Irish Tug of War

The finale of the ladies leagues took place yesterday in front of a huge crowd in the Galway gaeltacht village of Leitir Mor. The day was a big success and was one of the biggest day’s for ladies Tug of War in the history of the association.

Connemara, gold medallists in the 435kg league

The teams who competed were, Ballinagh, Boyneside, Canavans, Connemara, Cleggan, Doyles Corner, Renvyle and Tatch Bar. Four teams took part in round 4 of the ladies 435 league. The strong Tatch Bar team from Ballygar, Co. Galway pulled well to finish top with maximum points. The hosting club, Connemara finished in second place with 9 points but did enough to win the gold medal overall with a total of 40 points. Tatch Bar won the silver medal while Boyneside from Edenderry won the bronze medal.

Ballinagh, silver medallists in the 405kg league

Five teams took part in round 4 of the 405kg league. Once again the Ballygar ladies were very strong with their A & B teams finishing joint top on 15 points each. Ballinagh were close behind on 14 points. Tatch Bar A won the overall gold medal in the 405kg league. Ballinagh from Co. Cavan won the silver medal. The bronze medal was not presented on the day due to complaints from a number of teams which need further investigation.

Tatch Bar, gold medallists in the 560kg competition

The development of ladies Tug of War this year was evident as six teams competed in the 8-a-side non-championship 560kg competition. This was the first 8-a-side ladies competition in many years and to have six teams taking part was a big success. The semi final pairings were Ballinagh versus Tatch Bar and Connemara versus Renvyle with Commemara and Tatch Bar progressing to the final. Connemara who were cheered on by their vocal home support pulled very well winning rope in each end but there was no stopping the Ballygar team as they went on to win the gold medal in straight ends. Ballinagh also overcame Renvyle in straight ends to win the bronze medal.

See full results from yesterday’s ladies finale on our Results page.

See final league tables on our Ladies Development page.

Click here to see photos from yesterday’s ladies finale in Leitir Mor (note: there are two pages of photos).

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Excitment is building in the gaeltacht village of Leitir Mor, Connemara, Co. Galway as they prepare to host the final rounds of the ladies 405kg & 435kg leagues this coming Sunday.

Development squad, UK open club silver medallists

There will also be a non-championship 560kg 8-a-side ladies competition as well as non-championship men’s novice 680kg and catchweight competitions taking place on the day. Weigh-in is from 11:30 – 12:30 with first pull at 1:30pm.

Click here to see the league tables as they stand.

Nuacht TG4 visited the Connemara ladies training ground as they prepare for Sunday championship. Click here to see the report from this evening’s Nuacht TG4. (Note: Tug of War featured 4:15 into the clip)

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Day six of the national outdoor championship was held in glorious sunshine at the Tullow Agricultural today where a very large crowd enjoyed some top class pulling. The teams who competed were Ballinagh, Ballygar, Boley, Clonmines, Donoughmore, Doyles Corner, Fairywater, Glenhill, Gortletteragh, Harps, Killylough, Killoughey, Mountain View, Rocky’s, Saltmills & Slaneysiders.

Killylough, national senior champions at 580kg

The 560kg championship was this year replaced with 580kg as this is the representing weight at the World Championships in South Africa. Eight teams took part in this competition. There was very little between the teams in this event with Killylough, Boley, Fairywater & Gortletteragh qualifing for the semi finals as Slaneysiders just missing out. Killylough easily overcame Fairywater in the first semi final as Gortletteragh had to dig deep to defeat Boley in the second semi final.

Donoughmore, national Div 2 champions at 580kg

The final between Killylough and Gortletteragh, a repeat of the 600kg final earlier in the season was a high quality affair with the first end lasting over ten minutes. However, the experience of the Monaghan team proved to be the difference as they went on to win the gold medal, their second national title of the season. The seven man Boley team dug deep to defeat Fairywater to win the bronze medal. The Div 2 final was an all Cork affair between Donoughmore & Glenhill as Ballygar who were pulling with 7 men just missed out on a place in the final. Donoughmore who have been very strong over the last few seasons added another national title to their collection with a straight end victory over their neighbors.

