Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
Muscat: Jumeirah Gaels emerged champions of the Gaelic Football Tournament hosted by Clann na hOman at the Sultan School and flew back with the Douglas OHI cup.
In the men's final. Jumeiah notched an excellent victory over Abu Dhabi, while the local Clann na hOman Club won the plate final against a spirited Riyadh based Naomh Alee team.
Meanwhile, In the Ladies Tournament, Al Ain GAA club pipped the local Clann na hOman team in the final by the tightest of margins in what was a thrilling encounter. The Abu Dhabi ladies were victorious in the ladies plate competition
Sixteen teams from across the region competed in a hotly contested championship which delivered a fantastic exhibition of skill, pace and score taking.
As this competition is part of the Middle East Leagues referees from Gaelic Football headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, were flown in to officiate at the competition.
The men’s Player of the Tournament Award was given to Peter Acheson who now plays with the Jumeirah Gaels Club. Peter recently moved to Dubai from Ireland with work commitments after spending the summer competing at the highest level in the All Ireland Gaelic football championships with Tipperary who were semi-finalists in this year’s championships.
The Clann na hOman player of the tournament will hopefully not be Peter’s only award this month as he has been nominated for the prestigious All Star awards back in Ireland after a summer of stellar performances. The All-Star award is the highest honour which can be given to a Gaelic Football player and highlights the level of the game in the Middle East.
A fantastic social event was hosted in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Muscat, after the competition where the cups and awards were presented to the winning teams and individuals. Approximately eleven different nationalities participated in the competition from all over the globe ranging from Canada to Australia.
Conor Lynch, the secretary of Clann na hOman, paid tribute to the Sultan School for hosting the event and thanked all the sponsors on the day which included Doughlas OHI, Radission Blu, Interserve, Hydroserve, Al Rafaa, Artco, STS, IDTEC, Muscat Duty Free, Turner and Townsend and Effect Energy Drinks.
BBC Breakfast’s Mike Bushell recently described Gaelic football as one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, but it has been popular in the Middle East for over 30 years and is the second most popular sport in Bahrain from a player participation perspective.
Alan Kelly, Club treasurer, commented that it was great for a club like Clann na hOman to host such an event in Muscat and stated that all players and supporters who attended the tournament expressed a wish to return to further explore this beautiful city and country.
