Ulster Croke Park Activity Days

All roads out of Ulster, during the Easter holidays, led directly to Croke Park for up to 1,350 young Ulster Gaelic Games enthusiasts.  GAA Headquarters opened its doors to Under 12 players from all of the Province’s nine counties, who played a series of Go Games on the famous Jones’s Road pitch.

The young players were treated to the thrills and spills of playing in our National Stadium, while the parents either re-lived their playing days or dreamed of having the opportunity of playing on the hallowed turf.

The children experienced the full complement of the stadium facilities, cahanging in the Cusack Stand changing rooms, complete with team warm up rooms, playing on the famous pitch before going on a museum and stadium tour.

One of the main highlights of the two days was when 160 disabled players, and their carers, descended on to the pitch for their games session.  All the players really enjoyed their day and the games were played in a very sporting yet competitive manner.  Ulster GAA’s Regional Development Officers, Paul Callaghan, Diarmaid Marsden and Shane Mc Cann, co-ordinated this element of the event, which is an integral part of their work programmes.

The events were a huge success and thanks are due to the staff of Croke Park, who assisted with the supervision of the event and also to all the county personnel who co-ordinated their own individual time slot on the pitch.