Killoughey, national champions at 600kg novice

Seven teams competed in the 600kg novice championship and again there was very little between the teams in this competition as Killoughey, Ballinagh, Rocky’s & Saltmills qualified for the semi finals. The first semi final was an entertaining battle between Cavan neighbors, Ballinagh & Rocky’s with Rocky’s having the edge to qualify for their first final of the season. Killoughey edged out Saltmills to join them in the final. Killoughey who have had an amazing first season at national level produced another excellent display to win the gold medal to add to their 640kg gold and two silvers at 680kg & 720kg. PJ Bracken for ITOWA coach of the year? Saltmills edged out Ballinagh in the third and deciding end to win the bronze medal.

Ballinagh, winners of the novice intermediate league

Ballinagh and Clonmines battled it out in the fourth and final round of the 655kg novice intermediate league. Clonmines battled hard winning a few meters of rope in both ends but Ballinagh showed a huge level of determination to win the contest and the overall league. Well done to the Cavan team who were crowned novice intermediate league champions. Mountain View pulled well to win the final round of the 6-a-side youth league but it was not enough as Clonmines who had done enough in earlier rounds won the overall gold medal.

Mountain View, winners of the final round of the youth league

Mountain View won silver and Ballinagh took the bronze. The youth development squad will now concentrate on the GENSB games which take place in Holland at the end of the month. The final round of the outdoor championship takes place in Lettermore, Connemara, Co. Galway next weekend as the ladies leagues reach their conclusion. There will also be non-championships 680kg and catchweight novice competitions on the day.

See full results on our Results page.

Click here to see photos from Tullow (note: there are two pages of photos)

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Click here to see the final of the 640kg senior championship between Boley and Lakehill held at New Ross last Sunday.

Click here to see the final of the 680kg novice championship between Saltmills (Wexford) and Killoughey (Offaly) also held at New Ross last Sunday.

Thanks to Pat Lee for sending on these videos

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The penultimate outdoor championship of the season took place in New Ross today where nineteen clubs competed, these were, Ballinagh, Ballygar, Ballyhooly, Boyneside, Boley, Bryanstown, Clonmines, Doyles Corner, Glenhill,

Boley, national senior champions at 640kg

Gortletteragh, Harps, Killylough, Killoughey, Lakehill, Mountain View, Rocky’s, Saltmills, Slaneysiders & Stapeltons. The 640kg senior competition was run in one group with ten teams taking part. There was a high standard of pulling in this competition. The teams who qualified for the semi finals were, Boley, Gortletteragh, Lakehill & Mountain View with Killylough just missing out in fifth position. Boley defeated Gortletteragh in the first semi final as Lakehill defeated Mountain View in the other semi to set up a mouth watering final. Boley dropped in well in the first end and never allowed the Lakehill team to settle. Boley won the pull in a time of around three and a half minutes. Lakehill gave it everything in the second end but Boley defended well.

Ballygar, national Div 2 champions at 640kg

The local team’s hunger and determination ensured their third 640kilo title in a row, stamping their authority on Tug of War’s blue ribbon event. Mountain View defeated Gortletteragh to win the bronze medal. Ballygar from Co. Galway maintained their unbeaten record this year as they overcame the challenge of Bryanstown from Co. Wexford in the Div 2 final. Nine teams competed in the 680kg novice competition, the teams who qualified for the semi finals were, Boyneside, Killoughey, Saltmills & Stapeltons. Killoughey defeated their Offaly neighbors, Boyneside in the first semi final as local team, Satlmills overcame Stapeltons from Co. Galway in the other semi final.

Saltmills, national champions at 680kg novice

Killoughey were hoping to add to their 640kg gold but faced a stiff challenge in Saltmills in the final. There was a huge home support as the Wexford men produced an excellent performance to win the gold medal and their first ever national title. Well done to Saltmills. Stapeltons produced a fine display as they defeated Boyneside to win the bronze medal. Another Wexford team, Clonmines, faced Harps from Co. Cork in the final of the U23 600kg competition.

Clonmines, national champions at U23 600kg

Clonmines pulled well and won the title with a straight end victory. Clonmines also qualified for the final of round three of the youth 6-a-side league where they defeated Mountain View to stamp their authority at the top of the table. Well done also to the Ballinagh youth team who pulled well on their first outing at national level. Clonmines rounded off an excellent day for the local clubs as they won round three of the novice intermediate league defeating Ballinagh into second place.

Clonmines, winners of Rnd 3 of the youth league

With two victories for Ballinagh and one for Clonmines its all to play for as the league concludes next Sunday at the Tullow Agricultural show.

See full results on our Results page.

Click here to see photos from New Ross (note: there are two pages of photos) (Thanks to Sean Murray for taking photos).

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