As sporting events emerge from the aftermath of COVID restrictions, the GAA community at large will be delighted to hear that a famed Gaelic football club tournament is back next week.

Rock stars and sports broadcasters will be lining out for the Lidl Comórtas Peile Páidí Ó Sé 2022 taking place all across the Dingle Peninsula from February 25 to the 27.

Dedicated to keeping the spirit alive of the famed Kerry footballing legend Páidí Ó Sé, the festival is a celebration of all that is great about the club game on and off the pitch.

14 counties across the four provinces of Ireland will take part in the 33rd edition of the Lidl Comórtas Peile Páidí Ó Sé, with 20 adult men’s and ladies club teams coming for a weekend of competitive football and social events at Páidí Ó Sé’s pub in Ventry, West Kerry.

Some familiar faces will be lining out over the weekend including The Corona’s frontman Danny O’Reilly with Dublin’s Templeogue GAA as well as Premier Sports TV and Newstalk Off The Ball broadcaster Aisling O’Reilly with County Meath’s Ratoath Ladies.

The football festival, which was cancelled due to COVID-19 in 2021, is supported by Lidl Ireland, McKeever Sports, EJ Menswear, Kerry County Council Tourism Unit, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Lee Strand Milk, and has attracted over 17,000 club players since it was founded in 1989.

“You can’t keep a good thing down," Comórtas Chairman, Pádraig Óg Ó Sé, said. "We are thrilled to get back on our feet and maintain Páidí’s vision to host a major GAA club gathering in West Kerry every year. When restrictions opened up, we received a flood of interest from clubs wondering would we be going ahead and we are pleased to have secured club representatives from all over Ireland in a matter of weeks.”

Michael Collins, Sales Operations Manager with Lidl Ireland added that they are "delighted to continue our partnership with this year’s Comórtas Peile Páidi Ó Sé for a fifth year".

"We are committed to supporting and promoting women in sport and this sponsorship ties in with our overall strategy, having recently announced an extension of our partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association through to 2025 which brings a total commitment of €10 million investment in 10 years of sponsorship.”

TEAMS

The six team senior ladies’ competition line up includes Ratoath GAA, Meath, Corca Dhuibhne, Kerry, Longford’s Clonguish GAA, Newbridge Sarsfields, Kildare, Caltra GAA, Galway and Ballyroan Abbey GAA, Laois. In the Junior Ladies’ competition, there are two Kerry clubs including Annascaul/Castlegregory Ladies and Dingle Ladies. Dublin is represented through St Vincent’s B Ladies and the group is completed by Mullingar Shamrocks of Westmeath.

The men’s six senior team competition includes Kerry’s Listry, Roscommon’s Padraig Pearses, Mayo’s Castlebar Mitchel’s GAA, Galbally GAA and St Kieran’s GAA from County Limerick and Carberry Rangers of Cork. The Junior Men’s competition includes Tipperary’s Loughmore Castleiney, Arva GAA of Cavan, Kerry’s Lispole and Dublin’s Templeogue Synge Street B.

Full details available on www.paidiose.com.