It’s that time of the year where inter-county teams head off on training camps.
The Quinta do Lago resort in the Algarve is a firm favourite among many inter-county teams, with the Cork and Kerry footballers among those who have travelled there in recent times.
It was also used by the Irish rugby team in the build-up to their successful Six Nations campaign, while a number of Irish athletics’ stars also avail of the facilities at the Portuguese training base.
On its website, the Quinta do Lago resort is described as the ideal base ‘for warm weather training, rehabilitation and pre-season preparation.’
“With a stadium quality pitch, high performance gym, recovery pools, changing rooms, studios, bike shed, aquatic centre and tennis courts,” it says, “the Campus is a private and secure facility in the resort’s natural setting, where professional teams and athletes are able to train, work, rehabilitate and relax in a private and exclusive environment.”
Given the squeezed nature of the current inter-county calendar, with the National League finals taking place just a week before many counties begin their championship campaigns, it’s difficult for some counties literally to find the time for a training camp.
But a number of teams already have their plans in place.
Having been eliminated from the National Hurling League last week, Davy Fitzgerald’s side will train in Portugal this week according to the Irish Times.
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry footballers are heading to the Quinta do Lago resort during the Easter spell, regardless of whether they make a League final or not. Henry Shefflin’s Galway are due to head to Portugal, as are Mickey Harte’s Derry side while Colm O’Rourke’s Meath are also said to have plans in place for a pre-championship training camp
Speaking on The GAA Hour, former Kerry footballer Darran O’Sullivan described the daily routine at training camp.
“For a lot of it, it was torture,” said O’Sullivan.
“You’d get up in the morning – you’d be in apartments and you’d have a bit of fruit and your a cup of tea.”
“You’d train early in the morning, for us it used to be the running session, so you’d get that done, come back and have breakfast.
“Back to the rooms and up to bed.
“Get up again. The lunch-time session used to be football, right in the heat, and the pace of it was unbelievable. The pitches used to be perfect. No excuses.
“Then you’d have lunch, come back and might have another sleep or physio maybe.”
“Then in the evening, night-time, you’d have a bit of craic where all the childish behaviour and all the messing comes out!”
Having worked in the bank during his playing career, the former All-Ireland winning captain used always set aside a week of his holidays for the annual camp.
“I used book a week holidays for them.
“When I was playing, I’d never take holidays. I’d use up all my days off on the camp and then use a day’s holidays after away League games on the Mondays. That’d be it.
“The running sessions were never nice – and that didn’t matter if the sun was shining or if it was pissing rain.
“But the football over there, honestly, it was so quick. Just rapid quick.
“The training was great, the craic was good.
“The amount of work you get done, the bit of a bond you build – I couldn’t speak highly enough of them. We were lucky enough that we got plenty of chances to do them in our earlier years.”
