Do the foreign nationals that live in Ireland play and attend GAA games ?

I do not live in Ireland that is the reason why I am asking this question

Redhot (Cork) - Posts: 700 - 22/09/2014 11:49:53    1655156

En general no, unless they have kids involved, which is more and more common. Theres foreigners here years who've no idea about the GAA, very insular a lot of them

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 22/09/2014 12:01:42    1655176

unlike the irish when we go abroad.. we set up GAA clubs everywhere. nothing insular about us Irish.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 22/09/2014 12:06:47    1655181

s goldrick
County: Cavan
Posts: 3079

1655181
unlike the irish when we go abroad.. we set up GAA clubs everywhere. nothing insular about us Irish.

What you're saying implies that only Irish people are involved in gaelic games abroad, which couldn't be further from the truth. The secretary of the European County Board is from Serbia, for example. Our club has players from France, Australia, UK, Finland, Austria, Hungary and Poland. I know of several clubs which have brought in a lot of non-Irish players. The GAA abroad is doing a great job of promoting our games to non-Irish people, and long may it continue.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/09/2014 12:33:45    1655221

I'm English and live in Dublin. I attened everyone of Dublin's home matches for the league and championship last year and purchased a season ticket for this year.

CaptainBrooksie (UK) - Posts: 34 - 22/09/2014 12:44:16    1655236

There is some truth in goldricks comment though. I mean do the irish lads living in England take up cricket? It isn't fair to label foreign nationals, we are no different ourselves.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 22/09/2014 12:44:36    1655237

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 11986

1655237
There is some truth in goldricks comment though. I mean do the irish lads living in England take up cricket? It isn't fair to label foreign nationals, we are no different ourselves.

But the OP wasn't labelling anyone, he was asking a question. I would hazard a guess that most foreign residents of Ireland wouldn't be involved in GAA as it's not something they're familiar with, but the second generation will be more integrated and thus more likely to get involved. The likes of Jason Sherlock, Lee Chin, Craig Dias etc have shown this, and we're already seeing a greater proportion of players from ethnic minority backgrounds playing in the minor grades.

I objected to S Goldrick's comment as I feel it's a lazy stereotype to say that GAA members abroad are Irish only and don't bother to integrate with the locals. I know GAA people here who've passed the bar exams in their adopted language, or who work in very technical sectors in their second language for example. Likewise, the European County Board estimates that approximately half of its players are from a non-Irish background, so a lot of good work is being done in popularising our games abroad.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/09/2014 13:00:07    1655264

for the foreign nationals in Ireland , GAA is very hard to take up if you haven't played it as a kid so you won't find many of them actually playing it, its obviously going to be different if they move to Ireland at a young age.

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 22/09/2014 13:57:59    1655331

The secretary of the European county board from Serbia how strange .

Where is he based ?

Redhot (Cork) - Posts: 700 - 22/09/2014 14:20:41    1655351

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 11987

There is some truth in goldricks comment though. I mean do the irish lads living in England take up cricket? It isn't fair to label foreign nationals, we are no different ourselves.

Very few English lads take up cricket. It's more an elitist sport nowadays, played in private schools.

Plenty of Irish lads in England play soccer and also rugby to a lesser extent

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2466 - 22/09/2014 14:27:48    1655356

Jason Sherlock, Lee Chin, Craig Dias


It should be pointed out that these lads are in fact irish and not foreign nationals...

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 22/09/2014 14:31:53    1655363

Adults usually don't but their kids do as they grow up.Heard one Polish woman say some time back that her kids love playing hurling even though they pick up the odd injury. She says it's a great way of integrating them with the natives and teaches them discipline and teamwork. She went onto say that if they stick at it, she reckons it would increase their job chances as well.

jerryp (Cork) - Posts: 104 - 22/09/2014 14:32:45    1655365

There was a player on the Leitrim hurling team from Iraq called Zak Moradi.
http://hoganstand.com/Leitrim/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=170339

There was a Croatian lad playing midfield for Leitrim U-21s in football a few years ago.

Grey_Wolf (Leitrim) - Posts: 235 - 22/09/2014 14:42:16    1655371

TheMaster
County: Mayo
Posts: 11994

1655363
Jason Sherlock, Lee Chin, Craig Dias


It should be pointed out that these lads are in fact irish and not foreign nationals...

I know that, my post was in reference to second generation people from ethnic minority groups who are playing GAA, as opposed to their parents, hence those examples.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/09/2014 16:00:17    1655474

Redhot
County: Cork
Posts: 632

1655351
The secretary of the European county board from Serbia how strange .

Where is he based ?

Well, obviously I can't divulge too much info about a private citizen on a forum like this, but the ECB operates out of Maastrict, I believe. The individual in question was in Ireland on an Erasmus term and came to love gaelic games, hence the association.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 22/09/2014 16:04:42    1655478

unlike the irish when we go abroad.. we set up GAA clubs everywhere. nothing insular about us Irish.


When you have no knowledge on a subject its better to just be quite.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1804 - 22/09/2014 16:10:47    1655488

Theres no need to be so defensive goldrick. I used to go out with an Italian girl who worked in Dublin, and so socialised a bit with a lot of foreigners, while they were all aware of the 'official' face of Irish culture (riverdance, u2, corny light ballad bands, rugby(!), etc), very few had any knowledge at all of anything more profound, including GAA. I used to ask what did they think all those people in county colors around croker were up to. No clue. If you try asking your local Italian chipper or Chinese restaurant worker about GAA you'll see. As I said, if they have kids, the kids generally spark the parents interest a bit

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 22/09/2014 17:43:14    1655548

gosh. i am being accused of being defensive, of not knowing about the subject in question and being told about all the europeans abroad who are involved in the GAA.

all this in relation to my response to a poster who had said the foreign nationals in Ireland were insular.

I am sorry that sometimes I post comments on here that are a bit short and snappy but there is usually a reason and there is usually a point being made. I would expect posters to maybe think a little about the true meaning of the post before jumping to conclusions. In this instance my old adversary "the Master" was the only one who actually got it.

What I was trying to say was that rather than irish people integrating abroad and surrendering their irishness in favour of local customs they in fact become "more irish" and keep hold of the traditions they left behind in their homeland.

now how would it go down in Ireland if a group of "foreign nationals" started up a club for themselves ..lets say basketball or volleyball or kabaddi or ice-cricket or whatever.

also to the poster who said cricket is only played by private schools in england. I don't think you know what you are talking about.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 23/09/2014 10:39:25    1655766

zinny
County: Wexford
Posts: 123

When you have no knowledge on a subject its better to just be quite.

be quite... er,, quite what exactly ?

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 23/09/2014 10:41:12    1655767

Who cares whether they do or not? I'd be more worried about some of the other things they get up to.

hurlingdub (Dublin) - Posts: 6978 - 23/09/2014 11:14:11    1655786