Next On The List: August 12th - Tipperary v Galway, minor hurling semi-final; Tipperary v Wexford, senior hurling semi-final - (both Croke Park and live on Network 2)
Australasia
Australia, as we know, has a long and proud tradition of keeping the Gaelic Games flag flying overseas. It seems to have an affinity with the GAA in Ireland's passion for controversy.
"This year, the Australasian Championships were due to be held in Sydney, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ever series." Says Mick Finn, deputy editor of the Irish Echo and captain of the Sydney Shamrocks. " However, an internal dispute involving the limiting of one year visa players per state erupted earlier in the year with New South Wales, the supposed hosts, voting to pull out of the competition.
In the league competitions, Sydney's Michael Cusack won the men's football, Clan na Gael the women's football and Sydney Shamrocks won the hurling.
North America
Forty million Americans claim to have Irish blood. That should make for a hell of a GAA North American Championship. The North American County Board (NCAB) has jurisdiction over the entire US, except the New York Metropolitan area, which is governed by the New York County Board.
The 2001 North American playoffs are scheduled for San Francisco over the Labour Day weekend and are now considered it be the biggest Irish sports spectacle outside of Ireland, typically attracting an attendance of over 100,000 people from around the country. It is estimated that about 60 games will be played throughout the three-day holiday weekend.
However, everything is not rosey in the US garden. "More recently, the restructuring of the hurling and football championships has seriously restricted the number of inter-county players coming to the Us to play," says Eamonn Kelly. "I have seen so many up and down periods that the next economic cycle will produce a more positive future for US GAA".
Britain
Closer to home, the GAA Championship is progressing nicely. Up in Scotland, the senior football club championship semi-finals and final are coming up towards the end of this month.
The Tir Conaill Harps will go into the their senior football championship semi-final against Glasgow Gaels as favourites having beaten Glasgow in a recent final. In the other semi-final, Duedin Connolly's are the form team, but Sands McSwiney's have a great record in the championship.
September Road heard that the captain of the Harps senior football team Mick Dempsey has stubbornly refused the sacrilege of putting a training bib over his beloved Offaly jersey.
The Middle East
Teachers, of course, can only plot for world domination for nine months of the year. Because many of the Irish go home for the summer, and the fact that the united Arab Emirates is now cooking at 45 degrees, Abu Dhabi Fianna Sevens chairman Anthony Carey says they don't play much during the summer. The new training season will kick-off with the new school year, with the games scheduled for the end of September.
"That will be Abu Dhabi Fianna Sevens (Periwinkle Games), and hopefully will attract a few teams from around the Gulf to the pleasures that AD has to offer. Soon after that we will renew our rivalry with the Dhabi Celts in the new UAE championships," says Anthony, who rumour has it is so committed to the Abu Dhabi club that last week he married the captain of the club's ladies football team, Maura Geoghan.
