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Kildangan played Kingussie who are the unbeaten champions of the " Camanachd Association " To Date they have won
7 titles in a row and 17 out of their last 20. The pitch is 160 yards long. The Kingussie club is situated 3 ½ hours north
of Glasgow and 1 hour south of Inverness. Surrounded by the heather clad mountains it was the ideal setting for the first
of the experimental compromise Hurling/Shinty games organized by both governing bodies. The game was scheduled for Saturday
August 6th in " The Dell " ( name of Kingussie grounds) at 7:15pm. At the commencement of the game both teams were
led onto the field by a local traditional piper.
A referee from a local shinty club took charge of the game. In this compromise game both teams lined out at 14 a side.
Each half lasting 35 minutes. Just 1 Umpire officiates at each end
4 subs were allowed. Shinty is played with 12 a side and 2 subs are allowed. The Shinty Players had an advantage of scoring
2 points from every free that was scored. Players from both sides were not allowed to & " kick or catch " the
shinty ball which is smaller in size than our sliotar.
Dan Hackett opened the scoring for Kildangan with a point from play. Goals were scored by Darragh Egan, Brian McLaughlin
& Karl (Charlie) Hogan. Kildangans final score was 3 - 10 , while Kingussie finished with 2 - 08.
The 50 or so Kildangan supporters cheering from the side line ensured that the people of Kingussie will long remember
their Tipperary visitors. After the game the Kildangan players were presented with " Quaicks " ( Silver Drinking
Dishes ) by John McIntosh, President of The Scottish Shinty Association.
Sean Fogarty Munster Council Chairman presented the defeated Kingussie team with similar pieces of silverware. Following
the game both teams were invited to a local buffet in the local Shinty Bar. A very enjoyable night followed where we enjoyed
the local hospitality til the early hours of the morning. The success of the Kildangan team in the Scottish Highlands will
ensure that this exchange will continue for the future All-Ireland Intermediate Champions.
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