As far as I know, there is, but like all rules, they can be bent.
There certainly is, and my understanding is it is generally rigidly stuck to. In this scenario discussed here though these lads are moving from a club out on the border with Roscommon, to a club 40 miles away in the city. The city would obviously have a more relaxed parish rule, but even still I believe these transfers caused significant issues because the address provided in the transfer forms was within the boundary of another junior club in the city.
There are 2 or 3 clubs with a reputation for taking strays from other clubs in the county, needless to say neither the clubs nor the players who transfer ever tend to achieve much. But there are others on here I am sure who would be better informed on all these things.
Have there been many big moves in Kilkenny down through the years?
There is and it’s generally gospel. A lad in my club was blocked from transferring at u16. Dropped out, came back at minor.
It’s bent by people giving addresses in the new parish but thered be a close eye kept on it.
Most people in rural galway know to the house, or actually tree or stone where the parish extends to because of this. There have been a few cases due to disagreements of people just starting at underage with a club that they border with, generally if that happens nothing is said.
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I think it only raises it’s head of one party feels aggrieved.
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There are plenty of examples of the parish rule being blatantly ignored. Craughwell has had quite a number of underage hurlers from the parish of Athenry. This is probably due to families that lived close to the border falling out with the club, and moving lock and stock to the neighbouring club as a result. On the other side, St. Mary’s have gladly received players from Killimordaly. I may have referenced it here previously, but Brian Hanley would be from the parish linked to Killimordaly, but he always played with St. Mary’s. AFAIK, this goes back to a dispute his uncles had when playing for Killimordaly (one of whom is Tom Donoghue, who won an AI with Offaly in the 80s against his native Galway), and they moved to St. Mary’s.
The Heleberts in Ballindereen are another good example. Tom and Christy both played senior IC with Galway, but ended up in neighbouring clubs over a falling out. What you should be taking from all of this is that the level of infighting and squabbling in Galway is nauseating at times, and it’s probably a reason why we win nothing.
Ballygar is not an isolated case of a hurling club in football country. Sylane is another example. It’s a small village with a hurling tradition in between Tuam and Kilconly. Kevin Brady, who played with Castlegar, is a Sylane man originally (edit with thanks to @Keadyshouldhaveplayedin89).
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I do not want to seem to be knocking, even indirectly, two young men. But I am curious how such a scenario transpired – if there is a parish rule. But I guess you have answered the query in advance: supplying a city address.
So far as I know, Castlegar are a city club. Can you play for any city club if resident in Galway City? Is there a parish rule in the city? Or does the Junior club involved in this case wrinkle the transfer pitch, due to a parish rule in the city?
There were various attempts over the years to enforce a parish rule among the three city clubs in Kilkenny. The roster is Dicksboro (St Canice’s Parish and St Mary’s Parish), James Stephens (St Patrick’s Parish) and O’Loughlin Gaels (St John’s Parish).
Back in the 1980s and the 1990s, there was an attempt to compel all young fellas to hurl, until U16 at least, with the club attached to the parish in which any young fella resided. What happened is that many young fellas simply transferred at 17. I know of at least one case where a promising young hurler did not hurl during his final year at U16, due to strong family attachment to a city club other than the one attached to where he resided. The year after, he transferred to his favoured club. That rule, in practical terms, proved futile.
So there is now no parish rule in Kilkenny City. Once resident in any of those four parishes, you can hurl for any of the three city clubs. Aside from established family loyalty, the biggest factor in choice is by far the national school a young fella attends. There applies otherwise in the county a strict parish rule, with the exception of derogation because of attendance at a particular national school.
You almost never get a prospect moving club in Kilkenny (Seán Meally would be a possible exception). There is no culture of this gambit and the idea is frowned upon. Then again, hardly any clubs in the county play below Division 3, which is Junior. The exceptions would be Carrigeen and Threecastles. Any prospect with Carrigeen could hurl in Division 3, with Mooncoin, and any prospect with Threecastles would hurl in Division 2, with St Lachtain’s.
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Did that Paul Kimmage thing on Athenry get solved that time it did?
It’s the generational level of the feuding, often over something trivial that never ceases to amaze
I’ve no idea mate. There hasn’t been a peep about it in Galway since, so I’d imagine it did. @HBV had the key driving force behind it pegged and referenced it here.
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AFAIK, there is theoretically a parish rule in the city, but the boundaries are blurred. Intra city transfers would be very rare however, but there’s less of an issue where you start.
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Castlegar are a city club now, possibly, but not always. I know of multiple cases of people who live(d) in Castlegar playing for Liam Mellowes, because “fuck Castlegar”.
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Good post, but the Kevin Brady you referenced actually played dual for Galway.
He was a gifted underage hurler.
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Thanks very much for that information, which I find fascinating. I was aware of Kevin Brady – a key man when Galway beat Kilkenny in the 2005 U21 AIF – and of how Sylane operates.
These days, I presume young players in Galway can derogate on basis of national school attendance. But this rule obviously did not apply before the 1990s – not in Kilkenny, at any rate. So ‘fallings out’ were a driver in past decades, obviously, which is why it is good to have only one club in a parish, because this arrangement makes a ‘swing swong’ dynamic for troublesome players within a parish impossible. I guess in the past people just let certain people transfer because they both wanted rid of each other.
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Parish rules will be gone everywhere in next few years.
Even in rural areas only auld lads know exactly the boundaries.
From what I remember of Mellows club winning team or 2017. They had lads from all over the city and even as far away as Kinvora hurling for them that year.
I would have the boundary of Castlegar and Liam Mellows as the roundabout at the now scandalously derelict Corrib Great Southern Hotel. Cashel get everything east of that traditionally.
Yes, my sense is that club loyalty is Galway City is strong.
The parish allegiance issue in Kilkenny City is now much less sharp because all three city clubs are a strong Senior outfit. Back when only James Stephens counted as a strong Senior outfit, the topic was more edgy.
It’s even more egregious in Galway city, if that’s the word. Salthill knocknacarra tried to get planning permission for a major complex about a km away from Rahoon Newcastle, who rightly really were deeply unhappy. S/K have a huge selection compared to RHN, a ground which can only be got to really by driving, and has a far more scattered population with three pretty small national schools, one of which may actually in fact be in moycullen.
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That comment is utter rubbish.
Oranmore would be lurking there too
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