Western GAA wrapped up 2022 with a Fall League

Over a stretch of 3 weekends, ending with a Crossbar Challenge, Western GDA developed a Fall League to keep players involved. The finals were held in Treasure Island on December 3rd. The Football winners were the team representing Behans Irish Pub and the Hurling winners were representing Casements Bar. Tom Tierney stole the show during the Cross Bar Challenge by winning for both Hurling and Football. A big thank you to all the sponsors, especially Johnny Foley’s and Chieftan for suppling the prizes. Western GDA, Alisha Aigamaua-Wilkinson, can not wait to run this league again in 2023!

Suncoast 7s kicks off 2023 in Tampa Florida

Tampa Bay GAA hosted the annual Suncoast 7s tournament at Azelea Park on January 14th. It was a great day with teams coming from Indianapolis, Orlando, Charleston, Atlanta, Nashville, Savannah, Knoxville, Pooler, and Tampa. Games kicked off at 9:30 AM EST and the finished around 4 PM EST. There was some fierce competition which ultimately led Atlanta GAA to take home some silverware. There was even a featured camogie game to wrap up the day. The weekend would not have been a success without the organizing committee and most importantly our referees: Scott Cooper, Stephen Power, and David Slevin. 

‘After The Storm’ is a stirring tale of human spirit

John Harrington writes, on GAA.ie, that sometimes you need to glance in the rear-view mirror to appreciate how far you’ve come.

Damian Lawlor’s excellent book, ‘After The Storm: The GAA, Covid, and the Power of the People’, provides a timely retrospective on how the GAA didn’t just survive Covid, but thrived in the face of unprecedented adversity.

Perhaps we’re all still suffering somewhat from pandemic PTSD, because at times the dark days of 2020 seem very far away, and at others the shadow cast still feels very real.

The beauty of Lawlor’s book is that it tells the story on two levels which ultimately gives a very well rounded view of how the GAA came through such a testing time.

He goes behind the scenes in Croke Park to chronicle how senior GAA officials wrestled with the unprecedented challenge and reveals just how close we came to not having a championship at all in 2020.

And weaving in and out of this narrative thread are a series of often very touching personal stories of GAA members who endured their own private struggles and rose courageously to the challenge.

People like Club Aontroma Chairperson, Niall Murphy, who spent 16 days in a coma as he battled for his life.

Or Mooncoin Camogie player Marianne Walsh who came through five months of chemotherapy treatment for Grade 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma but yet somehow managed to not just win a county championship, but be crowned Kilkenny junior player of the year.

The story of how former Mayo footballer, David Brady, began phoning elderly GAA supporters who were isolated by social distancing for phone-chats is well told by now, but no less moving here.

One of Lawlor’s strengths as a journalist is that he builds an easy rapport with his subjects and this comes across strongly in the book with all of those he interviewed speaking freely and from the heart.

The GAA has always prided itself on being a community organization as much as a sporting one, and that truth shines from the testimonies in this book.

GAA clubs and members went above and beyond the call of duty to help others in their communities during the pandemic, and there are so many stories in this book of those gestures of goodwill told from both sides of the coin.

And, of course, we’re also reminded of the ability of sport to bring joy to people’s lives, at a time when there was little of it to be found elsewhere.

Among other plot-lines there’s a nice insight into the dramatic provincial championship victories of the Tipperary and Cavan footballers in 2020.

The strength of the human spirit is evident throughout this book both on and off the pitch, and by the time you turn the last page the primary emotion is pride not just in our sports, but our people.

If you are interested in reading, After the Storm, by Damian Lawlor, it is from Bonnier Black and White books.

Allianz Football League Commences

Tickets for matches in the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues are now on sale.

The football action gets underway on Saturday January 28 with the hurling fixtures commencing a week later on February 4.

If you are in Ireland and looking to buy tickets you may access them by clicking here. For all of us overseas supports, you may watch with your GAAGO login. Remember that all registered USGAA members get a discount code. Look out for renewal codes, coming for 2023.