Aer Lingus in partnership with Etihad Airways, will host the first ever International Hurling Festival in Galway this September. As part of the festival, The Hurling Club of Buenos Aires will travel to Westmeath to play a Westmeath selection in Cusack Park, Mullingar on Tuesday September 17 at 6pm.
Sixteen overseas teams will participate in the overall competition including teams from New York, San Francisco, Canada, the UK, continental Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.
The tournament will also serve as an opportunity to promote the game of hurling in developing regions by including teams such as Buenos Aires, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and a European team made up of non-Irish nationals.
Hernán Magrini Scally of Hurling Club Buenos Aires explained why the trip to Mullingar is so special. “A lot of the big Irish families that came to Argentina in 1860 were from Westmeath, names like Scallys and Gallaghers have all strong Argentinean links. We are delighted to be given the opportunity to travel to Westmeath whilst we are in Ireland to play in the International Hurling Festival.”
The International Hurling Festival will run from Wednesday September 18 to Saturday September 21. For more information log onto www.hurlingfestival.com
