South African GAA team visits Ireland on week-long tour
The South African Gaels, an all-African GAA team, is on its inaugural visit to Ireland.
The team, which was established four years ago, is made up of players from the townships of Johannesburg.
Over the next week, the players aged 17 to 30, ill test their skills against a number of during their week-long visit including St Vincent’s Juniors, BallyBoden St Enda’s and St Mary’s Belfast.
The South African Gaelic Sports Association was established last year and supports teams in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban (Zulu Gaels).
There is a pool of more than 200 South African players as well as Irish and other expatriate players.
They believe that Gaelic football, a sport which combines the skills of two sports that previously divided South Africa (rugby and football), has no political legacy in the country and has the potential to fulfil a vital role in the country’s social development.
