London GAA club reveal why they didn’t want a British Army team playing Gaelic football

A GAA club in London has decided to explain why it tried to stop a British Army team playing competitive football this season.

Earlier this month the Irish Guards, who play under the name of Naomh Padraig, lost their first ever competitive game of Gaelic football, going down to Tir Chonaill Gaels in the McArdle Cup. The game marked an end to a controversial number of months for London GAA after the team's ratification was objected to by the Granuaile GAA club at the turn of the year. It was understood that the Granuaile were seeking to revoke the affiliation granted to the Irish Guards by the London county board last September. Ultimately the GAA intervened to tell London GAA that there was no basis for the affiliation to be revoked, and the Irish Examiner now has obtained a letter of the reasons behind the controversial move. The letter claims that the Granuaile objected to an army team being facilitated to become a unit of the GAA because it was a work-based club and not a parish, or community-based member.

“Granuaile Hurling Club believe in the principle that the Gaelic Athletic Association is a community-based organisation and as such is against the affiliation of work-based clubs. These existing structures recognise work-based units/clubs should not compete in the same structures as community-based clubs and this is acknowledged by two such diverse organisations as the British army and the Gaelic Athletic Association. Based on this recognised approach how can London GAA accept this affiliation request?”

The club has also rejected that their objection had anything to do with politics, or any ill feeling towards members of the British Army. The letter also claims the club were ‘abused’ for their position after the issue became public in early 2016.