Joe McDonagh, the president of the GAA, and a South African national who is on his first visit to Ireland, are among the entrants in the All-Ireland Poc Fada competition in the Cooley Mountains on the Louth-Armagh border, on Monday next. The competition takes place over a five-kilometre course over rough mountainy terrain and is a test of endurance as well as hurling skill. The hurler who covers the course in the least number of strokes is the winner.

The entries of Joe McDonagh and Geoff Berlyn from South Africa, who has no Irish connections, adds a little spice to this year's event. McDonagh, from the Ballinderreen club in Galway was a prominent hurler with Galway in the late 1970s and early 1980s and was unlucky to miss their history-making All-Ireland victory in 1980 when he was ill.

Earlier this year he won his first Galway county hurling medal when his club won the intermediate championship. It is thought that he is the first reigning president to play competitively and is certainly the first president to take part in the Poc Fada competition. Geoff Berlyn was fascinated by hurling when he saw the game played on television in South Africa. He is in Ireland at present and saw his first live match at Clones last Saturday when Tipperary beat Down in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Dr Anthony Ryan from the Warwickshire county board in Britain, heard of his interest in hurling from a mutual acquaintance and sent video tapes and other equipment to the 23year-old South African so that he could train properly for the competition. The Poc Fada competition was launched in 1961 and since then some of the best-known hurlers in the country have won it. The late Ollie Walsh of Kilkenny won in 1962 and '63, Oliver Goff from Kilkenny in 1964, Pat Hartigan from Limerick won eight times. Other well-known winners were Tommy Quaid from Limerick and Ger Cunningham from Cork. Last year's winner Michael Shaughnessy from Galway is not defending his title this year. Also among this year's entrants are David Fitzgrald and Brendan McNamara who are members of the current Clare team, Kevin Coulter from Down and the Limerick goalkeeper Joe Quaid. There are 12 entries in all.