Always a special occasion on the Galway Hockey Club calendar, this year’s Swan Cup tournament marked its 30th anniversary.
Founded by the late Larry Swan, a well-known hockey enthusiast and yachtsman in Galway, the tournament began in 1991 as a fun team-building exercise.
Larry Swan’s vision was to hold a tournament mixing players of all ages - from u16s to veterans - both male and female. And last week that team spirit was alive and well in Dangan when families and friends joined forces to once again hold this cherished competition.
There were fathers and daughters, aunties and sons, all combining to make this 30th anniversary another memorable occasion. Alan Stephens played alongside his daughter Kate and son Tom; Dermot Nolan was joined on Team Blue by his sons Jack and Cian, while Martin Hughes’s team also included daughter Ellie and son Harry. John Folan played on Team Green with his sister Norah and daughter Ailbhe.
Paul O’Dowd of Galway Hockey Club says one of the great things about hockey is that the rules and umpiring ensure the emphasis is on passing, skill and control, rather than on physical contact - allowing 15-year-olds to play on the same side as 30-year-olds, and golden oldies. And this year Irish Masters international goalkeeper Martin White togged out.
Each team comprises two veterans, two senior men and two senior women, with the remainder of the team coming from the U16 ranks. And O’Dowd says some rules are applied to “level the playing field”, such as the “showboating will be penalised” and “passing by push only”.
“Essentially everyone contributes and participates on an equal level. The emphasis is always on the fun side of things, but it does get competitive for the business end of the tournament.”
This year’s competition, sponsored by Hennelly Finance and Irish Life Health, came down to Team Green versus Team Blue, with the Greens winning on penalty strokes after the sides could not be separated in normal time.
Club president Dermot Nolan presented awards to Michael Brennan, Eugene O’Donnell, and Nicola Van Der Walt in recognition of their contributions to the development of the club over the decades, also paying tribute to referees Ann Dempsey and Michael Brennan.
The Player of the Tournament awards were Martin Hughes (veteran ), Holly Comer (senior ladies ), Cian Nolan (senior men ) and Anna Burns (junior ).
