View source for All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship

{{Short description|Annual Gaelic games event}}
{{update|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
The '''All-Ireland Poc Fada Hurling & Camogie Championships''' is an annual tournament testing the skills of Ireland's best [[hurling|hurlers]] and [[camogie]] players. ''Poc Fada'' is [[Irish language|Irish]] for "long puck". The championships are sponsored by Martin Donnelly (who has been a sponsor since 1996).

The All Ireland Poc Fada Finals have taken place on the Saturday of the Irish August Public Holiday each year since 2005. In 2018 the All Ireland Hurling Championship was restructured, with the 2019 Finals taking place on Saturday 3 August.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Offaly brothers finish first and second in All Ireland Poc Fada Final|url=https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/435943/offaly-brothers-finish-first-and-second-in-all-ireland-poc-fada-final.html|access-date=2021-07-21|website=offalyexpress.ie|date=3 August 2019 }}</ref>

The Senior Hurling Final starts at An Fhána Mór, Annaverna, [[County Louth]]. Competitors must puck (hit) a [[sliotar]] with a [[Hurley (stick)|hurley]] to the top of Annaverna Mountain (An Céide), and onwards to Carn an Mhadaidh. After a short break they continue down to An Gabhlán, before finishing back at the start of the course. The whole course measures {{convert|5|km|mi}}.

==Tournaments==

===Seniors Final: Corn Setanta (The Setanta Cup)===

The 12 competitors competing in this category qualify as the four provincial champions and runners-up, the current champion, the 2013 "All Star" goalkeeper and 2 invitationals. In the past competitors have come from USA, Europe and South Africa.

"Corn Setanta ("the sliotar cup)" is awarded to the player who takes the lowest number of pucks. Ties are broken by the distance by which the player's last puck crosses the finish line.

===Comórtas Beirte (Pairs) – Corn Cuailgne (The Cooley Cup) and Corn Na Craoibhe Rua (The Red Branch Cup)===

Shared between the pairing drawn prior to the competition as the pair returning the fewest combined pucks for the course. Record holders still to be clarified! This competition has now been discontinued.

====Camogie Final – (The Camogie Poc Fada Cup)====

There are seven competitors in the Ladies event, although if there is an invitational place/wildcard on offer there may be 8. Presently the current champion, the 4 provincial qualifiers, a qualifier from Co. Louth and a qualifier from Co. Armagh, the latter 2 counties being the hosts. In the past, the invitational/wildcard has gone to the London Cumann.

===The U16 Boys Final – Corn Sheáin Óg Mhic Sheáin (The Young John McShane Cup)===

There are currently only 4 participants in this event, 1 from each of the 4 provincial qualifiers. If the situation occurs where the winner of the All Ireland final is eligible to compete at the same age group the following year he will be asked to return and defend his All Ireland title. To date this has happened twice when the 2011 Under 16 champion (Cillian Kiely of Offaly) successfully retained the All Ireland title in 2012. This feat was repeated by his brother Cathal, the 2016 champion, who also retained his title in 2017.

==History==
The tournament was founded in 1960 by Fr. Pól Mac Sheáin and the Naomh Moninne club based in Fatima, [[Dundalk]], [[Louth GAA|Louth]], with the first All Ireland event taking place in 1961, [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]] man Vincent Godfrey was the first winner, out of 16 hurlers invited. The competition went off the calendar after 1969 before returning in 1981 with 12 competitors.

The concept of the competition originates in the Irish legend of "[[Táin Bó Cuailgne]]" when [[Cúchulainn]], who as the boy Setanta set out from his home at [[Dún Dealgan]] to the King's court at [[Emain Macha]] hitting his sliotar before him and running ahead to catch it as he travelled over the [[Cooley Mountains]].

