Features

By Cian O’Connell It has been another action-packed year at the GAA Museum. The planning and plotting never stops, but that is all part of the fun. Julianne McKeigue, Events, Education and Retail Manager of the GAA Museum acknowledges that it has been a busy and rewarding time. A new

By John Harrington On the way back to Cork after their AIB All-Ireland Club SHC semi-final victory over Slaughtneil, the Sarsfields team bus stopped at the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise for a meal. Club Chairperson, Keith Mulcahy, was the first back on to the bus after everyone had been fed

By John Harrington Things can change very quickly in sport. Just look at Watergrasshill Hurling Club who are now just one win away from an All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Final. The same Watergrasshill who couldn’t buy a win in the Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2023 and 2022. Over

By John Harrington The chance discovery of Gaelic football has ultimately been life-changing for Samuel Lagoa Blanco. He now plays for St. Peregrines GAA club in Dublin, but his Gaelic games journey began on the beaches of his native Fisterra in Galica, Spain. It was there he first kicked a

By John Harrington If you’re a GAA fan of a certain vintage you’re bound to know who ‘Effin Eddie’ is. In the days before people could go viral on the internet, Eddie Moroney became a video tape sensation for his commentary on his club Aherlow’s victory over Éire Óg Nenagh

By John Harrington Tristan Noack-Hofmann sums it up nicely by describing Arva’s AIB Ulster Club Intermediate football final semi-final win over Magheracloone last weekend as “the sort of thing you dream about as a kid”. Trailing by seven points (0-11 to 0-4) with as many minutes of normal time remaining,

By Cian O’Connell The Loughmore-Castleiney story continues with trademark passion and purpose. It has been another rewarding year filled with matches, memories, and a couple of senior county titles. Sunday’s AIB Munster Club SFC decider against Dr Crokes in Mallow is the next assignment for Shane Hennessy’s charges. Preparing for

By John Harrington Sometimes a painful break-up leads to reconciliation that produces an even stronger union. That’s certainly been the case for Tyrone club Errigal Ciarán who are the very happy mending of a previously broken relationship. The club was founded in 1990 as means of healing the divisions that

By Cian O’Connell Firies persevered. Tough defeats were endured, but they merely served to make the proud Kerry outfit stronger. That is why the AIB Munster Club JFC journey is being embraced. Preparing for a provincial decider on and off the field of play, Firies chairperson Tom Kelliher acknowledges the

By John Harrington Ardee St. Mary’s have filled four buses with supporters for Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland Club SFC Final against Cuala and there’s not likely to be too many cars left in driveways either. The north Louth town has been buzzing since their Leinster semi-final win over St. Loman’s and

By John Harrington You’ll struggle to find a more vibrant community in Ireland than Rosemount in Westmeath, and that’s due in no small part to the Rosemount GAA Social Initiative. They won yet more recognition earlier this month when they were awarded first prize at the National Age Friendly Recognition

By John Harrington An independent analysis of Gaelic games activity by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research group published today has found that the Social Value of Gaelic games is worth at least €2.87 billion to Irish society. Before you go any further, you should read the article that’s hyperlinked

By Cian O’Connell It is a fundraiser with a difference. On Saturday morning in Clondalkin, 10 people from the Round Towers club will run - either a marathon or half marathon - around the perimeter of the Monastery Road pitch. Money raised from the initiative will go towards an all-weather

By John Harrington New ground was broken in World GAA earlier this month when three Gaelic games Coach Educators – Jamie Queeney, Jenny Rispin, and Paddy O’Connor – travelled to Galicia in Spain to participate in an Erasmus+ exchange initiative. The National Games Development project supported by Leinster GAA and

By John Harrington When Carey Faughs Chairperson, Sean McBride, answers the phone he’s slightly out of breath from gathering sheep on Fair Head, the most north easterly point of Antrim. From that 660-foot mountain cliff you have sweeping coastal views all the way to Rathlin Island but it’s not just

By Cian O’Connell There is always something happening in Slaughtneil. That is just the way of life in the proud Derry outfit. An upcoming match, an occasion to embrace. So, Saturday’s deeply satisfying AIB Ulster Club SHC Semi-Final win over Cushendall brought joy, offering another reminder of Slaughtneil’s skill and

By John Harrington Kilshannig GAA club Chairperson, John O’Riordan, makes no bones about it – this weekend is the biggest yet in the history of the north Cork GAA club. That’s a fair statement considering they’ve been around since the birth of the Association in 1884, but you couldn’t accuse

By John Harrington An impressive list of speakers has been assembled for the 2024 Gaelic games Coaching Conference which will take place in Croke Park on Saturday, November 23. One of them is Chartered Psychologist Dr Ciarán Kearney, who has specialised in sport psychology with players, coaches, and teams at

By John Harrington Clare defender, John Conlon, has been named the 2024 Hurling Personality of the Year by the Gaelic Writers’ Association. As the name of the award suggests, it’s a recognition of more than just a hurler’s ability on the field of play. That’s part of it, of course,

By John Harrington This week summed up what’s been a strange year of incredible highs and devastating lows for Armagh footballer, Niall Grimley. On Tuesday there was a one-year anniversary mass for his brother Patrick, sister-in-law Ciera, and family friend Ciara McElvanna, who all tragically died in a car accident

By John Harrington When Domhnall Nugent walked into Cuan Mhuire rehab centre in Newry as a homeless alcohol and cocaine addict in 2019, his life was at rock-bottom. At that moment he had two options. Continue down a road that could only lead to a tragic end or ask for

By Cian O’Connell For Daithí Hayes there is joy in the journey. Managing St Martin’s is busy, but rewarding. Balancing life and sport is a constant challenge. Still, Hayes finds a way. When a Wexford SHC title is added to the collection, it makes everything worthwhile. The nature of hurling,

By Cian O’Connell Noel Tierney will always be spoken about fondly in Galway. The celebrated three-in-a-row team remain cherished in the west. Silverware was attained at Croke Park during a glittering era for the maroon and white outfit. There was a gathering last week for Tierney, a totemic figure in

By John Harrington An impressive list of speakers has been assembled for the 2024 Gaelic games Coaching Conference which will take place in Croke Park on Saturday, November 23. One of them is world-renowned coach and educator, Professor Ian Jeffreys, who is President of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

By John Harrington Outstanding work tends to get its due recognition, and that has certainly been the case for Cavan GAA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee. In 2023 they won the GAA National Health & Wellbeing Committee of the Year award and an Ulster GAA Award for their work in the

By John Harrington An impressive list of speakers has been assembled for the 2024 Gaelic games Coaching Conference which will take place in Croke Park on Saturday, November 23. One of them is Sergio Lara-Bercial, Professor of Sport Coaching at Leeds Beckett University and co-founder of ICOACHKIDS, a global coaching

By Paul Fitzpatrick The road to Croker, regardless of the code, is never a straightforward one. For each milestone along the way, there are a few diversions but perseverance and dedication make for the best travelling companions. Is fada an bóthar, as Seán Óg Ó hAilpín put it in his

By Cian O’Connell It has been quite a 2024 European adventure for Barcelona Gaels. With one AIB Leinster Club JFC victory already collected, Barcelona Gaels head for Laois Hire O’Moore Park on Saturday afternoon heartened. Last weekend’s win over Conahy Shamrocks at UPMC Nowlan Park highlighted Barcelona Gaels’ potential. An

By John Harrington At 3pm on Saturday, 1 November 1884, in the billiards room of Hayes’ Hotel in Thurles, Michael Cusack with a small group of founding members established the Gaelic Athletic Association. 140 years on from that day, we talk to GAA Director General, Tom Ryan, about the journey