MHC Dish From the Pitch 2013 MHC Dish From the Pitch 3

WEEK 3- June 9, 2013

GALWAY TRIBESMEN LAND ON
MILWAUKEE SHORES
Galway GAA Representatives Deliver Formal Invitation
to Aer Lingus International Hurling Festival
by Aislinn Leonard

Three legends of Galway hurling came to Brown
Deer Park on Sunday June 9, 2013 to formally invite the
Milwaukee Hurling Club to the Aer Lingus International
Hurling Festival. Former GAA President Joe McDonagh,
Galway Senior Hurling Manager Anthony Cunningham,
and Galway Senior Hurling Coach and Selector Mattie
Kenny were accompanied by Michael Grealy, Aer Lingus
Chief Human Resources Officer, and Sean Murphy, Aer
Lingus Director of Change and Engagement. All five came
extending a warm welcome the whole MHC community
and they left fully impressed and armed with a little bit
of Milwaukee swag.
After spending the better part of the afternoon
watching games, enjoying the company of the sidelines,
and running a mini youth camp, Mattie Kenny, Project
Manager for the Aer Lingus International Hurling Festival
said he was most impressed with the “buzz around the
pitch all day long.” He also mentioned that the MHC is an
“amazing model that could be repeated worldwide, even
in Ireland.” When asked what specifically drew his
attention he said the high coaching standard, the family
atmosphere, the structure of the day, and the fact that

every kid he saw anywhere around the park that day had
a hurley in his hand.
When we asked our own Nick “Tater” Ruetz about
what he heard from our visitors on Sunday he said, “One
thing I learned is they reaffirmed we’re doing it the right
way; that the Milwaukee model is a proven success and a
viable example that could be used internationally. They
were absolutely amazed at our whole operation and were
especially impressed with the U7 teams and that we start
the kids so young.”
Before leaving, after a visit we all felt was much
too short, Dave Olson and the crew presented our new
friends with gift bags that contained MHC caps, harley
Davidson polo shirts, and other Milwaukee area goodies.
After opening his bag, Michael Grealy told Nick Ruetz that
the kids are going to freak out at his son’s school when
he shows up in an MHC t-shirt!
In one last act of friendship before they got in the
truck to leave, Anthony Cunningham, who’d never had
this opportunity before, presented Adam Blackwell’s son
with his first hurley. This was a memorable moment to
end an even more memorable day.