In 2001 the Poc Fada was held at [[Dundalk Stadium]] (Dundalk Racecourse) due to [[foot-and-mouth disease]] on the [[Cooley Peninsula]], doing two laps of the circuit (2 miles 880 yards / 4,023 metres). The 2005 tournament was won by Albert Shanahan of [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]], with international [[soccer]] player [[Niall Quinn]] (who played for [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] in the 1983 All-Ireland Minor final) also competing.

Almost all of the winners have been from traditional hurling counties, but [[Dinny Donnelly]] ([[Meath GAA|Meath]]), Gerry Goodwin ([[Tyrone GAA|Tyrone]]), Colin Byrne ([[Wicklow GAA|Wicklow]]), Paul Dunne ([[Louth GAA|Louth]]), Mary Henry ([[Westmeath GAA|Westmeath]]), 2009 champion Gerry Fallon ([[Roscommon GAA|Roscommon]]) and 2010 champion [[Graham Clarke (hurler)|Graham Clarke]] ([[Down GAA|Down]]) have been exceptions. The record currently stands at 48 pucks (an average of 104 metres per puck), achieved by [[Brendan Cummins (Tipperary hurler)|Brendan Cummins]] (Tipperary) in 2004. The current record for the Camogie course is held by Patricia Jackman of Waterford when in 2013 she completed the course in 27 pocs and 7 metres (over the end line). Traditionally the most successful competitors have generally been goalkeepers, owing to the need for goalkeepers to puck the ball far up the field in a game of hurling but increasingly there are more "outfield" Hurlers and Camogs out qualifying their goalkeeping contemporaries at county and provincial final level.

===Poc Fada Hall of Fame===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:silver;"
! Name
! County
! Number of Wins
! Years
|-
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 9
| 2004, 2006–08, 2011–15
|-
| Liam Barry
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 7
| 1984–90
|-
| [[Patricia Jackman]]
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 7
| 2009–15
|-
| Cillian Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 4
| Under 16 2011-12. Senior 2018-19
|-
| Molly Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 4
| Under 16 2017. Senior 2021-23
|-
|}

===Roll of Honour===

===Poc Fada Seniors===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:silver;"
! Year
! Winner
! County
! Number of pucks
|-
| 1961
| Vincent Godfrey
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 52
|-
| 1962
| [[Ollie Walsh]]
| [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]
|  67
|-
| 1963
| Ollie Walsh<br />Tom Geary<br />[[Dinny Donnelly]]
| [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]<br />[[Waterford GAA|Waterford]]<br />[[Meath GAA|Meath]]
|  70
|-
| 1964
| Oliver Gough
| [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]
|  
|-
| 1965
| [[Denis Murphy (Cork hurler)|Denis Murphy]]
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1966
| Finbar O'Neill
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
|  
|-
| 1967
| Finbar O'Neill
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
|  
|-
| 1968
| Finbar O'Neill
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
|  
|-
| 1969
| Liam Tobin
| [[Waterford GAA|Waterford]]
|  
|-
| 1970–80
|colspan="3" align="center"| ''Eleven-year hiatus''
|-
| 1981
| [[Pat Hartigan]]
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 
|-
| 1982
| Gerry Goodwin
| [[Tyrone GAA|Tyrone]]
| 
|-
| 1983
| Pat Hartigan
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 
|-
| 1984
| [[Ger Cunningham]]
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1985
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1986
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1987
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1988
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1989
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1990
| Ger Cunningham
| [[Cork GAA|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 1991
| [[Tommy Quaid]]
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 
|-
| 1992
| Albert Kelly
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 
|-
| 1993
| Albert Kelly
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 
|-
| 1994
| Michael Shaughnessy
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 
|-
| 1995
| Michael Shaughnessy
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 
|-
| 1996
| Michael Shaughnessy
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 
|-
| 1997
| Colin Byrne
| [[Wicklow GAA|Wicklow]]
| 
|-
| 1998
| Albert Kelly
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 
|-
| 1999
| [[Davy Fitzgerald]]
| [[Clare GAA|Clare]]
| 
|-
| 2000
| Colin Byrne
| [[Wicklow GAA|Wicklow]]
| 50
|-
| 2001
| Albert Shanahan
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 49 §
|-
| 2002
| Davy Fitzgerald
| [[Clare GAA|Clare]]
| 52
|-
| 2003
| Paul Dunne
| [[Louth GAA|Louth]]
| 54
|-
| 2004
| [[Brendan Cummins (Tipperary hurler)|Brendan Cummins]]
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 48
|-
| 2005
| Albert Shanahan
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 58
|-
| 2006
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 52
|-
| 2007
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 49
|-
| 2008
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 49
|-
| 2009
| Gerry Fallon
| [[Roscommon GAA|Roscommon]]
| 60 (strong wind)
|-
| 2010
| [[Graham Clarke (hurler)|Graham Clarke]]
| [[Down GAA|Down]]
| 51
|-
| 2011
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 50
|-
| 2012
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 39 §
|-
| 2013
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 51
|-
| 2014
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 54
|-
| 2015
| Brendan Cummins
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 57 
|-
| 2016
| [[James McInerney (hurler)|James McInerney]]
| [[Clare GAA|Clare]]
| 50
|-
| 2017
| [[Tadhg Haran]]
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 51
|-
| 2018
| Cillian Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
|48
|-
| 2019
| Cillian Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 49
|-
| 2020
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
| 2021
| Colin Ryan 
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 21 §
|-
| 2022
| Killian Phelan
| [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]
| 49
|-
| 2023
| Fionan Mackessy
| [[Kerry GAA|Kerry]]
| 48
|-
| 
|
|}

