
you have it on your jersey. As some older age groups are curtailed due to the state exams
these weeks, we will take the under 12 group as an example. You will see that on June 9 th
Stradbally lost to Cois Bhride in Division 1 football. If you click on the green line, “Morris
DIY Co Under 12 Football Championship Div 1”, you get access to a new page, Fixtures,
Results, Table, Teams and Form in the header. Results will show you all the results for this
competition to date, Table will show you that Stradbally have played 5 games, won 4 and lost
1, scored 111 points (including goals) and conceded 89 points with a points difference of 22
points and on the table are in 2 nd place behind Cois Bhride(10) on 8 points. Press form and it
give a clear graphic of games won and lost, won in red and lost in grey. The same format
applies to all age groups and both codes. It is a very useful tool.
Club Lotto sponsored by Alaska Fireplaces
Monday June 8 th . Lotto €5,500 no winner, numbers were 9, 18, 20, 37. Lucky Dip of €50 was
won by Pearl O’Brien
The next draw will take place on Monday 15 th . lotto will be for €5,600 Tickets are €5 for
three lines. https://stradbally.clubforce.com/products/lotto/stradbally-gaa-lotto Paper
tickets are available in the shops locally and at the Saturday market.
Cul Camp
The 2026 Cul Camp will take place in Stradbally on the week of Monday June 29 th to Friday
July 3 rd . 10am-2pm, for children aged 6-13. Participants must be aged 6 or over, i.e. 6 in
2026 born in 2020 or earlier. Applications are open online on a first come first serve basis,
where we currently have around 80 applications but have a few vacant spaces unfilled.
Hurling Review Public Survey
An important survey exploring the rules of hurling has been launched nationally by the GAA.
This asks for the views of GAA members on possible changes and/or suggestions. The survey
has been developed by the hurling advisory committee chaired by former Cork hurling
manager John Meyler. All involved in Gaelic games, players, managers, club administrators,
coaches, and spectators aged 18 and over are invited to participate. The survey is available
online on GAA.ie.
Condolences
Stradbally GAA/LGFA offers its sincere sympathies to the Reilly/Concannon family
Curraheen on the death of Ann Concannon on Saturday. May Ann’s gentle soul rest in peace.
World GAA games
Waterford will host the 2026 GAA world games in mid July with much fanfare and parades
through Waterford city and games in clubs across the city and county. This is a huge honour
for Waterford. The official launch of the World Games, which are held every three years, was
held last week in Waterford. More details nearer the time. O’Neills.com (the jersey
manufacturers) have a competition at the moment online where young players can win the
chance to lead the world games parade on Monday July 13 th in Waterford.
Social Centre
The social centre is open every Sunday night for a social chat, refreshments and outside of
this, is available for functions if required by club members and the wider community, 2 nd day
of weddings, christenings, funerals, etc. Music and craic most weeks, check the Stradbally
GAA page for updates.
Stradbally Ladies Football Club Notes
All Ireland Series
Waterford ladies played Cork in the Fraher Field on Saturday night with the game televised
on TG4, and having led all the way through, lost on the last kick on the game when Cork who
were on top in the last 10 minutes having equalised pointed a winning free. The final score
was Cork 1:15 to Waterford 1:14. The Stradbally representatives used included Rebecca,
Laura, Alanah and Cloe. Wishing Laura a speedy recovery from the injury sustained during
the game. Losing two of the half back line to head injuries was a step too far for Waterford.
Their next game will be against Armagh next weekend and will again be broadcast on TG4.
Off road parking
Off road parking is available in the field at the country-side of Stradbally GAA club for club
games and training. All members, players and supporters are asked to avail of this facility
and leave the left-hand side of the road free of cars to aid the free movement of traffic on the
public road.
