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Irish Independent
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Palestinian GAA clubs to visit Dublin on cultural and sporting exchange
The tour, running from July 18 to August 1, will see 47 participants travelling to Dublin, this includes 33 children aged between 9 and 16. The initiative is organised by GAA Palestine, a grassroots movement founded just over a year ago and supported by a number of Irish GAA clubs and volunteers. The itinerary includes matches, sightseeing and shared cultural experiences with local clubs. In Dublin, the group will begin with a four-night stay hosted by families from Fingallians GAA and Good Counsel/Liffey Gaels. Highlights include a VIP tour of Croke Park with GAA President Jarlath Burns, a visit to Dublin Zoo, and a trip to the beach—many for the first time. Fingallians GAA Club chairman Charlie Rogan said the idea of welcoming the group 'just made sense'. 'Everyone belongs, no matter where you're from,' he told the Irish Independent. 'We've had lots of members coming behind this. These young lads and girls are travelling from the West Bank to Egypt, then on to Ireland. 'Most won't have met their host families before, but they'll be well looked after, coached by our club and introduced to a packed few days,' he added. After Dublin, the group will travel through Carlow to Thurles, Co Tipperary—the birthplace of the GAA—where they'll tour Semple Stadium and take part in a blitz at Dr Morris Park alongside clubs like Burgess, Drom & Inch and Borris-Ileigh. They'll then head to Cork, where activities include a boat tour of Bantry Bay and a train ride to Cobh—both firsts for many of the children. They'll also visit Páirc Uí Chaoimh and take part in a Palestinian solidarity march on July 26, led by local children and the touring party. Good Counsel/Liffey Gaels are also playing host and will welcome the group around the time of the All-Ireland final. Hughie Cullen a member of organising committee in the club said that hosting the GAA clubs from the West Bank was something everyone in the community was excited about. 'A lot of our members had been going to the national marches, calling for peace,' he said. 'When GAA Palestine reached out, we were only too happy to jump in. For us, it's a humanitarian thing.' Mr Cullen said the club is preparing a warm welcome that includes a mix of Irish and Palestinian food. He added: 'We've got spice boxes, fish and chips—and hopefully a local Palestinian chef cooking a traditional dish.' The club have also set up a fundraiser to help support the GAA Palestine Summer Tour with some of the funds helping to buy equipment such as hurls and helmets for the Palestinian GAA clubs. The group also plans to visit County Clare with host club Éire Óg before a final potential leg north to Belfast and Derry—though that leg depends on visa approvals. GAA Palestine founder Stephen Redmond thanked volunteers and donors who have supported the effort. 'I want to express my deepest thanks to every volunteer who has given their time and heart to support GAA Palestine, and to each and every person who has generously donated to our fundraiser—your solidarity means the world,' he said. 'We're also truly grateful to our amazing partners: Paddywagon, Forsa, O'Neills. Their support has helped turn our vision into reality.' He's also calling on political representatives to support what he describes as a 'common-sense approach' to allowing access to the North for Palestinian athletes. 'It's not safe or right to ask children to travel dangerous roads in the West Bank just to attend interviews and then pay around £10,000 for visas for a two-night stay. We need solutions that prioritise care and safety.' The first Palestinian GAA club, Moataz Sarsour GAA, was formed in Ramallah in 2023 and named after a 17-year-old player who was killed by Israeli forces shortly after his first training session. Since then, the movement has grown steadily, with four clubs now operating in the West Bank. The visa applications are currently with the Department of Justice, which GAA Palestine says is a welcome development. The department contacted GAA officials last week seeking further information, suggesting that the process is under way. However, organisers remain uncertain about how long it will take, with growing concern that the necessary approvals may not be issued in time. They are now appealing to anyone with connections in the department to help expedite the process ahead of the group's planned arrival on July 18.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Humanity, hope... and hurling: GAA-loving Palestinian kids set for Irish tour
