GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 31 – August 8, 2015 | Page 8

weekend in Edmonton] due to our neighbours Saskatoon
unable to field a team, we came up with the idea of the
Regina 7’s Tournaments,” Costello said.
Interest took hold and the competition has been very
positive.
“We’ve had 2 so far, and as well as Regina Gaels entering teams, we’ve had teams from our sponsors, Shannon’s
pub - an Irish-based local soccer team, Wanderers, and a
plumbing company, Sterling. These teams are made up of
some Gaels players affiliated with the various organisations although we’re all associated with Shannon’s Pub in
some way, and others who try out football and hurling for
the first time on the day.
“They’ve been a tremendous success, as the light hearted
approach attracts more players and supporters on the
day, and have been great occasions for the whole Irish
community in Regina as well as the Gaels,” the Regina
secretary said before adding.
“We’ve captured a community feel through becoming associated with Regina’s new Irish pub, Shannon’s, and with
our local Regina 7’s tournaments.”

Photo courtesy of Regina Gaels.

The Regina Gaels started off with a men’s Gaelic football club but also has a hurling initiative taking root.
The club trains at the city owned Massey Park and block
rents facilities there for the summer months. They train
once a week for both hurling and football. Prior to the
beginning of the outdoor season, the club began preseason work indoors during February and March at a
local school, WH Ford School.

Costello is proud of what has taken place to date with
getting hurling going in the club.

Outdoor play in Regina began this year in mid-April
and ends in September and is very dependent on the
weather as it did not get going last year until the snow
had cleared in May. In April things got going when the
hurlers travelled to Missoula, Montana in the US for

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the Cascade League tournament and McEneaney Cup
in hurling and came away with a very respectable third
place finish.

“2015’s legacy was starting the hurling team, which has
shot up in popularity,” he said.
“Seven of us got together on a February weekend with
-25 degree temperatures and decided to shoot a publicity
video to scope out interest in a hurling team. The video
featured lads trying to play hurling on an ice hockey rink
and in 2 foot of snow on the rugby field.