Waterford Hurling (now incorporating intermediate football) 2013 and subsequent years

Sport
5693

Two categories Iā€™m interested in are the former county grounds that have fallen on hard times and the former familar league grounds which you donā€™t really see any more.

Examples of former county grounds that have fallen on hard times are:
Castleblayney
St. Molaise Park, Irvinestown
Tuam Stadium
Athlone
Ballinascreen

Examples of former familiar League names youā€™d not see much now are:
St. Brendanā€™s Park, Birr
Davitt Park, Lurgan
Bellefield, Enniscorthy
New Ross
Geraldine Park, Athy
Nenagh
St. Patrickā€™s Park, Newcastle (Down)
Kilmallock
Tulla (the daddy of them all - you knew Clare were serious when theyā€™d bring a team to Tulla)
Miltown Malbay
Ballina
Dundalk

Iā€™ve a notion Meath very occasionally played League matches in Kells and Mayo in Charlestown but I could be dreaming that up.

5694

Thereā€™s such great respect between Wexford & Kilkenny hurling people, we used to regularly concede home venue & allow our league games to be played in Oā€™Kennedy Park, New Ross. Iā€™ve vague childhood memories of attending league games there alright. Probably when the league would start in November of one calendar year & continue into the new year.

5695

I saw Waterford playing Wexford in New Ross circa 1983. The cunts brought us to Gorey as often as not.

5696

Returned in spades over the years with your footballers bringing Wexford to Fraher Field or Leamybrien. :grimacing:

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5697

I donā€™t know what the situation is in other counties but Waterford has two county grounds. Walsh Park was declared a county ground by the CB in 1943 and Fraher Field in 1975. My assumption is a county ground is a ground owned by a county board as opposed to a club and used for the playing of inter county league and championship matches and county finals. Oā€™Toole Park is owned by the Dublin CB but doesnā€™t host county games or club finals so probably isnā€™t a county ground.
Conversely Fitzgerald Stadium isnā€™t owned by the Kerry CB.

I mentioned the All Ireland as a point of interest only with regard to Fraher Field. In fact it has hosted four All Irelands more so than any ground outside Croke Park.
As regards Walsh Park it regularly hosted Kilkenny Wexford matches which was eminently sensible when it was known as Waterford Sportsfield. Many locals still refer to it as The Sportsfield rather than Walsh Park. In those days Tipperary used to refuse to play there because the Sportsfield hosted other sports.

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5698

A lovely day out in the Comeraghs for ye.

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5699

Clonmel was a very sensible choice for Tipperary Waterford matches back in the day rather than dragging us up to Thurles. I have also been to Waterford Tipp league games in Carrick on Suir and Nenagh. There was a Tipp Waterford league game in Nenagh circa 20 years ago to celebrate the centenary of the North Tipp board.
Cloughjordan was also a regular venue on the league circuit in Tipp.
In Cork aside from Pairc Ui Rinn league games were regularly brought to Fermoy.
In Waterford League games have been played in Cappoquin, Lismore and Portlaw in my time. I saw the footballers play Carlow in the 70s in the League in the now defunct Waterford Crystal sports grounds.

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5700

Limerick footballers played in Askeaton for a long time, which made a pile of sense since itā€™s only us lads out west who cared.
Then they moved to NCW the odd time and now to Fortress Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale* where they play all their home league games.

Limerick have played league hurling games in Killmallock fairly recently.

I was at league hurling games vs Wexford and Galway in the 97 league which were played in Enniscorthy and Athenry respectively.

*Kind of an inverted fortress in that would be invaders are safer inside the walls

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5701

The pitch at the back of the stand in the Fraher field is the pitch the All Irelandā€™s were played on as far as I know.

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5702

Around the time of Sheedyā€™s first stint, Tipp hurlers played in Nenagh and Cashel in the league. They also won a Waterford Crystal in Templemore in one of those years.

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5703

Ashbourne for Meath. Probably going back further for Kells Iā€™d say.

5704

Tipperary hammered the fuck out of Wexford in Nenagh one day with Redser running amuck on a hapless full back line.

It was a highlight of the Michael Doyle era.

5705

Gorey suited no one.

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5706

I saw Waterford play Antrim in an All Ireland Minor Quarter Final in Ashbourne in 2013. One of the Antrm fellas got a very bad injury and the game was held up for a long time while they waited for an ambulance. We all went into the clubhouse and watched the All Ireland qualifier between Cork and Kilkenny. It was the day Henry Shefflin got sent off for two yellow cards and Kilkenny got it overturned after.

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5707

Iā€™m nearly sure it had only opened around that time. A hot bed for Camogie and Ladies Football now I see.

5708

It had the look and feel of something that had been built as a planning condition for a Celtic Tiger housing development.

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5709

I have hazy recollections of Spellman Park in Kildavin holding a Carlow league match back in the late 1980ā€™s to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Cardinal Spellman.

@Fitzy would be the oracle on all matters Kildavin related and would probably have the exact specifics.

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5710

I was on a Waterford minor football team that played Carlow in the South Leinster Football League at Brother Leo Park in Tullow.

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5711

Iā€™d have a mate from inside the Wexford border who captains their B team. Thereā€™s a few lads from inside the border who play madly enough. Same with Tullogher/Rosbercon. Lads from Wexford playing beside Wally Walsh in the Kilkenny championship.
Asked my mate about Carlow playing in Kildavin, said they played a few games there alright. Late 80ā€™s is right. Played Wexford twice.

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5712

I attended a Kerry senior hurlers league match v Meath in Trim a few years back

Wonder Meath play there a lot?

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