Mayo are this year’s winner of the Gerry Reilly Tournament, beating Cork earlier on a scoreline of 3-13 to 0-06.

The final was held in Clare, and Martin Reilly attended on behalf of the Reilly family to present the Cup to the winning captain. This Mayo team are full of potential, leading from the start, and indeed impressed throughout the tournament. 

Eight teams took part this year: Mayo, Donegal, Clare and Meath, Offaly, Cork, Kerry and Louth. 

Covid meant that last year was the first year since it’s inauguration in 1989 that the Gerry Reilly Tournament was not played. However, Oldcastle Gfc and the Leinster Gaa Board were delighted to see the tournament return this year. Hopefully with the pandemic easing, next year will see it return to normal, with matches once again held at Millbrook. 

The Gerry Reilly U16 Tournament was started in 1989 in memory of a young Oldcastle footballer who was tragically killed in December 1987 at only sixteen years of age. A phenomenal amount of work by Oldcastle stalwarts Leo Halpin and Eddie O’Reilly over the years saw the tournament grow into the foremost U16 football competition in Ireland, with many of the footballing greats of our era having participated. They include Meath’s Trevor Giles, Cavan’s Cian Mackey, Dublin’s Dean Rock, Stephen Cluxton, and the Brogans among others. It is a hugely successful tournament for player development.

The last two tournaments held saw huge crowds attend the matches, with thousands coming to Oldcastle Gfc’s pitch at Millbrook for the finals. In 2018 Meath beat neighbours Cavan in a thrilling encounter, while the 2019 final was a top-class match, a huge crowd appreciating a classic match which saw the Meath U16’s outclass their Dublin rivals by a point.

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