Taking the Field of Glory: GAA MonthlyCheck Out the
Midwest Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)
By Vincent Beach
Midwest Irish Sports News
Clubs across the division are completing their annual general meetings, planning upcoming indoor sessions and recruitment drives, and starting the registration for the new year. On February 4th RocCity Gaelic (Rochester, NY) will host their annual Winter Classic 7’s Tournament. They have dubbed it Box Hurling – very similar to outdoor hurling but modified for an indoor soccer field.
Sliotars are played off the walls and boards, frees are taken as ground hurls, and goals are registered as one-point since there are no uprights. The games are fast paced, and the focus is on goal scoring. Sounds like fun for goalies too!
RocCity is accepting teams or individual registrations for amalgamations. The tournament starts at 4:00PM, with the championship match at 8:30 PM at the Total Sport Experience facility (880 Elmgrove Road, Rochester, NY). See rochestergaelic.com for more details.
Cleveland will once again host their annual 7-A-Side Memorial football tournament at the West Side Irish American Club on May 20th. Mark your calendars for a fantastic day of men’s and ladies’ football that is followed by an evening of traditional music and creamy pints. Want to get involved? The club is always looking for help and the people are great.
The Midwest is once again holding a Trip-to-Ireland raffle (email your local GAA for details, or [email protected]). The drawing is based on the Pennsylvania evening Pick 4 on March 17.
Cleveland Irish News
The footballers had a very successful set of indoor training sessions and are planning for a couple of spring ones before the weather breaks for outdoor. Stay tuned to the social media and website. The hurlers and camógs will be at Soccer Sportsplex on February 12th from 10:00AM to 11:00AM. All of the indoor sessions are geared for skill development for beginners and returning players. Give it a try!
The Cleveland Saints will also be participating in the St. Malachi Run on March 11. Join us for the 2-miler, 5-miler, or combo 7-miler. It is for a worthy cause, and it is a fun social during the run and during the recovery afterwards. Wear your favorite GAA jersey or through on the Club colors, Green and Red.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh
Thanks y’all, to our readers and supporters. We need your help and involvement but would most like to share the fun of Irish sport and Cleveland community with you. Consider getting involved at any level.
Fáilte (welcome) to all. The Gaelic Athletic Association is Ireland’s largest sporting organization and a bit of home for the Irish abroad here in the US of A. Beyond sports, the Association also promotes Irish music, song and dance, and the Irish language as an integral part of its objectives. Cleveland GAA is open to all who want to play competitive sports, meet new people, and join an athletic, fitness-minded club for all ages.
Follow @ClevelandGaelic on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the 2022 activities for Men, Women, and Youth, or visit ClevelandGAA.com.
*Vincent Thomas Francis Xavier Beach is a proud Greater Clevelander and emigrant of Michigan. He joined the St. Pat’s Gaelic Football Club in 1999 and, with much help, is the current caretaker of the Cleveland GAA. His Irish is a cross of dialects from the University of Cincinnati and An Cheathrú Rua. With his wife, Michelle, he enjoys watching time absolutely fly by as their children, Ambrose (13), Bernadette (11), and Cedric (8), grow. His other hustles are coaching CYO basketball at St. Mary of Berea, coaching soccer in Olmsted TWP, teaching Construction Management at CWRU, and laying down some engineering skills on local water/wastewater projects.
