Irish Football and Hurling Games Continue at the Irish Cultural Center

By
Rory O’Donnell - PRO

The Gaelic Athletic Association has been a significant part of Boston’s Irish community for over a century and the has been home to the organization for over a decade.

There are 11 clubs competing in the men’s senior football championship, each team plays eight games and the top six enter the playoffs in August.  Defending champions, Aidan McAnespies, have their work cut out for them with Donegal, Wolfe Tones, Shannon Blues, and Kerry making a push in the early going. 

The Galway Hurling Club, based in Brighton, are the holders of the senior hurling championship and will have to hold off local rivals Wexford, as well as Tipperary and Fr. Tom Burke’s. 

In the ladies senior football championship, new club, Connacht Ladies look like they will be hard beat.  Tir na nOg are the current holders, while the Boston Shamrocks will be looking for an improvement over their 2011 showing.

 The games are of a very high standard, with plenty of home based talent along with visiting players for the summer forming the rosters of teams.  Many players of inter-county pedigree take the field each week, and local rivalries who have built over the years ensure that there is plenty of passion. 

In addition there are local players who graduated through the youth system entering the senior ranks and holding their own with the best Irish born and visiting players. 

The junior championships also kicked off, and each weekend sees upwards of 8-10 games played at the Irish Cultural Center.

Hurling is also spreading throughout the New England region.  There are four Junior hurling clubs located in Concord, N.H., Portland Maine, Hartford CT, and Worcester, MA.  A fifth club is in the works located in Vermont.  This will result in a GAA presence in five of the 6=six New England states!  There is also a burgeoning underage movement with more than 11 underage gaelic football and hurling clubs throughout the region.

The finals take place on the last weekend of August and the winners go on to represent the Boston-Northeast division at the North American County Board Finals.  The NACB Finals will be held in Philadelphia this year.  Last season there were two NACB trophies won by Boston teams.  Aidan McAnespies carried the men’s senior football championship, while the Wexford Hurling Club won the junior hurling. 

The Irish Cultural Center is located off Route 138 in Canton.  For directions visit www.Irishculture.org.  Schedules, results, tables, reports, and contact information for the clubs are available at www.bostongaa.org and www.tharantrasnan.com.  Games take place every weekend and admission is $10 for the day with no charge for children aged 16 and under.