Bringing the Home Field to Willawong
In the shade of Willawong’s gum trees and under Brisbane’s blazing sun, a familiar heartbeat echoes the Irish countryside. The Australasian Gaelic Games Championships have arrived, turning a southern corner of Australia into a summer field where hurling and Gaelic football are more than sports—they are a living tie to home for the Irish diaspora.
The soundscape is unmistakable: the thwack of a leather ball off an ash stick, and the whip-like crack of ash on ash. The sport’s roots stretch deep into Irish myth and history, yet the Australasian event demonstrates how Gaelic games have traveled and thrived far from their Gaelic grounds. The 2025 championship brought around 400 players from 19 teams across Australia and New Zealand, with finals scheduled for Sunday.
The Championships You Can Feel in the Sun
Since 1974, the Australasian Gaelic Games Championships have blended expat energy with a growing local interest. Hurling and camogie (the women’s version of hurling) are the main draws, with many players representing Irish counties—though the field is increasingly populated by Australians who discovered the sport abroad. In Victoria, for example, the 27-man hurling squad includes players who have named inter-county clubs as their roots, while the drama of the matches unfolds in midday Brisbane sunshine.
Defender Tommy Gallagher, a Westmeath inter-county veteran, spoke after his side’s hard-fought 3-18 to 2-12 victory over Queensland. “Hurling, on a summer’s day like this, it’s the best sport in the world,” he said, underscoring the pride and pleasure that keep players returning to the field, season after season.
A Home Away From Home
For many Irish players in Australia, the GAA club is the first port of call when settling into a new life. The overall Irish community abroad has long used sport to bridge distance and build belonging. Ciara Holden, a camogie coach from New South Wales, describes the atmosphere as “nearly like a home away from home.” The social bonds formed at clubs—whether playing or simply supporting—often translate into professional and personal networks across the globe.
Victoria’s Orlagh Farmer, a six-time All Ireland ladies football champion with Cork, highlights the broader significance. “The social aspect is just as important for people coming over,” she says, noting that many players see Gaelic games as a portal to memory, friendship, and opportunity, not just competition.
Gaelic Games Go Global
Gaelic football and hurling have long traveled with the Irish diaspora, and recent years have accelerated their global footprint. The GAA World Games in Derry and the increasing number of inter-county players plying their trade abroad demonstrate the sport’s expanding reach. At the 2023 World Games, more than 1,500 players from 93 teams gathered from diverse regions, a testament to Gaelic games’ universality.
Trina Murray, president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, calls the growth “incredible.” She notes that players who shift to Australia can still perform at high levels, with more than 30 LGAF players now competing in AFLW. Murray emphasizes that this is not a drain of talent but a sign of Gaelic football’s enduring value and appeal in a global context.
From Soccer to Gaelic: The Aussie Connection
Not all participants arrive with a Gaelic pedigree. Siena Covino, originally from a soccer background, found Gaelic football through a friend and a curious impulse. Her experience illustrates the sport’s inclusive appeal: “Soccer is technical; Gaelic is more creative,” she explains, believing that her background helps her adapt and excel in a different code. For Covino, the park or the field is a space to grow, connect, and contribute to a community that feels like family.
The Willawong Championship is more than a tournament. It is a live demonstration of how sport can bind continents, cultures, and communities—celebrating a shared Irish heart under an Australian sun and reminding players and spectators alike that, wherever they are, the flame of Gaelic games burns bright.