§ short course 2001 – took place at the Dundalk Racecourse (two and a half-mile) due to foot-and-mouth disease.
§ Less mountainous course 2012 – The Senior Men's competition was played over the "Lower" course due to the prevailing weather conditions on Finals' Day. They started at the {{cvt|2.14|km}} course start line pucking to "An Gábhlan" and back to the start line where they turned and repeated the course for a second time. The course distance was {{cvt|4.24|km}}.
§ short course 2021 – the women's/juvenile course was used due to heavy [[fog]] on the mountains.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gaa.ie/hurling/news/colin-ryan-crowned-m-donnelly-gaa-all-ireland-poc-fada-champion/|title=Colin Ryan crowned M Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada champion|website=gaa.ie}}</ref> 

====Camogie Poc Fada since 2004====

Uses a shorter course of just 2 stages from "An Fhana Mór" to "An Gabhlan" and back, a distance of 2.14&nbsp;km (1.33 miles). The current record for the Camogie course is held by Patricia Jackman of Waterford when in 2013 she completed the course in 27 pocs and 7 metres (over the end line). {{Dubious-span|date=March 2025|'not available'? why is it here then?|text=Lyndsey Condell of Carlow's record stood from 2008 until 2013 when she completed the course in 28 pocs and 67 metres (over the end line) – Scoresheet not available online but has been verified.}}{{By whom|date=March 2025}} Catriona Daly (Galway) finishing 2nd to Patricia in 2013 with 28 pocs and 17.5m is in third place. Mary Henry of Westmeath in fourth place with 28 pocs and 4 metres (over the end line) in 2006.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:silver;"
! Year
! Winner
! County
! Number of pucks
|-
| 2004
| Stephanie Gannon
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 32
|-
| 2005
| Denise Lynch
| [[Clare GAA#Camogie|Clare]]
| 30
|-
| 2006
| Mary Henry
| [[Westmeath GAA#Camogie|Westmeath]]
| 28
|-
| 2007
| Lyndsey Condell
| [[Carlow GAA#Camogie|Carlow]]
| 30
|-
| 2008
| {{Dubious-span|date=March 2025|'not available'? why is it here then?|text=Lyndsey Condell}}
| [[Carlow GAA#Camogie|Carlow]] 
| {{Dubious-span|date=March 2025|'not available'? why is it here then?|text=28}}
|-
| 2009
| [[Patricia Jackman]]
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 29
|-
| 2010
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 28
|-
|| 2011
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 28
|-
|| 2012
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 29
|-
|| 2013
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 27
|-
|-
|| 2014
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 29
|-
|| 2015
| Patricia Jackman
| [[Waterford GAA#Camogie|Waterford]]
| 27
|-
| 2016
| [[Aoife Murray]]
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 27
|-
| 2017
| [[Susan Earner]]
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 26
|-
| 2018
| Susan Earner
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 24
|-
| 2019
| Catriona Daly
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 24
|-
| 2020
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
| 2021
| Molly Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 28
|-
| 2022
| Molly Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 
|-
| 2023
| Molly Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 24
|}

