A new GAA club whose chief aim is to promote the Irish language has been formed in Galway city.

Gaeil na Gallimhe made their competitive debut in Division 7 of the West board league last Sunday when they lost to Gaeltacht outfit Micheal Breathnach by 1-5 to 2-9. The club, which also boasts a ladies football team, is taking its inspiration from the Na Gaeil Oga club in Dublin which has recruited 300 members in the last six years.

"That club started in 2010, much like ourselves, with seven or eight lads and a dog down kicking a ball in the Phoenix Park and now they have over 300 active members," one of the Gaeil na Gallimhe founders Stephen Joyce explained to the Connacht Tribune.

"They have two men's teams, a women's team, a hurling team, a camogie team and two or three underage teams. They have given us a lot of advice. They are training in the Phoenix Park at the moment, but they launched a campaign a couple of nights ago for a permanent home and the plans are very ambitious."

He added: "We do everything through Irish, but we have a mix of levels… as long as people are making an effort. There would be lads whose Irish wouldn't be too strong, but they are happy to come down and use what they have."

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