ALL-IRELAND hurling final day is one of the great dates in the GAA calendar. This year it will be extra special for a group of Palestinian children who have taken up the game in the West Bank. Thirty-three kids aged between nine and 16 will travel to Ireland in July for a tour organised by GAA Palestine — starting on the weekend of the big Croker showpiece. 'It's hurling, but it's more than that, it's about humanity and a bit of hope,' says Marion Kiely, one of the coordinators of the trip. The tour comes against the backdrop of the ongoing horror in Gaza and rising tensions in the occupied West Bank and beyond. On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took over 200 hostages. Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians — nearly half of them children. Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed and a near three-month blockade on aid has worsened the situation considerably, with food running out and clean water scarce. Tens of thousands have been forcibly displaced in the West Bank too. 'No matter what anyone's thoughts are — whether it's politics, religion, whatever — at the end of the day any person of sound mind on this planet knows, when it comes to children in conflict, they don't deserve to be in this situation,' says Marion. 'They deserve to play games and be kids. This is at the core of this.' The young hurlers will be hosted by GAA clubs around the country, starting with Fingallians and Good Counsel Liffey Gaels in Dublin before moving to Cork, Clare, Galway, Derry and Belfast. GAA president Jarlath Burns has even offered to give them a VIP tour around Croke Park. 'Families here are going to use the Féile model and bring these youngsters into their homes,' says Marion. 'The response has been phenomenal. People are so kind in what they're offering. 'GAA clubs are planning events for them, days to the beach and that. These kids have never been to a beach, they've never been on a plane, a train or a boat. 'They will go to Jordan and fly from there. As Palestinians, they're not allowed to fly from Tel Aviv. The Department of Foreign Affairs have been very helpful. 'We've been on to Michael D too and he came back with a very warm response that he's keen to meet the youngsters. Hopefully that will come to pass.' According to the UN, around 1.9million people in Gaza and at least another 40,000 in the West Bank have been displaced by Israeli military operations since the start of this bloody conflict. Claire Liddy is a social care worker from Clare who visited the Am'ari refugee camp east of Ramallah last year. 'This conflict is not just affecting Gaza, it's affecting the whole of Palestine,' says Claire. 'I think everyone who goes out there comes back changed.' She joined London-Irishman Stephen Redmond in helping start GAA Palestine last year. Hurleys and sliotars were donated from clubs across Ireland and locals have been learning the game from watching internet videos, along with in-person coaching sessions from Claire and others like Donegal man Cathal Ó Gaillín. 'I don't play Gaelic and I'm from the Banner, so I brought out the hurleys,' says Claire, laughing. 'They just fell in love with it.' A recent Louis Theroux BBC documentary shone a light on the difficulties of daily life in the West Bank, as did the recent Oscar-winning film No Other Land. From the outset, there have been challenges for the new hurling clubs. 'We were donated a pitch in Tulkarm, which was destroyed within a week,' says Claire. 'Travel in the West Bank is very difficult. Life is difficult. There are raids on the camps. You've no idea if the kids are going to be displaced at any time. I dread to check my phone each morning. 'GAA Palestine is just our way of trying to give a distraction from this nightmare.' The upcoming tour will be made up of players predominantly from the Moataz Sarsour club in Ramallah — the first Palestinian club to be registered with the World GAA Council. 'The week after I left the camp last July the camp got raided and they killed one of the first GAA Palestine members — Moataz Sarsour. He was just a teenager,' says Claire. 'So that's where the name came from for the club. We named it in his honour. 'I actually met his family in January. We asked if we could name the GAA club after their son. They were totally overwhelmed. It was such a special moment.' The special visitors will play a match in Dublin on July 21 before heading to Cork where a reception is being planned at Cork City Hall. They will then travel to Co Clare for a trip to the Cliffs of Moher and there will be hurling and other events in Galway, Derry and Belfast before they depart on August 1. 'We just want to give these kids a break,' says Claire of the Ireland tour. 'They're not allowed to have a normal childhood. It's trauma after trauma after trauma.' She continues: 'Hopefully the situation will improve and all this madness will stop and we can bring over the camogie team on the next tour. 'This is just the start.'
