THE big name in attendance may have meant nothing to the kids from East Belfast GAA but they still thoroughly enjoyed being special guests at the Dublin senior football final.
The U14 girls and U10 boys football teams from East Belfast were invited to play the half-time games at Parnell Park on Sunday as Cuala took on Kilmacud Croke’s.
Colm McAlinden, their Academy PRO and a coach, was certainly thrilled to see a certain someone at the pre-match reception, admitting:
“The kids had no clue who any of the politicians were, obviously. When I saw Bertie Ahern walk into the room I nearly fainted!”
Former Taioseach Ahern was joined by composer Phil Coulter and Dublin senior football manager Dessie Farrell, who also delighted the adults from up north, said McAlinden: “Dessie was very useful to our coaches, we were certainly picking his brain.”
The Coulter link involves one of the singers he uses, George Hutton – who happens to play midfield for East Belfast reserves, and also sang ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ on Sunday.
Ahern, a key player in the Northern Ireland peace process, alluded to the changes that have occurred since then:
“Bertie said that the last time he was in east Belfast he was in the office of Peter Robinson [former DUP leader and First Minister] – he talked about the juxtaposition of having a GAA club in that area.”
“We’re not really thinking about that,” insisted McAlinden. “We’re saying ‘Who are the under-eights playing this Saturday? Are the under-10s on this Tuesday?’”
Accordingly, playing at Parnell Park was what mattered to the younger visitors: “For the kids themselves, to get the experience of walking out in front of thousands of people to play a game was unique for them.
“They were all very nervous going on – but when they came off they all felt ten feet tall, they were absolutely buzzing. We can’t thank Dublin GAA enough: I was totally blown away by the hospitality and welcome we got, and the esteem with which they seemed to hold us. It was just amazing.”
The visit is the latest link between Dublin GAA and East Belfast GAA, explained McAlinden:
“A while ago we had a very important guest up, the Sam Maguire, which was facilitated by Dublin GAA, and that was the beginning of the relationship with us.
“They reached out in recognition of the efforts we’ve been putting in to establish ourselves as a growing club in east Belfast. They invited us down to be their half-time match representatives and also had a civic reception before the final.”
Ahern praised East Belfast for the progress since its foundation in 2020, said McAlinden:
“He was congratulating us on our work to build the club, recognising the efforts we’ve put in to include all the community in east Belfast – that was the crux of it. He praised our outreach, our use of Ulster-Scots within our logo, and told us to keep up the good work.
“He mentioned some of the adversity we have faced, encouraging us to make sure the good outweighs the bad.
“I was quite taken aback. For me, it’s just about teaching kids to play football, that’s literally all we’re really interested in. But lots of other people are interested in other aspects and if we can be a positive story then that’s brilliant.”