Fontenoys are tops in Down

Fontenoys are tops in Down

2 July 2025

IN the half-century since Féile na nGael was introduced to the GAA calendar, Liatroim Fontenoys have represented Down in the lower grades of hurling and even collected national titles in camogie.

Last weekend, they proudly represented the county for the first time as the top team in Down hurling, travelling to Wexford on Friday. 

That same evening, Wexford hurling captain and All-star Lee Chin visited the team, posing for photographs and passing on some tips on what to expect.

On Saturday morning, Liatroim took to the Blackwater GLC pitch for the serious matter of the first game against their hosts.

They looked nervous at times, but still finished the first half, with a lead of 4 points. That margin increased at the start of the second half, and the Down champions looked on their way to victory. 

However, during the final quarter, Blackwater went for broke.

A goal lifted them and they got the breaks for two more, forcing a draw at 3-5 to 1-11.

For the second game, management demanded greater focus and effort, and the boys delivered with a superb display of hooking and blocking against Laois champions Camross. 

Despite playing their best hurling however, they still lost to the Leinster side and that meant that the Fontenoys went through to the Plate competition later in the afternoon.

Carlow champions Naomh Bríd were their semi-final opponents and once again, a very intense game ensued ,with few chances to play the expansive hurling that had been a feature of their Down campaign five weeks earlier. 

Nevertheless, the Fontenoys did enough to reach the final, eking a 1-4 to 1-3 victory.

That put them through to a final meeting with Wexford town club Faythe Harriers, which resulted in an intense battle for the tiring legs.

Liatroim and Faythe Harriers traded scores in the first half, going into the break level at 0-3 each. 

The Wexford side had the wind behind them for the second half, and that was just about enough to get them home in a 1-6 to 1-3 scoreline.

The Liatroim Fontenoys club put a huge effort into fundraising and 

planning for the trip, and a large number of friends, family and club-members made the long trip to support the boys.

While the weekend did not pay out in terms of trophies, there is little doubt huge benefits will come from the adventure. 

It was at a national Féile in Wexford in the mid-1980s that the camogie girls from the club won their first national title, and that translated into unprecedented success at senior level within the county, as well as seven provincial and two national club titles over the following two decades.