South African Gaels Tour of Belfast
On Monday 24th March the South African Gaels Gaelic Football team travelled to Belfast to get a taste of the strong Irish Culture through our coaching and games, language and history. The Gaels arrived at St. Mary’s University College Belfast where they were being hosted by Ulster GAA. The Gaels took West Belfast by storm when they exited the tour bus demonstrating there culture through song and dance, there they were welcomed by Dr. Eugene Young (Director of Coaching & Games), Stephen Beattie (Third Level Development Officer), Mr Paddy Tally (Senior P.E Lecturer @ St. Mary’s) and a number of Staff and Students from the University.
The SA Gaels toured the murals on the Falls Road to grasp the concept of the conflict we here in Ireland have experienced during the troubles and recalled great comparisons of the conflict they have experienced in South Africa. Gerry McClory delivered an excellent tour and answered many questions the Gaels had in the area conflict leading to Peace and Reconciliation.
After some light refreshments and hospitality provided by St. Mary’s the SA Gaels were to get there first experience of an Ulster opposition when they played St. Mary’s select team in a very competitive and sporting contest. The SA Gaels were very athletic and confident with the ball and throughout were a credit to the coaches and management. All coming from an AFL background the Gaels relished a battle of physicality and were crucial in front of Goal.
In the afternoon session the SA Gaels attended an informative talk from Ulster GAA leading historian Donal McAnallen which highlighted the history of the GAA in Ulster. Donal went on to highlight and draw attention to the ongoing projects Ulster GAA are running out to close the gap and aid reconciliation.
On Tuesday 25th of March the SA Gaels started there day by attending and taking part in a Hurling/Camogie session in Victoria College, Belfast where Ulster GAA coach’s Kieran Megraw and Stephen Beattie delivered a taster session to the SA Gaels. The South African Natives surprisingly took to the game very quickly and mastered a range of the key skills which equipped them to play a small sided game which became very competitive and very much enjoyed.
Back at St. Mary’s the SA Gaels then took part in a Gaelic Football coaching session with Stephen Beattie. During this session Stephen showcased the new Activate GAA Warm Up initiative which Gaels coaches and management had expressed prior interest in becoming familiar with. During the main body of the session Stephen worked on kicking the ball from the hand as this was an area the Gaels had struggled with during the game. Coming from an AFL background where they play with an oval ball the style of kicking needs some adapting to kicking a round ball. The South Africans were not long before they grasped the concept of using the instep to provide a cushioned pass into the space in front of a moving player at pace and a hook kicking style for shooting for points. After the session the Gaels remarked that this would change there game style so now they could score points from distance and place a pass so they now don’t have to slow down to receive the ball.
In the afternoon the SA Gaels then made the trip to Stormont to meet the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness. The SA Gaels were very well accepted at Stormont where many Ministers, staff and visitors took time out to welcome the Gaels. The SA Gaels certainly added a splash of colour and vibrancy to the Province over the past few days.
