GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 34 – September 19, 2015 | Page 23

PRIOR TO THE GAA WORLD GAMES IN ABU
DHABI WHAT WAS YOUR MOST TREASURED
MOMENT EITHER ON OR OFFF THE FIELD?
I played midfield for the Meath minor team that reached the
All Ireland Minor Football Final in 2002. We played 3 times in
Croke Park that year which was fantastic. Mind you, we lost
that final by 7 points to Derry so it soon turned into a fairly
bad memory!
WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU TO CAPTAIN MIDDLE EAST 2 TO THE FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE?
It was an absolute pleasure. The lads are a fantastic bunch of
footballers and it was great to be part of the first GAA World
Games winning team. I also play hurling for the Arabian Celts.
We have about 8 hurling teams in the region and 4 camogie
teams and it’s starting to grow nicely.
YOU ARE ALSO MID EAST GAA DEVELOPMENT
OFFICER – WHAT DOES THIS INVOLVE AND
WHAT HAS THIS BEEN LIKE?
Middle East Gaelic Games is exploding over the past 3 years
at youth and adult level. It’s been great to work alongside GAA
gurus, James Kennedy and Paddy Darcy [ME GAA SECRETARY] in the running of the Middle East league over the
past few years, and in organising the World Games. Training
coaches and referees, equipment needs for clubs, helping with
the organising of the Middle East tournaments would be part
of the role.
DO YOU THINK GAELIC FOOTBALL HAS SCOPE
FOR GROWTH IN THE REGION?
GAA in the Middle East continues to group at a fantastic rate.
We had 54 teams in Bahrain for the Bahrain Gaelic Games last
season, this season we are expecting close to 70. These Gaelic
tournaments run for 6 months of the year with a large tourna-

ment each month so the structures are solid. GAA continues
to grow rapidly within schools across the region so that we are
likely to see significant growth over the next 2-3 years.
DO YOU THINK GAA FOLLOWERS IN IRELAND
ARE AWARE OF THE NUMBERS OF GAA CLUBS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
Possibly not but you could say the same for other regions.
Some media outlets give great coverage to International GAA,
but there’s room for improvement for sure among the others.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO A BRAND
NEW MID EAST GAA SEASON COMING UP IN
OCTOBER?
Yes indeed. The men’s and ladies senior football leagues kick
off in Qatar on the 2nd October, and will be swiftly followed by
the Intermediate football leagues in Oman on the 16th October. The Hurling and Camogie leagues get underway in Dubai
on the 9th Oct. The first tournament of the season, where all
grades and teams will compete, will include the first rounds of
the newly established Junior A and Junior B football leagues
and will take place in Bahrain at the end of November so I’m
busy planning for that at the minute!

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