This article is from page 26 of the 2008-04-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 26 JPG
THE ties between two clubs steeped in similar, yet slightly different Gael- ic traditions, will be strengthened next weekend when Eire Og, Ennis host Beauly from the Scottish high- lands.
A 50 strong contingent from the Beauly club are traveling to Ennis to renew acquaintances with Eire Og.
Last year Eire Og held the distinc- tion of being the only GAA club in Ireland to be invited by Beauly to take part in the Highland games, a series of annual events held in Scot- land that celebrate aspects of gaelic and Scottish culture.
The links between the two clubs go back to 2005 when Eire Og’s Féile winning under 15 team traveled to Inverness to take part in a regional Shinty tournament.
Eire Og played Bewly under com- promise rules with the Ennis side winning 3-2. In 2005, the club won North Division One but due to league reconstruction remained in this divi- sion along with sides from the dis- banded National League One.
The club has an historic rivalry with near neighbours, Lovat and this is marked every year with the annual New Year fixture, the Lovat Cup
Beauly arrive in Ennis on Friday and will take in a Cusack Cup game
between Eire oy: and O’Currys.
Beauly play Eire Og in shinty at 3pm on Saturday in the grounds of St Flannans. The following day, both teams will then play in a swap sticks match whereby, players from Beauly will use hurleys while Eire Og will play with shinty sticks.
The Scottish club will also get the opportunity to see a game of hurling when Eire Og take on Ogonnolloe, ONO LETITer Nie
Presentations to mark the occasion will take place in the Eire Og club- house on Saturday night.
Eire Og PRO Ursula Guillfoyle said that the visit of Beuly provides a rare opportunity to see a Gaelic sport that
in recent years, has suffered from a decline in popularity.
“We’ve had a good relationship with them since our under 15s were over there so they are delighted to be coming over. It was very special for Eire Og to be invited over for the Highland games”.
“There are very few Shinty clubs left in Scotland, its been kind of on the decline. It’s good that we have this link between the two clubs. Long may it last. Over in Scotland the visit has been getting a lot of at- tention. There has been good interest in it so far. It’s a good opportunity to see a match and to raise the profile of Shinty”.