Theme: Education

gaa oral history project

Playing handball at St. Patrick's College,
Armagh, in the 1920s.
© Cardinal Ó Fiaich Library and Archive More Images

Going to school and playing games are a central part of every child’s upbringing. As the largest sporting organisation in the country, the GAA has the most visible presence in the schools of Ireland. It is on the school pitches of the land, as well as in their clubs, that the young men and women of Ireland have cut their teeth and honed their skills as footballers, hurlers, and camogie players ... More

Sean Scollan

Sean Scollan, 83, Leitrim
Sean remembers playing school football with Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, and how one teacher looked after an injury he received during a match.
© GAA Oral History Project

Dan Hogan

Dan Hogan, 65, Kilkenny
Dan recalls several schools' championship matches in the 1940s. One was played in a local field, where the rivalry between the teachers outdid the rivalry of the teams on the field.
© GAA Oral History Project

Brendan Crawley

Brendan Crawley, 61, Monaghan
Brendan explains the motives behind the setting up of the Matt Talbot Club. The club comprised current and past pupils of inner-city Dublin schools and was set up by the schools' teachers.
© GAA Oral History Project

Frank Shovlin

Frank Shovlin, 38, Liverpool
Frank talks about his involvement in the setting up of Oxford University Gaelic Football Club, their annual matches against Cambridge, and the need to get English soccer or rugby players and Australian Aussie Rules players to make up a full team.
© GAA Oral History Project

Joan Molamphy

Joan Molamphy, 62, Armagh and Dublin
Joan, secretary of St. Jude's Club in Dublin, discusses the role played by the county board in keeping primary-school children engaged in Gaelic games. She describes how her club is now 'bridging the gap' by sending coaches from the club into secondary schools, where there are no teachers who can coach the games.
© GAA Oral History Project

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