Kilmessan set to host Poc Fada championships

Kilmessan Hurling and Camogie clubs will once again host the National Club Poc Fada and Meath Poc Fada competitions on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th October.
On Sunday 28th October the County Poc Fada competitions will be held for several categories including county men, county ladies, u-15 Boys, over-40s, over-55s and minor. 
The winners of the county men, ladies and u-15 competitions will have the opportunity to represent Meath in the provincial deciders at Howth next Spring.

The event, which the Kilmessan clubs have been hosting for over 20 years, is held in memory of Joey Horan, Padraic Curtis and Cormac Doyle - three young hurlers taken from the parish in the prime of their lives. 
The 4.5km Poc Fada course extends from the Hill of Tara, across the royal county terrain and back to Kilmessan hurling pitch. 
It is a wonderful sporting and social event for competitors and onlookers alike, with food and refreshments served in the clubhouse on completion of the course. The clubs will also actively promote the ‘Opt for Life’ organ donor awareness campaign over the weekend.

On Saturday 27th October Kilmessan will host the third staging of the National Club Poc Fada Championship which will take place over a slightly longer (5.1km) course. 
This event encourages clubs from all over the country to enter a team of two, with a chance to bring home a national title to their parish. The format consists of the team of two taking alternate pocs over the course. The club with the lowest number of pocs wins the title.
Last year’s winners were Kilcormac Killoughey of Offaly who secured the title for a second year in-a-row with Dubnlin's Ballyboden St Enda’s in second place and Kilmessan represented by Kevin Keena and Christopher Curtis in third place.
All told 36 clubs competed in last year’s event and there is great interest in the 2018 renewal with entries from clubs in Offaly, Westmeath, Limerick, Dublin, Mayo, Kilkenny , Wexford and Kildare already received. 
There were 12 Meath clubs represented last year and organisers are hoping to have all hurling clubs involved in the day in what should present a great test to the Meath clubs and hopefully they can do themselves proud.
This year sees the introduction of a concurrent camogie club competition, with prizes available to the ladies over the same poc fada course.
Anyone wishing to compete on either day can contact Kilmessan Hurling Club at nationalclubpocfada@gmail.com