Bahrain hosts biggest ever GAA gathering outside Ireland

Video report by Jerome Quinn from one of the fastest-growing GAA areas in the world

1,200 players took part in the League over the weekend in Bahrain.
1,200 players took part in the League over the weekend in Bahrain.

The biggest ever gathering of GAA players outside Ireland and the US took place in Bahrain over the weekend, with 151 games played by 80 teams for a round of the Middle East League.

The league began six years ago with just nine teams, but the latest round of games in Bahrain saw 1,200 players taking part.

The video report includes parents from Saudi Arabia and Syria supporting children playing Gaelic football, as well as winners and losers from the Dubai Celts, Abu Dhabi Na Fianna and the Arabian Celts.

Chairman of Middle East GAA James Kennedy said he was ‘delighted’ that so many people were playing Gaelic football in the region, especially locals with no connection to Ireland at all.
Chairman of Middle East GAA James Kennedy said he was ‘delighted’ that so many people were playing Gaelic football in the region, especially locals with no connection to Ireland at all.