A homecoming that was centuries in the making took place last summer in Dublin and the Ottawa Gaels were well represented on the Team Canada squads. The Gaelic games that came to Canada with early Irish settlers has flourished in modern times under the Canada GAA and returned home to Ireland where teams representing the red and white showcased their skills in the original home of GAA.
The Canadian GAA sent a total of five teams from its three divisions of Toronto, Eastern and Western Canada to take on International teams in Gaelic Football, Hurling and Camogie at the 2016 Etihad Airways GAA World Games. There were a total of 87 teams from 20 countries that participated from as far away as Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Argentina. Compared to teams from China or Australia, Team Canada’s journey to Ireland may not seem like the longest road to Dublin. It is, however, a journey that has been centuries in the making.
The Ottawa Gaels played a significant role on the Eastern Canada teams that competed in the native-born division of Gaelic Football with 13 players on the ladies team and 5 on the men’s team. Angela Stevenson who was one half of the head coaching staff also represented the Ottawa Gaels. The ladies team achieved great success by making it to the final at legendary Croke Park where they lost a hard fought game against the New York county team.
With a thriving club for over 40 years, the Ottawa Gaels have strong men’s, ladies and youth programs largely comprised of Canadian born players. The youth program in Ottawa continues to grow from strength to strength with a strong link to local school boards that has provided the opportunity ove the past 4 years to introduce Gaelic Football to over 10,000 kids at nearly one hundred schools.
Gaelic Games with its rich history on this side of the Atlantic continues to thrive in large part because of the dedicated volunteers who contribute countless hours to their local Club along with the commitment of the local community to helping support its growth. A special thanks goes out the Heart and Crown Irish Pubs for their continued sponsorship of the Ottawa Gaels and their support of the Eastern Canada teams who represented so well at the World GAA Games.
