Indoor hurling has become popular in north Antrim and are a way to promote the game and improve the standard of hurling in the north
dove·tail [duhv-teyl]; verb; to join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.
THE NICE people at dictionary.com provide the above definition, amongst others, for the word dovetail. Those who follow the perpetually evolving format of the National Hurling League may remember the term from the proposal approved by the GAA’s management committee last August to restructure this year’s league.
The dovetailing bit referred to the setting up the new Táin Hurling League which would, we were told, ‘dovetail’ with the National Hurling League to promote hurling in the counties of Sligo, Leitrim, Louth and Longford.
Over the following months, the shape of the new Táin League emerged and, far from any compact or harmonious fit, the dovetailing aspect proved a complete fudge, and what transpired instead amounted to the eligibility of the existing Ulster Club Hurling League expanding to take in the above four counties.
The entries for the first Táin League have now closed, the 10 divisions from 1A to 5B have been molded, and the historic first throw-in takes place on February 4 – with one less team than there was last year.
Hard to believe, but true. The plan to develop hurling in the so-called weaker counties has resulted in a new league that has less teams than the one it replaced, despite taking in four more counties.
And while that’s a headline-grabbing line, it should be pointed out that while the overall number is down by one, a number of the clubs that competed last year haven’t entered this year. The turnover is 15 teams out and 14 ‘new’ teams in, with 11 of those coming from Sligo, Leitrim, Louth and Longford.
While that’s encouraging, it should be noted that the six clubs from Louth and the one from Longford were already eligible to play in the Leinster club league - indeed most of them did - so the reality is that the one Sligo club and three Leitrim clubs that entered are the only sides that have really gained from the process, which is a pretty poor return for a competition that was supposed to ‘dovetail’ with the National Hurling League.
Cynicism is an easy option, and the small band of people promoting hurling in these counties don’t need patronising from the pages of Gaelic Life, but it was pointed out on these pages months ago that very little was being done to promote the league other than a few e-mails from the Ulster Council. For a centrally-sanctioned competition that is supposed to be in some way linked to the National Hurling League, the lack of acknowledgment from Croke Park has been a disgrace.
To read the full story, buy the current issue of Gaelic Life - published January 12 - online or in your local newsagent
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