They played hurling before football in parts of Iveragh

SIR

It was stated in your edition of March 20 that the upcoming hurling exhibition game being staged in Portmagee between the Tipperary and Limerick hurling champions is believed to be the first such match to take place in South Kerry.

Not so. In August 1971, Derrynane staged a senior hurling exhibition match between Na Piarsaigh of Cork and a Kilmoyley/Kerry selection on the old Derrynane pitch in front of Daniel O’Connell’s House. It drew a huge crowd and was a most entertaining and competitive game.

The game was the brainchild of Paddy Fitzgerald from Cork, who was a regular holiday maker in the Caherdaniel area. He hoped to promote hurling here and convert us heathen footballers to the beautiful small ball game (unsuccessfully). He incorporated the staging of the game into the local Castlecove Naomh Crohane Festival.

It was also a most fitting location for such a game. Many of your readers will be familiar with the famous painting of Derrynane House by John Fogarty in 1831 which also depicts hurling being played there. Indeed hurling was played in Derrynane before football ever was.

Moreover, hurling was played competitively in South Kerry up until the early 1960s, with an Iveragh team representative of the region. This team latterly included a Mick Clifford from the Derrynane football club, a grand uncle to today’s footballers, David and Paudie.

Anyway, the forthcoming venture by Skellig Rangers is a great fundraising initiative on their part and we wish them every success. Indeed we hope their exhibition game will be just as entertaining as ours was in Derrynane just over half a century ago. Sincerely,

Tony O’Shea Derrynane