Zulu Gaels makes Irish press
Since May, Donal Ryan, coach and player of the Zulu Gaels Gaelic Football team has been making the news, now the team have made the Irish news.
IF you picked up a copy of last month’s The Irish Mail on Sunday you’d see the first four pages of the national newspaper taking a closer look at the Emerald Isle’s ailing economy. Flip through the newspaper to page 20 and you would see a section on the development of GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) sports, more specifically, that of Gaelic Football.
Within the article there was mention of KwaZulu-Natal’s first Gaelic Football team the ‘Zulu Gaels’. In May this year, Donal Ryan, an Irishman who grew up in the town of Athlone, County Westmeath, and now Danville Avenue resident formed KZN’s first Gaelic Football team.
He set out to create a slice of home and introduce Gaelic Football to the Durban North community, but he ended up doing more than that. He unearthed a pot brimming with Gaelic talent and his dual role as player/coach also took his team to its first SA Gaels Spring Blitz national competition earlier this year.
“It has been an amazing year and it was wonderful to see the article in the Irish Mail. I didn’t actually know about it but it’s good to see the ‘Zulu Gaels’ making international news.
“Though most of the article focuses on the efforts of Paul Carpenter and Hannah Oguz in Joburg, we were delighted to see that the Zulu Gaels contingent got a mention in there too,” he said.
Ryan said the team has been working hard to establish things in Durban and it was a great feeling to see the teams’ efforts publicised back in the home of Gaelic Football. “You never know, maybe now an Irish company will decide to sponsor us!” Ryan joked.
For more information or to join contact Donal 076 706 3612 or email donaloriain@gmail.com
