Tuesday, 8 October 2024
Following in the steps of successful international GAA clubs such as Donegal Boston, Donegal Philadelphia and Tír Conaill Gaels, a few like-minded individuals based in Dubai took the initiative to establish a GAA club aimed at creating a community for not only the Irish diaspora based there, but also to all those with an interest in getting involved.
It all started with a conversation between two of the now committee members, Liam Doherty from Kilcar and Conor Gibbons from Letterkenny, where the seed was planted “I still remember the first time he pitched the idea to me one night, and it was definitely a light-bulb moment”.
Established during the summer of 2024, the club has gone from strength to strength with a surge in membership. “The members at Donegal Dubai are definitely from all walks of life, from real estate agents, recruiters, project managers, physios, lawyers, occupational therapists and teachers to name a few”.
Currently, there is a large group of Donegal folk on the first-ever Donegal Dubai GAA committee. There is Liam Doherty from Kilcar who is the enterprise director at Connect Group, Conor Gibbons who is a teacher and owner of the Hills Coffee, Christopher Sweeney from Gweedore who also works at Connect Group, Brandon Goodwin from Bundoran who is the vice chairman at the ARC Group, Sean Meehan from Donegal Town who is the manager of Fibber Magees Irish bar, Eamon Carr from Fanad who is an Occupational Therapist, and Adele Mc Fadden from Falcarragh who is a primary school teacher. Mark Gallagher from Glenties is also just after coming on board and is heading the ladies football side of things at the club and is already doing brilliant things. Mark is also a primary school teacher here in Dubai.
In addition to promoting the sport, one of the largest benefits that the club provides for their members, from all corners of the world, is a vibrant social hub within Dubai, a connection to the Irish community as well as a global community of expats. “The GAA scene here in Dubai and the UAE, much like those in America and Australia, definitely gives Irish expats the sense of home away from home. It’s a great way to link up and have the craic with people from all over”.
There are huge advantages for the Donegal, and indeed the Irish, diaspora who are developing their careers to be currently located in Dubai and the UAE “Things that Dubai gives you that Donegal does not would be the sunshine and warm weather, more opportunities to work and network with people from different parts of the global, and Dubai is a good base for travelling to different countries around Asia and Africa.”
Although these advantages attract young, ambitious, career-focused individuals, there are elements embedded in their DNA which are calling them to return to their roots “Three things that I miss about Donegal would be family, friends and definitely driving around to many of the different, unreal beaches we have around the county, like Ballymastocker Bay near Port Salon, to name one.”
Though the club is still in its early phases of development, the numbers attending regularly have been incredible. Going forward, the emphasis will be on inclusivity and making sure that the club is well established “We want to ensure that we have a set up and culture in place in the club, where people from all backgrounds and varying levels of GAA experience are encouraged to come out and be a part of the club.”
For those who are already located in Dubai or the UAE, or those who are planning to move there, they are more than welcome to become a part of the Donegal Dubai GAA community, regardless of where you’ve moved from “We are been delighted so far with the members who have come on board already, not just from all corners of Ireland, but also from the UK, South Africa and across the Middle East.”
Its easy to get in contact with the Donegal Dubai club by linking up with them through their Instagram page or directly at chairperson.donegaldubai.middleeast@gaa.ie
“Even if you aren’t living in Dubai, the door is always open!”
