Shamrocks ladies bring home silverware at Comórtas Páidí Ó Sé

Over 500 visiting and local club players and management turned out for one of Ireland’s longest running Gaelic football club tournaments, the Lidl sponsored Comórtas Peile Páidí Ó Sé, which took place the weekend before last in West Kerry after an enforced cancellation due to Covid-19 in 2021.

Twenty men’s and ladies’ club sides from 14 counties played in a four-competition tournament at junior and senior grade with Kerry sweeping the men’s contests.

Maintaining the connection Páidí Ó Sé has with GAA history and folklore in Westmeath, Mullingar Shamrocks represented the Lake County with gusto. They togged out in the junior ladies competition, comprehensively beating local side Annascaul / Castlegregory 4-9 to 1-1 in the straight knockout semi-final.

From there, they faced Dublin’s St Vincent’s who had beaten Dingle Ladies on their path to the final. The Westmeath ladies had plenty in the tank in the final to take home silverware on a scoreline of 5-11 to 0-6.

The football festival, which is supported by Lidl Ireland, McKeever Sports, EJ Menswear, Kerry County Council Tourism Unit, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Lee Strand Milk, was founded by Kerry iconic footballer Páidi Ó Sé and has attracted over 17,000 club players over 33 years, growing into a major GAA event with senior, intermediate and junior adult club competitions as well as teams attending social events at Comórtas HQ, Páidí Ó Sé’s pub in Ventry, Co. Kerry.

Comórtas Chairman Pádraig Óg Ó Sé said: “We are delighted to continue the tradition of having Westmeath clubs at the tournament and we wish Mullingar Shamrocks well in the season ahead.

“They are a credit to Westmeath GAA in the way they conducted themselves. They enjoyed themselves by night and had a never say die attitude on the field of play in very tough weather conditions.”