IN what has been described by the club as "a devastating blow", Kerry's Laune

Rangers club has been removed from this year's Feile na nOg because of an outbreak of meningitis in Beaufort, the parish adjoining Killorglin. The decision follows the exclusion of the Beaufort team from the equivalent girls competition.

Feile na nOg is the annual under 14 football tournament this year being held in Donegal next weekend, June 27th-29th. Laune would have been one of the favourites - described by the club as one its "dream teams" - and their place in the competition goes to the team they defeated in the county final, Austin Stacks from Tralee.

Although the club is not contesting the decision taken by the National Organising Committee, there is a keen sense of disappointment at the ban which runs contrary to medical opinion on the outbreak.

National Feile chairman Bob Honohan, Cork's Central Council delegate, explained the decision: "It is most unfortunate but it would be more unfortunate if anything resulted from their attendance. If there was any risk whatsoever, it just wouldn't be worth it. I'm talking as a parent and couldn't ask parents in Donegal to take children into their houses who have come from an area where there has been even one incident of bacterial meningitis.

"We have issued invitations to both Laune Rangers and Beaufort to attend next year's Feiles. We appreciate that many of the present players won't be eligible next year but have invited the clubs."

He recalled the fact that fear of contagion in large crowds had caused the postponement of both All Ireland finals in 1956. A polio epidemic was responsible that year for the staging in October of the football and hurling deciders both of which Cork lost.

A statement issued earlier in the day by the club made the following point: "Since there is no known incidence of this illness in Killorglin or no known incidence of the illness involving any Laune Rangers players, at any age group, many feel that the exclusion of the team from the Feile competition was unnecessary. However, the club is fully conscious that the organisers of the Feile event and the GAA in general carry a heavy responsibility in all matters concerning the welfare of young GAA players."

The background to the outbreak is that four children in Beaufort contracted viral meningitis and one other, Marcus O'Connor, who is from Beaufort but attends the Intermediate School in Killorglin, was believed to have contracted bacterial meningitis, a far more menacing version of the illness.

The Southern Health Board, however, have categorised all five outbreaks as "viral" and issued a statement yesterday which effectively questioned the necessity of the drastic action taken by the Feile organisers.

The nub of the problem is that Marcus O'Connor's illness was initially taken to be bacterial but as both types of meningitis exhibit similar symptoms in the early stages, this was not unusual. Furthermore, the five children have been discharged for longer than the incubation period of the illness and so the threat of transmission appears to have passed.

O'Connor's mother, Dr Anne Cronin a general practitioner in Killorglin, told The Irish Times that the controversy "was a bit of a puzzle" and that "no one had advised the closure of the school".

The Southern Health Board has not been contacted by either the North Western Health Board or the GAA about the episode.

The Southern Health Board has not been contacted by either the North Western Health Board or the GAA about the episode and pointed out that "at the time of this episode of meningitis, the Southern Health Board's advice was that there was no need for parents to keep their children away from school."

According to Michael Ahern, PRO of the Kerry Bord na nOg: "The Health Board would not have seen it as a problem and if they felt there was no problem, we can't understand why this action has been taken but at the same time we don't want to create apprehension for the people in Donegal."

. Meanwhile Feile na nGael, the hurling festival, gets underway in Waterford today with first round matches this afternoon. More than 3,500 under 14 hurlers, camogie players and handballers will be participating in the competition which is being organised on a league basis in order to guarantee every team in the various divisions at least three matches.

There are 68 teams divided into five divisions in the hurling, 32 teams in four divisions in camogie and 200 handballers. Finals will be played tomorrow and Sunday.

. The Limerick Gaelic Grounds, which this week lost the Munster Senior Hurling final between Clare and Tipperary to Cork's Park Ui Chaoimh, may yet be compensated.

Munster Council has decided that should Clare beat Cork in the Senior Football semifinal this weekend, the final against Kerry will be played at the Gaelic Grounds. In the event of a Cork Kerry decider, presuming Kerry get over Tipperary, it will be played at Killarney.