Offaly connection with the World GAA Games in Waterford
Ashling Bryant from Kilcormac/Killoughey was coach of the Fog City Harps Ladies Football teams, San Francisco, that reached finals in Division 1 and Division 2
WITH the majority of media coverage in Ireland of the upcoming Championship Hurling and Football finals, the World Games, the Olympics of GAA, which happens every three years, has been largely overlooked.
South East Technological University, Waterford was host to 115 teams who played 480 games in 5 days with over 2,000 athletes competing.. The competition was divided into two groups, Irish born players playing in the Open Division and players born outside Ireland playing in the International Division. Matches were played 9-aside with two 13 minute halves and a 4 minute half-time interval for the players to catch their breath and have a water break, badly needed with the heat in Waterford. Football, Hurling, Ladies Football and Camogie were played outside at the SETU arena and handball was inside in the Sports Hall. There was even Rounders exhibition games.
Zambia, the International team that lead the Opening Parade, drew attention and supports from nearly all the neutrals in all the matches they played. Pádraig Ó Fainín, a Waterford hurler, went to Zambia as an aid worker for a brief stint, was blown away by what he saw and went back, with his wife, to Sables, a centre for orphaned children, rescued from horrendous poverty, brought to the school where they were fed, clothed, and educated. Pádraig felt there should be more for the boys, so started a sports programme. When in Ireland on a visit, he heard about the World Games, and contacted GAA headquarters, and managed an invitation for Zambia to attend.
He went back to the school, and in five months produced amazing players. The boys were mostly slight, very fast, and could kick the football hard, fast, and accurately. They had so much support the colourful Zambian jerseys were sold out the first day of the competition. The boys scored a resounding victory in the Division 3 final. After the match spectators surrounded the boys on the pitch where they were treated to traditional Zambian dance routines accompanied by Zambian drums.
Offaly had a connection at management in the games with teams from San Francisco. Ashling Bryant from Kilcormac/Killoughey was coach of the Fog City Harps Ladies Football teams that reached finals in Division 1 and Division 2. Unfortunately, Fog City lost the B final to Galicia 2 and the A final to France A. San Francisco sent 3 men’s teams, a remarkable delegation of clubs from one city, as most International teams were city, regional, or country representative teams.
Colm Brazil, from Doon, coached Éire Óg Men’s Football team to the final in Division 1, but were defeated by Sean McDermott’s of England. Pearse Óg from San Francisco reached the Division 1 Hurling final but lost to NYGAA, and Plunkett’s were knocked out in a hurling semi-final. There may have been other Offaly representatives on other teams this writer did not know about.
A look at the winners in Open and Division 1 International, played in Walsh Park, will show the influence of the Irish emigrants that take their games, music and culture with them to all corners of the world. In the Open Division finals: Camogie, Middle-East defeated Britain; Hurling, Middle East defeated Asia; Ladies Football, Middle East defeated Asia, and in Men’s Football, Middle East defeated Yorkshire GAA. In Division 1 International: Camogie, NY Camogie defeated USGAA Southeast; Hurling, NYGAA defeated Pearse Óg, San Francisco; Ladies Football, France A defeated Fog City White, San Francisco; Men’s Football, Sean McDernott’s, England, defeated Éire Og, San Francisco.