Chairperson's Welcome
A chairde,
As Cathaoirleach, I would like to welcome you the Middle East GAA website. Our mission is to enrich the Middle East community by promoting and developing Gaelic Games.
The Middle East GAA County Board was formally established in 2013 and continues to facilitate the development of Irish sport and culture in the region, with approximately 1,900 adult members, 400 juvenile members, and over 25 nationalities represented. Our clubs can be found in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Middle East GAA is a proud member of the World GAA Council, which represents the interests of all overseas units in places such as Europe, Asia, New York, North America, Australasia, and Africa. Middle East GAA is also twinned with the provincial body, Leinster GAA. We are grateful to World GAA and Leinster GAA for their continued support and assistance.
In March 2023, in the company of members, friends, and Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Larry McCarthy, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary. Thank you to everybody involved in this organisation over those 10 years for your efforts, hard work, and dedication. Indeed, given that Gaelic Games have been in the region since the early 1990s, I extend those same thanks to all those who paved the way for what we have today, long before Middle East GAA was ever a concept.
Middle East GAA has a strong and proud tradition of competing at the GAA World Games, which was conceptualised in the Middle East region and first held in Abu Dhabi in 2015. Our unit has sent many representative teams to this competition over the years, and has enjoyed plenty of success, with the summer of 2023 being the most recent iteration. On that occasion, the FRS Recruitment GAA World Games took place in Derry, and a total of 4 teams and 60 players travelled to compete in the codes of Men’s Gaelic Football, Ladies’ Gaelic Football, Hurling & Camogie. Thank you and well done to our players, coaches and referees from the region who represented the Middle East with distinction over the years. For our last outing, our teams were generously supported by the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce, Éire Gulf, NuLumenTek, Jones Engineering, FITT Meals and Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club. Thank you all.
Closer to home in the Middle East, activities typically begin in August of each year and continue to run until May. Over the course of the season, we offer an adult League and Championship competition in Hurling, Camogie, Men’s Football and Ladies Football, and Handball, which sees up to 20 tournament events take place in the region. We are grateful for the generous and continued support of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce and their Secretary-General Ahmad Younis towards Gaelic Games in the region. Every year, winners in the Senior, Intermediate, Junior A, Junior B, Junior C, and Junior D divisions are crowned champions of the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce Middle East League.
Elsewhere, away from adult competitions, several of our clubs offer activities for Juvenile members, a section which is enjoying significant growth at the time of writing. This season, three juvenile tournaments are due to be hosted by Middle East GAA, offering a great day out for families and children, and ensuring continued growth and development into the future. In addition, Cúl Camps have become a regular offering while, proving that there is space for all experience and skill levels in this organisation, some of our clubs may also offer social football via initiatives such as “Gaelic4Mothers&Others” and “Dads & Lads”.
You can keep up with all of our activities on social media via Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. We always welcome feedback and can be reached via the “Contact Us” section of this website.
New members are always welcome in our clubs, whether you would like to play, coach, referee or get involved in an administrative capacity. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of our members or clubs, and I am sure that you will enjoy a very rewarding experience.
Le gach dea-ghuí,
Gearóid Ó Cróinín
Cathaoirleach
