“Ahmed’s on fire, your defence is terrified!”
If ever an example needed to be set, look no further than Sarsfields GAA club in Belfast.
Liam Cunningham made the whole country sit up last Friday night and ask themselves some hard questions. He presented some cold facts that “embarrassed” him. Of all the refugees streaming out of Syria, Turkey have taken in 2.5 million. Jordan have taken in 0.75 million. Lebanon – the best relative comparison with Ireland – have unofficially seen almost 2 million Syrians come into the country.
Ireland, meanwhile, have committed to welcoming 4,000 Syrians.
So far, 311 have come into the country.
"If America had treated us the way we are treating the Syrians, where would we be now?" @liamcunningham1 #latelate https://t.co/r3NDyLzmCx
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) October 7, 2016
Up north, at least, there’s one story that would warm your heart and make you eager to inflict change. Ahmed Soda, an 11-year-old from Syria, arrived in Belfast last December and, now, he calls the place home.
He’s fitted right in at the local GAA club in the west of the city and he already feels that sense of community and belonging that we all feel with our clubs.
“When I joined Sarsfields, I didn’t know anything,” the young man with already a hint of a Belfast twang told ITV.
“But they teach me. Everyone has been good, it’s like a family.”
And, Ahmed, even at 11 years old, hasn’t just found a new home and a new life with new friends, he’s found that he has a genuine talent with a hurl in his hands.
Already, he has helped the club to an under-12 trophy in Antrim and one of his coaches, Ciaran Doherty, reckons he can go the whole way.
“Hopefully he’s a future Antrim star,” the club’s management team spoke with ITV. “I believe with his determination and his big heart hell go far no matter what he does.
“He’s a very brave young man, in terms of what he’s been through, but on the pitch he’s just unbelievable and the kids have really taken to him.”
The 11-year-old’s father, Ali Soda. never spoke a word of English when he first came to town but now he’s watching his son flourish.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who helped my son,” he said. “Now my son is a good player.”
What this family has been through goes way beyond what most of us will ever experience. But now they’ve started again and they’ve found a new home. A proper home. Now, they’re one of us.
It’s just one example but Ireland and the GAA has so much to offer these families.
Watch the full video here. This is brilliant reporting from Marc Mallet.
The GAA Hour podcast is out every Wednesday. Subscribe here on iTunes or listen on Soundcloud.
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