GAA Palestine
 | |
| Irish: | An Phalaistín |
|---|---|
| Founded: | 2024 |
| County colours: |
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| Website: | gaapalestine |
| Clubs | |
| Total: | 1 |
GAA Palestine is the organisation responsible for the promotion and playing of the Gaelic games in Palestine. As of February 2025, the only club in the region was the Moataz Sarsour GAA Club in Ramallah.
History
[edit]In January 2024, Irishman Stephen Redmond travelled to the West Bank and launched a campaign to raise funds for and set up GAA Palestine, in order to bring the Gaelic games (particularly Gaelic football and hurling) to young people in the Ramallah area. £1,960 was raised to purchase equipment. Several other groups, such as Irish Sports for Palestine and Gaels against Genocide helped to connect the club with resources and people in Ireland to help set up the project. The original club, formerly Ramallah Hurling Club, was renamed to Moataz Sarsour GAA Club in honour of one of the club's volunteers, who was shot by Israeli forces and later pronounced dead in August 2024.[1][2][3]
Later, in February 2025, the Tulkarm Governorate made a commitment to GAA Palestine to construct a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) pitch for the community, and sourced local manufacturers in the West Bank to produce hurleys. At that time, this was one of three planned GAA clubs within the West Bank, with others proposed for Al Khalil and Bethlehem.[1][4] As of May 2025, a "summer tour" of juvenile players to Ireland was proposed.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Origin". GAA Palestine. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ "GAA comes to Palestine". The Irish World. Retrieved 2025-02-23.
- ^ "'These kids are getting good at hurling': How the GAA has taken hold in the West Bank". The Journal. 30 March 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Downes, Saibh (2025-02-23). "Watch: GAA Palestine hopes to build pitch in West Bank". RTÉ.
- ^ "Meet the Irish woman teaching hurling to children of Palestine". independent.ie. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.