Every Irish village has a Gaelic football team. So does Bratislava

Many people have never heard of the sport, but three months later, they’re playing in the European Gaelic Football championships.

The Slovak ShamrocksThe Slovak Shamrocks (Source: Courtesy of the Slovak Shamrocks)

While the hockey-crazed nation of Slovakia rallied behind its national team in the 2021 Ice Hockey World Championship, another sports team recently returned to the pitch after being sidelined by the pandemic for eight months.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Established by a group of Irishmen, the Slovak Shamrocks GAA, Bratislava’s premier Gaelic football team, will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. Since their inception, the men’s and women's teams have actively promoted the quintessentially Irish sport of Gaelic football in Slovakia, continuing in their mission despite grappling with Covid-19 restrictions for close to a year.

SkryťTurn off ads
Related article: Slovakia’s Gaelic Football team offers a family away from home Read more 

“In Ireland, nearly every village has a Gaelic football team. It’s the heart of the community; that’s what we try to be here in Bratislava,” remarked long-time member Ciarán Halley, who also acts as the team’s public relations officer.

There are over 2,200 Gaelic football clubs established under the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland, but the sport is not well-known outside of its country of origin. Nevertheless, the Slovak Shamrocks are an undeniable force among the community of foreigners in Bratislava. Even those with little to no understanding of the game, a hodgepodge of volleyball, basketball, football and handball, among other sports, are likely familiar with the famously inclusive team.

“If we had a mission statement, it would probably be ‘we’re open to everyone’,” said Halley.

SkryťTurn off ads

Isolation highlighted importance of club

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

Two bear incidents over weekend, an effort to revive Bratislava calvary, and storks in Trnava.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad