Our Home Gaelic Football Tournament took place on May 20 and we are very pleased to report that it was a resounding success. The day kicked off with wonderful renditions of both the US National Anthem , The Star-Spangled Banner, sung by NC State’s A’Capella superstar Alana Moore. It was followed by the Irish national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann beautifully sung by the one and only Margaret Roche, assisted by her little boy Séamus. We then had some bagpipes lead our players around the field as they carried the flags of the Irish Counties, proudly led by players carrying the US and Irish national flags. It was very special and quite emotional, reminiscent of the goosebump inducing pride felt when one is standing in the stands of Croke Park itself, anxiously waiting for the games to begin.

Back to the games themselves, we had 8 adult teams (6 men’s and 2 ladies’ football teams) who competed for the Andrew Britton Memorial Cup and the Schoolkids Records Cup respectively. After a day of strong competition, Charlotte GAA came away victorious with the Andrew Britton Cup and the Ladies’ Green team took the Schoolkids Records Cup. As games were taking place, we were treated to food and snacks from the TraLi Irish Pub, who ensured that everyone stayed nourished and hydrated! It’s hard to beat a packet of Tayto as you watch a game of football!

Our Youth games followed the adult games and we are sure that the laughter was heard for miles. The kids absolutely loved it and were proudly presented with medals at the end of their tournament. Our Youth Committee and Coaches did such a great job and we are excited for our Youth Tournament planned for this coming Fall. Watch this space for more info! Meanwhile.. sign your kids up for the Summer Camp before spaces fill up!

The games were followed by an after party and awards ceremony in the Raleigh Beer Garden on Glenwood Ave., downtown Raleigh. The venue proved to be absolutely perfect, providing lots of much welcome seating and our own outdoor bar. How could it get better? FOOD of course! Raleigh Beer Garden generously sponsored the evening’s food, which was much appreciated.

The awards ceremony speeches provided the history to the cups that were later presented to the winners, providing all in attendance with an appreciation for our health, our community and GAA.

The MVP’s were awarded to Bethany Ebbitt (Raleigh) ladies’ team and to Taylor Berliant (also Raleigh) men’s team for their outstanding performances on the day.

For some the night continued into the early hours, for others it ended a little earlier. One thing is for sure, we all had a fantastic time and we thank everyone who made it so successful. A huge thank you to the teams that traveled to Raleigh for the occasion, including Atlanta GAA ladies and gents, two teams from Charlotte GAA, Winston Salem Wolfhounds, Michael Collins GAA and members of Baltimore GAA. We are already looking forward to hosting our Hurling and Camogie tournament on July 8th and hope we see many of you back on the field for more competitive games! A special mention to the Courtyard Raleigh Crabtree Valley Hotel who provided us with a very generous hotel block rate and made sure that our out of town guests were extremely comfortable during their stay. We heard great things and will definitely be recommending them again for our future tournaments. We really appreciate your support.

We would like to thank our Sponsor Kymanox who have continued to support Raleigh GAA allowing us to continue to promote and develop Gaelic sports in the Raleigh area. We sincerely thank you for this and hope that the smiles and passion you see in the photos give a clear indication of how much it means to our club and community. Thank you!

Finally, thank you to the Global Games Development Fund and the Department of Foreign Affairs for the funding that they provide to Raleigh GAA. The funding enables us to rent fields such as the NC State Miller Fields, which we can line to create full sized GAA pitches and host our annual tournaments. We are very grateful for this funding. We also thank NC State for continuing to be a strong supporter of Raleigh GAA in allowing us to enjoy their facilities.

Photos credit to Tracy Berliant (Raleigh GAA PRO), available to view/download here.