====Boys (Under 16)====

Uses the same course as the Camogie finalists.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:silver;"
! Year
! Winner
! County
! Number of pucks
|-
| 2007
| Aaron Murphy
| [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]]
| 24
|-
| 2008
| Eamon Murphy
| [[Waterford GAA|Waterford]]
| 26
|-
| 2009
| Noel Fallon
| [[Roscommon GAA|Roscommon]]
| 25
|-
| 2010
| Owen Treacy
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 25
|-
| 2011
| Cillian Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 24
|-
| 2012
| Cillian Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 22
|-
| 2013
| Jack Coyne
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 25
|-
| 2014
| Donal McKernan
| [[Antrim GAA|Antrim]]
| 26
|-
| 2015
| Shaun Murray
| [[Waterford GAA|Waterford]]
| 25
|-
|2016
| Cathal Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 22
|-
|2017
| Cathal Kiely
| [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]]
| 22
|-
|2018
| Kyle Shelly
| [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]]
| 22
|-
|2019
| Patrick Burke
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 24
|-
| 2020
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
|2021
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
|2022
| Darragh Smith
| [[Westmeath GAA|Westmeath]]
| 24
|-
|2023
| Sean Kelly
| [[Galway GAA|Galway]]
| 24
|}

====Girls U16 Camogie Poc Fada since 2015====

Uses the same course as the Camogie finalists.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background:silver;"
! Year
! Winner
! County
! Number of pucks
|-
| 2015
| Sarah Healy
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 32
|-
| 2016
| Sarah Healy
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 28
|-
| 2017
| Molly Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 31
|-
| 2018
| Maeve Muldoon
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 27
|-
| 2019
| Katie Gilchrist
| [[Galway GAA#Camogie|Galway]]
| 27
|-
| 2020
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
| 2021
| colspan="3" | ''Cancelled due to [[COVID-19 pandemic]]''
|-
| 2022
| Lucy Lynch
| [[Cork GAA#Camogie|Cork]]
| 28
|-
| 2023
| Tiarná Kelly
| [[Derry GAA#Camogie|Derry]]
| 29
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://www.anpocfada.net An Poc Fada.net – The Poc Fada portal for News, History, Pictures and Results]
* [http://www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/getting-involved/poc-fada The Poc Fada on gaa.ie]
* [http://www.gaa.ie/search/?q=Poc+Fada+ GAA Poc Fada]

==External links==
* [http://www.gaa.ie/my-gaa/getting-involved/poc-fada The Poc Fada on gaa.ie]
* [https://www.facebook.com/GAA-Poc-Fada-288723721314521/ GAA Poc Fada on Facebook]
* [https://twitter.com/GAAPocFada GAA Poc Fada on Twitter]
* [https://www.myclubshop.ie/ MD My Club Shop GAA Poc Fada Official Sponsor]
* [http://www.anpocfada.net An Poc Fada.net – The Poc Fada portal for News, History, Pictures and Results]

{{Hurling}}
{{Ladies' Gaelic games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poc Fada Championship}}
[[Category:All-Ireland Hurling Championships]]