GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 28 – June 20, 2015 | Page 8

Sports in the US (outside of NYC), the
GAA’s North American County Board
(NACB).
The culmination of this year’s 4th Texas
Championship was Saturday the 6th of
June as all Texas GAA clubs converged
on Dallas to compete for the right to
be called this year’s Breckenridge Texas Gaelic Football champions.
After six weeks of thunderstorms,
there was initial joy among the gathered players as clear blue skies greeted
their arrival at Lake Highlands Park.
Fionn MacCumhaills Chairman Eddie Geraghty (right) presents the Adrienne Hussey
However, by mid-afternoon everyone
Memeorial Cup to Celtic Cowboys Captain Ronan Lehane. Photo: Brendan O’Sullivan/
quickly remembered just how hot the
Austin Celtic Cowboys.
blistering summer sun can be in Texas,
with players very grateful of the minimum shade providplayed helping to further the game’s development locally.
ed by sideline tents.
“It’s been a challenging year overall with all the thunderGETTING IT DONE
storms, numerous training sessions had to be cancelled,”
explained Doab.
The development of the Texas Championships has been
a wonderful part of the growing Irish Community in
“The early tournaments in Houston and Austin we’re
Texas, with all four major cities of Austin, Houston, San
down to the wire to avoid cancellation, but all rounds
Antonio and Dallas represented at the finals following a
we’re extremely competitive and development can be
spring filled with round-robin monthly games played in
clearly seen. The ladies game continues to develop at
each of the cities.
great pace with Austin and Dallas fielding two teams
and Houston coming on board with San Antonio now
But this young championship is not just about Irish imas well.”
migrant participation but features a growing number of
Texans keen to sample a new ‘football’ diet in this vast
The Austin club got going in 2004 and is the oldest club
state. Indeed, hard work and dedication can be seen in
in the state. The Cowboys birth influenced other cities
actually having the courage, the organization and the
and Dallas formed in 2010 with Irish emigrants and new
commitment to carry out a state wide championship givlocal converts mixed in. A year later and Huston began a
en that the Lone Star State is bigger than the country of
club and later San Antonio answered the call and with it
France. Plus, the folks in Texas also have had to contend
a growing number of Americans beginning to take part
with treacherous weather but nevertheless battled on,
in the action on the field and in club administration. In
overcame obstacles and in the process got early rounds
those early days, friendly tournaments between the near-

8