Poc Fada is Irish for long puck. An All-Ireland Poc Fada Championship is held annually to test the distance hitting skills of the top hurlers.
The concept of the competition originates in the Irish legend of Tain Bo Cuailgne when Cuchulainn, who as the boy Setanta set out from his home to the King s court at Emain Macha hitting his sliotar before him and running ahead to catch it. The current course is 5 km.
The tournament was founded in 1960 by Fr. Pol Mac Sheain and the Naomh Moninne club based in Fatima, Dundalk, Louth, with the first All Ireland event taking place in 1961. The competition went off the calendar after 1969 before returning in 1981.
The Senior men complete the full circuit (4 stages). the Camogie contestants poc to An Gabhlan and back again (2 stages) 2.5 km. The boys u16 poc to An Gabhlan and back again (2 stages) 2.5 km.
Competitors must puck a sliotar with a hurley (they may lift and strike or hit the ball from the hand).
They play to the top of Carn an Mhadaidh (Co Louth) and after a short break continue back down to finish in Aghameen. The whole course measures over 5 Km. An Corn Cuailgne ( The Cooley Cup ) is awarded (like golf) to the player who takes the lowest number of pucks to complete the course.
Ties are broken by the distance by which the player s last puck crosses the finish line.
There is also the comortas beirte (pairs competition) in which the competitors are randomly assigned partners, the pair with the lowest combined score winning An Corn Setanta (The Setanta Cup) and the Corn na Craoibhe Rua ( The Trophy of the Red Mountain ).
