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Games feel at home in Liverpool Liverpool is a city
which has its roots in Ireland. From the names of the shops which dominate
the High Street and the bars to the Irish sports jerseys which are evident
wherever you travel in the city by the Mersey the Emerald Isle
has always had a special affinity for scousers and the GAA is undergoing
a revival in the city.
John Mitchels GAA was a traditional mecca for Irish people in Liverpool
but after drifting in and out of existence over the past decade, Liverpool’s
GAA club are back and have a stark message for their rivals: “We
expect to win all of the competitions in Liverpool this year.”
Unusually for a British GAA club the majority of their players are Irish-born
with students from the City’s two large universities John
Moores and Liverpool Hope but also containing a number of Irish
people who have settled in the city in recent years for work reasons.
After dominating at Junior level in Lancashire last year Mitchels have
continued to make progress on and off the field. They recently opened
their new ground at Greenbank in Liverpool when they beat top Fermanagh
side Erin Gaels.
Player Shane McCann says: “We contacted Liverpool council about
getting the facility, then applied for and recieved Díon funding
to develop the ground. It’s nice for a club like ours to have a
facility of our own and it helps us to attract new players in the community.”
Mitchels have started to expand beyond the traditional confines of the
Irish community with several people approaching the club who had never
heard of Gaelic football but who are interested in learning the game.
Shane says: “A few people who have seen us play have seen our team
training and playing have come up to us and asked what is going on, so
we suggested they come to training and see what the game is about.
“It’s great that we have people like that who have no particular
connection to Ireland, it helps to spread the games more and everyone
will benefit in the long run.”
The mixture of veteran gaels such as 77-year-old Tommy Walsh who
has been involved with Mitchels all of his life and students who
are looking to maintain their interest in Gaelic sports while they study
in Britain may be the model which the GAA in Britain will follow in the
coming years.
And if Mitchels win the Lancashire Championship the future of Gaelic football
in one of the cities in which the Irish have always felt particularly
at home may be secure. |
