20/01/2012

One of the biggest events in the GAA calendar is to return to Derry-Londonderry next year as part of the City of Culture celebrations. Féile Peile na nÓg, a four-day all-Ireland football championship for Under-14s, will bring in tens of thousands of visitors to the city and county, from all over the island and beyond.

Today’s announcement is the first in a series of commitments the GAA will be making to mark Derry-Londonderry’s City of Culture status.
The Feile was first staged in the city in 2010, when it was acclaimed as “one of the most successful showcasings” of the event. And the decision by the National Feile Committee to allow Derry to host it for a second time in three years is a unique honour.

More than 30,000 players and supporters from the 32 counties of Ireland, Britain, Europe and USA visited Derry for the 2010 Féile to cheer on 160 teams in one of the island’s largest youth sporting events.
A crowd of 15,000 people took part in, or watched, the opening parade of players, and mentors sporting their club colours and banners.
Chairman of Derry GAA Events Committee 2013, Patsy Mullan, said he and fellow Gaels from Derry, were delight to host the Feile once again.
“It is a huge celebration of the contribution of our youth and is a festival we hope everyone will join in,” he explained.
“Féile Dhoire 2010 was one of the most successful GAA events ever held within our county and there is great anticipation in hosting the event for a second time in 2013.
“The Féile is just one of a number of high profile events that we will be bringing to the city and the wider county, celebrating the wealth of the Gaelic culture within the GAA.  And we will be announcing our full programme for 2013 at a special event to be held in the city next month.”
City of Culture Chief Executive, Shona McCarthy, said it was “tremendous” to have secured such a prestigious international youth event for 2013.
“It's great to hear that the Féile will be taking place in Derry in 2013,” she said.
“It's a fantastic event that brings young people together and engages communities.
“We are very happy that the GAA is engaging with the City of Culture project and look forward to hearing details of their full programme of events for 2013 when it is announced next month."
Derry County Board Chairman John Keenan echoed that enthusiasm: “Hosting the Féile in 2010 was a great experience that gave all the clubs in Derry the opportunity to participate in this famous festival of fun and friendship. It was truly a memorable weekend – and we’re keen to repeat that winning formula.
“The parade, and colour, of thousands of boys and girls through the streets of Derry, coupled with the multitude of games at numerous venues across the county was marvellous. And the opportunity to host this event again will only enhance Derry’s City of Culture year in 2013 - it was one we couldn’t afford to miss.”
GAA President Christy Cooney, whose term of office will end in April of this year, said that the 2010 Féile was one of the highlights of his time as Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael and he was happy to hear that the event will returning to the Oak Leaf County in 2013.
“Féile Peile na nÓg 2010 was truly one of the most memorable events of my tenure as Uachtarán and I am pleased to hear that the Féile will be returning to Derry for the City of Culture celebrations in 2013.
“The sense of friendship and celebration that pervaded the atmosphere in 2010 was truly uplifting. And I’m sure that 2013 will see Derry raise the bar even higher when it hosts the Féile for a second time alongside the many other GAA events that are planned to take place in the city and county, when Derry itself is celebrating its own cultural identity through the City of Culture 2013 celebrations.”
From a tourism perspective, the Feile is expected to generate more than 10,000 overnight stays in the region and will accrue more than £2million for the local economy.

 

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