GAA National Head of Hurling hears of the development of hurling in Donegal

Donegal played host to GAA’s National Head of Hurling Willie Maher at the Donegal GAA Headquarters at the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy. 

The Head of Hurling was in the county on the invitation of Donegal Hurling Officer Cormac Harnett.

And the aim of the meeting was to meet all existing hurling clubs in the county and to also recognise the recently formed new hurling units in the county. The goal of the visit was also to outline the county’s short, medium and long-term development of hurling in Donegal.

Boys and girls and their coaches and officials from the seven clubs Ardara, Killybegs, Naomh Muire, St Michael's, Downings, Termon and Glenswilly were in attendance. 

The seven are recently formed and are part of a Donegal board initiative and driven by the hurling officer to develop and spread the ancient game in the county.

“The seven units are all starting at the very bottom and introducing coaching at Under-6 and Under-8, and it was great to see those boys and girls kitted out in their club colours on the day,” Cormac Hartnett told DonegalLive.  

The children and their coaches were addressed by Donegal Chairperson Mary Coughlan, Cormac Hartnett, Willie Maher and Kevin Kelly from Ulster GAA, county secretary Mary Kelly, Donegal Communciations Officer Sinead Breen, Head of the Donegal GAA Academy, Declan Bushell, and Marty McGrath, hurling coach from the Donegal Academy.

Willie Maher spoke of the great strides that had been made in the seven new units in such a short time. And he complimented the coaches and officials on their great progress to date with the help and support of gear grants from Croke Park.

“Each of the seven new clubs received grants in the form of playing gear like hurls, sliotars and wristy hurls. Wristy hurls are a small size hurl for very young children (Under-6s). 

“Kevin Kelly outlined to them the three phases of support that would now commence over the next short while relative to ensuring that their progression continued.

“Our communications officer arranged for photographs of the teams and their young players in their club colours and with their new equipment.

“The units had all forwarded individual updates to me of their progress so far. And they all identified the athletic development and player pathway improvement that hurling was bringing to their young boys and girls.

“This was particularly evident in the improvement in hand-eye coordination and motor skills, reported and the double anchoring of a child within the club, and the ease that dual coaching in many instances brought to parents.” 

In the second part of the meeting, the National Head of Hurling and the representative from all of the hurling clubs in the county heard from Cormac Hartnett, Kevin Kelly, Declan Bushell, and Marty McGrath about the Donegal Academy’s immediate goals to further develop hurling in the county.

In all, there are five key objectives in a plan drawn up by Cormac Harnett, Declan Bushell and Marty McGrath.

And they are: 

1. Appointment of new key staff to include a head of hurling and two games development/ participation officers
2. ⁠Development of club school links
3. ⁠Implementing dual county nursery policy in all clubs
4. ⁠A three-phase support for the seven new units
5. ⁠New support for existing clubs, particularly at go games level.

Willie Maher is fully supportive of the goals as outlined, which are key to the equitable balancing of the deficit that exists between personnel on the football side of the academy and the hurling side of the academy and which needs to be immediately rectified.

“The event was a tremendous success, and it gave Willie Maher an insight into the great strides that are being made to develop and expand the playing of hurling in Donegal.

 “Donegal GAA would like to thank the clubs and everybody else who assisted en route to making this a successful evening.”