Hundreds to descend on Pairc Na Magha this weekend for Seán Mellon Festival

Pairc Na Magha will once again be awash with colour, laughter and sunshine this weekend as teams from across the country visit in honour of the late, and undoubtedly great Seán Mellon.

Seán, one of the founding members of Na Magha CLG, spent over 50 years coaching hurling and camogie in Derry and beyond, sadly passed away in November, 2021, but the club have ensured he will never be forgotten.

Last year Na Magha held the inaugural Seán Mellon Festival in honour of his legacy on a day when hundreds took to the pitches at Pairc Na Magha for a day of fun competition and great memories for everyone.

The festival is now a highlight in the Na Magha calendar and the excitement has been building for some time for this year’s event.

“Seán was really a stalwart for hurling in the city,” organiser Daryl Conolly explained. “If it wasn’t for Seán, we mightn’t even have a Na Magha team. Seán would have taught in schools as well and he would have encouraged every kid he could in Derry City if they got the chance, to lift a hurling stick and play hurling. It’s a massive tribute to Seán and his family that we’re pulling teams from all over Ulster as well as Blackrock from Cork, who will come up to celebrate the Seán Mellon hurling Festival this weekend.”

There were countless ways that Na Magha could have paid tribute to Seán, and Daryl explains how important it was that the club did so in a manner which the an himself would have liked.

“Seán would never have wanted a pitch or a clubhouse or anything to be named after him,” he added. “Seán was all about hurling and you can just imagine him looking down over Pairc Na Magha this Saturday as he did last year and seeing the U11.5 hurlers playing the game he loved. Seán dedicated his life to hurling so he would be immensely proud of the work Gerry has done, and all the coaches that continue to bring hurling to young kids throughout the city.”

As part of the festival, teams from Derry, Donegal, Antrim and even Cork will be in attendance once again, showing just how far Seán’s reach went in the sport of hurling and camogie.

“Seán is known far and wide and wherever you are across Ulster, there are people who know Seán Mellon,” Daryl continued.

“Seán would have attended games throughout Ulster and he would have been down in Cork every year so he had massive links throughout the hurling and GAA worlds. Last year, there were 16 teams playing in the tournament, from all over Ulster and top teams from Antrim, Tyrone and Derry as well as Cork so it is a massive tribute to what he brought to kids throughout the city.”

Let the games begin

The hours are counting down quickly as anticipation builds for Saturday, with all hands to the pump to ensure another successful festival of hurling in honour of the man who was heart and soul of Na Magha CLG.

“There’s a real buzz about the club at the minute,” Daryl agreed. “I suppose the first thing everybody looks at is the weather. Last year it was amazing and thankfully this year it’s going to be the same. We’re just going through the final preparations at the minute.

“Gerry Matthews has coordinated and organised the majority of it and he has a massive checklist of everything that has to be done, from referees and umpires to a pipe band from Falcarragh who will lead the kids out onto the pitch. The Blackrock contingent will arrive on Friday night and interestingly, a couple of fellas from their club are actually cycling all the way from Cork to Derry.  It’s really impressive and a great way to raise money and a great way to raise the profile of this weekend.”