Porto Gaels committee Manuel Cruz (Porto Gales men's captain), Joan WIison, Aiden McGrath, and Niamh McKinstry.
By Cian O’Connell
“Sport was always on the agenda, I basically grew up on a football pitch,” Niamh McKinstry laughs.
From a famous Armagh family, her passion for football endures. The stories heard and lessons learned at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds are now being put to good use in Porto. A new GAA club, Porto Gaels, has recently been established with McKinstry relishing the challenges that exist.
This weekend LX Celtiberos, Keltoi Vigo, Lavandeiras Galicia, and A Coruna Fillos de Breogán will play in a tournament organised by Porto Gaels. It is another important step for the emerging Portuguese club.
Colum McKinstry contributed handsomely to Armagh GAA throughout his life. As a player and coach McKinstry enjoyed success with Armagh and Clan na Gael. His daughter, Niamh, remembers the conversations and sense of hope football provided. “The Athletic Grounds in Armagh was probably about half a mile away, we were always down there on Saturday and Sunday,” she recalls.
“Any time at the weekend all you could hear from the chat outside the door was men walking past having conversations with my Dad about who is in the line-up this week or what do you think the score will be this week? It was always chat about football every time.
“It is just what I love. You grew up with it and you still have an interest in it. Obviously, my Dad played for Armagh. He played for Armagh and he passed away a few years ago. You're doing it to try to keep his memory alive too. It is all good.”
Following a stint in the Cayman Islands, McKinstry is now thoroughly enjoying life as a teacher in Porto. “He would have loved this place, he never got to visit it,” Niamh McKinstry adds.
“My mum came over in the summertime, we were saying, he'd have walked everywhere because it is an absolutely stunning city. I think he'd be quite proud that there was Gaelic established here.”
So, how was Porto Gaels formed? “I arrived last year in August time, I'd previously been in contact with Lisbon and Portugal GAA, the two Joans,” she responds.
“They put me in a WhatsApp group with a few people from Porto, Joan Wilson, Sinead Troy, and Aidan McGrath. We've just been chatting, and when I arrived, we'd a couple of meetings and just decided to get the sessions started.
Colm McKinstry was Clan na Gael's manager in the 2006 Armagh SFC Final. Photo by: Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
“I'm lucky enough, the school, an OBS school, it is a Porto-British school, it has a small facility. As a club, we're small but growing. We use it every Saturday to practice. The new players that come, they can learn the skills, too. It is growing steadily. It is exciting.”
Thirty players are registered, but McKinstry is hopeful that will be expanded in the coming weeks and months. “It is growing, it is known in Porto, people are intending to join, but just with the pressures of work and settling in,” she says.
“A lot of Irish people have just arrived over. So, they're just finding their feet. Obviously, after a couple of months, you'll get more settled and be able to commit to things at weekends.”
The Irish community in Porto is increasing. “More people seem to be coming here,” she adds. “I went to a couple of Irish in Portugal Business network meetings. We were invited, Joan and I. We spoke to a couple of companies based here. So, they've people coming over to work at certain times in the year, and they'll go to work in Ireland too.
“There isn't one place where everybody would be just hanging out even though it is growing. We've an Irish in Porto network group on Facebook.
“So, people connect through that too and Ryan's pub is always good for meeting Irish people too. You've people working in my school too, teachers always tend to be Irish.”
Help continues to be provided by Europe GAA and other clubs that aren’t too far away. “The Galician guys have been in contact with us since we were set up on Instagram, they've been really good,” she says.
“A guy called Declan Lyons in Celto, he offered to come down for the tournament. I got a pitch organised in the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Club, it is known as the British Club and it is quite prestigious. It is members only usually, but because we've links with the school they're letting us hire it out for three hours to play these five games.
“Hopefully, we will be able to get more interest from that, too. They've a huge, big soccer pitch, tennis courts, and a cricket club, the facilities are really good. We've got some posts to stick on top of the soccer posts to make it right.”
McKinstry is satisfied with how the Porto Gaels story is unfolding with the weekend games edging closer. “I'm nervous too,” she says. “It is our first time doing this.
Players at a recent Porto Gaels training session.
“We've had help from the Lisbon guys with the schedule and I've a welcome pack set up for the teams. The British Club have been very accommodating.
“Usually, you've to be a member to use the facilities, but they've sent out an email to all of their members about the first game of Gaelic Football match in Porto.
“They're excited that they're able to host it. We got a nice email sent to us about their interest and excitement with the match happening. If it does go well, we can host them again there, if it works.”
In St Catherine’s College, Armagh McKinstry featured on football and camogie teams, but it was later when she really became immersed in playing. “I picked it up later in life, I'm one of those anomalies, I worked in the Cayman Islands before coming to Porto,” she explains.
“It is massive in the Cayman Islands, you've about nine girls’ teams and 12 boys teams. There was maybe 25-30 on each of those teams, it was very competitive. They've a championship and a league throughout from January to June.
“You'd be playing matches every second week. I got very involved there; I was part of the committee.
“You wouldn't have thought you were on a Caribbean island, you'd see so many O'Neill's shirts all over the place. You'd see them running up and down the beach, everybody training for Gaelic. It was quite funny.”
Now, McKinstry is busy preparing for Porto Gaels’ next chapter. Forging connections matters deeply. “They'd like a link between the Portuguese and southern Spanish teams, the Galician teams,” she says.
“They've a big, strong Gaelic community there. Vigo is about two hours and the other team are maybe two and a half hours. They're all travelling down, staying for the night with hotels booked. So, they're going to make a weekend out of it and hopefully the weather stays good.”
Porto Gaels adventure is merely starting.