Thursday, 13 February 2025
The redevelopment of Pearse Park Centre for Culture and Sport is set to make a huge stride forward next month as Scotland GAA hosts a weekend of celebrations to raise funds for the project.
To kick things off a Gala Dinner will be held at Celtic Park on Friday March 28, at which members of last year’s All-Ireland Football winners Armagh will be in attendance with the Sam Maguire Cup, as well as the Irish Ambassador in Britain, Martin Fraser, the Irish Consul General in Scotland, Jerry O’Donovan and Vice-Consul General Andrea Wickham-Moriarty and other VIP guests from both the GAA and Celtic FC.
On the night, musical entertainment will be provided by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and the Stephanie Duff Academy of Irish Dance from Coatbridge. An auction and discussion panel will also take place during the evening.
Places at the tables are available from now on and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Sponsors are currently being sought for the evening and sponsorship packages will be offered in three tiers: Standard, Silver and Gold, depending on the level of sponsorship which in turn determines the level of visibility that these sponsors will benefit from at the event. This sponsorship in return for publicity will not only provide exposure for businesses or firms, but it also gives sponsors and individuals an opportunity to play their part in accelerating the development of the new Pearse Park Centre for Culture and Sport in Cambuslang.
The following day, Clydebank Community Sports Hub will be the venue for an exciting display of Gaelic football when a Masters Challenge Match takes between Donegal and Tyrone, who have won the All-Ireland Championship for the past four years in a row, with the involvement of star players who are multiple All-Ireland Championship winners.
The match has been inspired, in part, by previous matches between Irish counties on Scottish soil in the 1990s when, in 1993 then All-Ireland Champions Donegal took on Mayo, Derry as All-Ireland Champions took on Donegal in 1994 and 1996 saw Tyrone play Dublin. This match will give GAA enthusiasts in Scotland the chance to see some of the footballing superstars of yesteryear - including Glasgow-born former Donegal footballer, Kevin Cassidy - up close.
“Ulster GAA is, in so many ways, our nearest and dearest GAA neighbour and Donegal in particular has such tremendous historical links with Glasgow and the West of Scotland,” Peter Mossey, President of Scotland GAA, said. “At the same time these are very contemporary links and pervade everyday life in so many ways—and not least through culture, through music, through dance, through language and of course through sport—both the GAA and also via Celtic FC.
“Since the GAA was formally established in Scotland in 1897 there have been 77 clubs in existence over that time. Each of them has or had their own story and their own ebb and flow on and off the field and all of them fulfilling that same goal of offering an opportunity for people to celebrate and enjoy our games and be a part of that intrinsic value of what a GAA club is. For GAA clubs that exist outside of Ireland, our clubs are a mirror image of the communities in the towns and villages of Ireland, and one particular example of this is Glasgow’s Tír Conaill Harps with its very roots firmly embedded in Donegal.
“The GAA communities abroad are the legacy left behind by the generations of committed and insightful Gaels who never let the spirit die when they arrived on foreign shores. The purchase of a five-acre site in Cambuslang more than 70 years ago—in 1953—exemplifies the desire by the Irish community to have a GAA facility they could call home, where they could continue to express their culture by the playing of our native games. Our generation, inspired by the cultural spirit and example of those who have preceded us, will strive to continue our quest to provide facilities and structures that are integrated into the fabric of society for the benefit of the community and for the health, wellbeing and benefit of everyone.”
He continued: “In the current era of Scotland GAA there is a tremendous focus on youth, Ladies GAA and hurling, hence the need for improved access to facilities in Glasgow. The Scotland County Board have been granted planning permission by South Lanarkshire Council to build a new multi-sport hub and Irish Cultural Centre and never before in our history has there been a better opportunity to provide a facility that will reward the efforts of many generations of Irish immigrants to Scotland and ensure the long-term sustainability of the GAA in Scotland.
“We know from the past history of Glasgow that we are culturally embedded in two major aspects of Irishness here—the first being the GAA, and within this there is a huge Donegal diaspora, and the founding of Glasgow Celtic FC is also embedded in Irish history through Brother Walfrid. So, for the Irish Community to host this event as a combined sporting and social occasion embedded in the heart of the Irish community here, and inviting our friends from Ireland we hope that this occasion will bring a sense of camaraderie and belonging. We are also supporting efforts to raise the revenue to assist with the provision of a redeveloped cultural and sports facility at Pearse Park, as we aim to honour the legacy of our forebearers”.
“Scotland County Board wish to sincerely thank the Masters footballers of Donegal and Tyrone for their continuing support of what we are doing in the acceptance of this invitation to come along to Scotland, give of their time and energy and support our aspiration to build a sustainable and fitting legacy for those who come to Scotland to study at university, to work, to live and to raise their families, secure in the knowledge that they will be able to pursue their pass times as they integrate into the communities in Scotland.”
The Masters players from both teams are expected to take in the match between Celtic and Hearts after their own game, and will also be afforded the chance to visit the site where the Pearse Park Centre for Culture and Sport will be built.
For more information on the events, or to get involved with sponsorship, please contact: chairperson@scotlandgaa.ie
To read more about the redevelopment plans for Pearse Park visit: www.pearseparkscotland.org
Credit for story: The Irish Voice - Gerard@theirishvoice.com
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