The annual Mayo GAA U14 Hurling Feile na nGael Competition for the Adrian Freeman Memorial Cup takes place this year in the Tooreen Hurling Grounds on Saturday 18th April commencing at 11am. This year is the fifth anniversary of the death of the Mayo hurling great, who died in a car crash in Australia in May 2010. The Tooreen Hurling Club will host the Feile na nGael competition with the winners going forward to represent Mayo GAA at the National Feile na nGael competition in Ulster in June.

It promises to be a great days festival of underage hurling with the Tooreen, Westport, Caiseal Gaels and Castlebar U14 hurling teams all taking part on the day. Westport are the reigning champions, and will be back again to defend their title. Food will be available for all players and supporters on the day, while a DJ and facepainters will also be available to entertain the younger crowd.

All friends, colleagues, team-mates and supporters of Adrian Freeman are invited to come along and support the young hurlers on the day, while also remembering and celebrating the life of the great Mayo hurler in the process.

Adrian Freeman RIP (13 March 1986 - 29 May 2010) from Tooreen in County Mayo played senior hurling for Mayo from 2004 and was a regular member of the county's hurling team in both the National Hurling League (NHL) and the Christy Ring Cup action until 2009. He played for Connacht in the Interprovincial Championship,. He also played club football for Aghamore.

His international career consisted of a hurling/shinty Under 21 international appearance against Scotland in Inverness in 2007. Freeman also toured North America during his career with a Connacht Colleges Hurling side in 2002, whilst he was also a member of the losing Connacht side from the Interprovincial Championship Final played in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Middle East in March 2009.

Freeman was born in March 1986. He was educated in Tooreen NS from 1991 onwards. There he developed his interest in sport. Freeman played hurling for Tooreen Hurling Club from the age of seven and played football for Aghamore. He also played soccer, attracting interest from Leeds United in 2000. Freeman progressed to Ballyhaunis Community School in 1999 and graduated as a civil engineer from Limerick Institute of Technology.

He was nicknamed "Twink" on account of his lightning fast "twinkle-toes". Freeman achieved two Connacht Under 21B hurling championship medals with Mayo, and many underage club titles with Tooreen.

In 2002, Freeman made his senior debut for the Tooreen team while still under 16. The following year, at the age of 17, he won a Mayo Senior hurling championship medal with the Tooreen senior hurling team. This ultimately proved to be the only Mayo SHC medal he would ever win. Freeman's debut for Mayo's senior hurlers came in Croke Park in a defeat to Kildare in the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Final in 2004 whilst still a Minor.

Former Mayo managers Gerry Spellman, Frank Browne, Martin Brennan and Pete Finnerty all played Freeman regularly whilst in charge of Mayo teams. According to the Connaught Telegraph, he was the most consistent performer for Mayo in both 2008 and 2009, when they reached the semi-finals stage of the Christy Ring Cup and Freeman received a Christy Ring All-Star. The same publication said he would be "best remembered for Aghamore's third goal in their 3-5 to 1-9 win over Kilmaine in the 2008 IFC final - as his famous twinkle toes chipped the ball over the advancing Kilmaine custodian to seal victory for Aghamore". His sporting career peaked in March 2009 when he played for Connacht against Leinster in the final in Abu Dhabi, Dubai of the Interprovincial Championship during a week-long tour of the Middle East. On that day, Freeman rubbed shoulders with the best including Kilkenny legends Henry Shefflin, JJ Delaney and Tommy Walsh.

Freeman went to Australia in October 2009, where he gained employment as a sub-contractor on the Barwon Heads bridge. Freeman was killed in a traffic collision in Connewarre, Victoria, Melbourne on 29 May 2010. He was driving with Robbie Twomey from Ballahadigue, Listowel, County Kerry, when an oncoming vehicle struck the pair of them. Twomey was also killed in the crash. The men were returning from work when they met their deaths.

Freeman's death at the age of 24 led to an outpouring of public grief in Mayo GAA circles. The Gaelic Players Association issued a tribute, with its CEO Dessie Farrell saying the following: "Adrian Freeman was a leading player in Mayo hurling and was honoured for his contribution in last year's Christy Ring Cup as well as being chosen for the Connacht Interprovincial Hurling panel. The death of this young player and his friend is deeply shocking and on behalf of the GPA I would like to pass on our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of Adrian and Robbie (Twomey) and to all Adrian's playing colleagues".

 

Mayo GAA U14 Feile Hurling Blitz 2015
18.04.15 (Saturday)
Semi1:    Tooreen V Caiseal Gaels    Time: 11 00 AM , Venue: Tooreen HC  

Semi 2:   Westport GAA V Castlebar Mitchels Hurling    Time: 11 45 AM , Venue: Tooreen HC    

Shield Final: Loser Semi V Loser Semi       Time: 12 30 PM , Venue: Tooreen HC  

Cup Final:      Winner Semi V Winner Semi    Time: 1 15 PM , Venue: Tooreen HC  

Referees: Michael Carroll & James Judge

Games 15 minutes per half.

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