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Féile na nGael
Féile na nGael (pronounced [ˈfʲeːlʲə n̪ˠə ˈŋeːl̪ˠ]; Irish for "Festival of the Gaels") is an annual tournament comprising the sports of hurling, camogie and handball organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its stated aim is to bond communities, forge friendships, provide educational opportunities and unearth new leaders.[1][2] The competition hosts approximately 25,000 boys and girls each year with all 32 of Ireland's Gaelic games counties represented along with teams from London, Lancashire, Warwickshire, New York, Australasia and county Europe. Féile na nGael states that its primary objective is to facilitate and enable personal, social and cultural development amongst young people with emphasis on cultural and community activities, leadership and training through sport. Féile na nGael was first held in 1971 and was hosted by Tipperary.[3] Since then it has been held annually in late June in different counties. Féile na nGael in 2011 was hosted by Galway.[4] Participation in Féile na nGael is by invitation. In general all clubs in the host county are invited to participate while all other counties host local versions of the event and the winners are then nominated to represent their county at the National event. Sometimes the runners-up in certain counties may be invited also and the organising committee is free to decide how many clubs from a particular county are invited each year. The Division 1 Féile na nGael winners receive the Christy Ring cup commemorating the famous Cork hurler. It depicts Cloyne Tower in Cork. FormatThe general format of Féile is as follows. There may be some exceptions where groups have unequal numbers. Each Division is divided into four groups of four teams. All teams in each group play each other. A team receives two points for a win, one for a draw and no points for a loss. The four teams in each division that win their group qualifies for the semi-finals. The two semi final winners then play in the final. Games are twenty minutes a half instead of the standard thirty minutes. Teams usually play their first game on the Friday afternoon that the festival begins. Following this there is a parade for all teams through the main town of the county in which the Féile is being hosted. On the Saturday all teams play a further two group games in the morning while semi finals are played in the evening. The finals are played in the main GAA stadium in the host county on the Sunday of the festival. Successful clubsJames Stephens of Kilkenny have won the title a record 7 times, most recently in 2008. Na Piarsaigh of Cork have won the Féile na nGael title 22 times, most recently in 2021. Glen Rovers have won the title five times. In all, Cork clubs have captured 14 titles, Kilkenny eleven and Galway seven, while Limerick, Clare and Dublin clubs have won three titles each. Kevin Lynch h.c from Derry have also won 7 feile na gael titles across various divisions. In camogie the Oulart the Ballagh club from Wexford won five Féile na nGael titles in a row from 1998 to 2002 while Douglas from Cork won three titles in a row from 2004 to 2006. In terms of counties Galway has the most wins with nine, followed by Dublin and Cork with seven while Wexford clubs have won the title six times. Host counties
Division 1 Hurling (Christy Ring Trophy) finals
(Trophy shared - sides finished level after extra time)
Hurling Division 2 winners (Canon Fogarty Trophy)
Hurling Division 3 winners (Michael Cusack Trophy)
Hurling Division 4 winners (Dr Birch Trophy)
Hurling Division 5 winners (McMahon Trophy)
Hurling Division 6 winners (Lár Tíre Trophy)
Camogie Division 1 winners
Camogie Div 2 winners (Caithlín Ní Thoimín Shield)
Camogie Div 3 winners
Camogie Division 4 winners (Coiste Chontae an Chláir Shield)
Camogie Division 5 winners
Camogie Division 6 winners
Camogie Division 7 winners
Camogie Skills winners
References
External links
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