History will be made in May of this year for Shane Uí Neills of Glenarm when their Senior team and Junior teams, along with club referee Pete Hyndman, club members and some fans make the long journey across the Atlantic Ocean to compete in two hurling games against clubs from New York. The first game will be played on Friday 6th May, in the iconic venue “Gaelic Park” in the heart of the Bronx. The hosts will be a New York Junior Select Team.

On the Saturday the group will enjoy a trip round some of the site’s round New York. Sunday will see the hurlers and entourage make their way across the city to Orangeburg, in Rockland County to face home club Rockland GAA. After the game there will be refreshments and craíc, and a lot of stories to be told with our American cousins!!   On the Monday we return to Ireland with memories to keep and new friends forever.                                                                                                                                                              The trip was the brainchild of ex-Shane Uí Neill player, Kevin Mc Kay who left the green of Ireland in 2001, to the hustle and bustle of New York!! 

Kevin started hurling for our club when he was 12. Here is Kevin’s story.               

Alex Emerson was my first coach at St John’s PS in Carnlough. I inevitably began playing underage hurling for Shane O Neills Glenarm, our local club.

Nicky English would have been the player back then I most admired and I practiced every day to be like him as a child.

I played in the 1995 Intermediate County final at Casement Park and that same year represented Antrim Minors who where narrowly beaten by Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi finals at Croke Park.

Club honours followed in 1998 with winning the Intermediate County Final and also the same year Captaining Antrim U21 to an Ulster Championship and another narrow defeat to Cork in the All Ireland Semi Finals at Parnell Park.

In 2001 I left the Glens of Antrim to play hurling for a summer in New York for the Kilkenny club based in the Bronx. I met  a lot of great people there and little did I know it at the time but I was never to live back in Ireland again.

Unfortunately a few years later that Kilkenny NY club had to fold so I transferred to Offaly NY again playing with fantastic team mates.  I won the New York Championship in 2006 and 2007, also receiving a New York Hurling Allstar award in those years.

I represented New York hurling in the years of 2002 through 2006 and actually played against Antrim and formed team mates and friends in a Senior Ulster Final between New York and Antrim played in Boston, because so many of the New York panel that year were illegal to travel in and out of the USA!

My hurling career finished up around 2013 and now I coach my sons team with my local club in the suburbs of New York called Rockland GAA.

I continue to be active in GAA circles and keep a close eye on club and county results and achievements.

Our son Conall has actually represented New York as well in the 2023 U15 Hurling Feile held in Galway.

I met Emily who is a native New Yorker from Irish decent in 2002. We were friends for a while before started dating and eventually got married in 2004.

We have 3 amazing children together, Hannah (18), Conall (16) and Kiera (12) who are proud of their Irish connection.

I trained as a joiner before I left Ireland and continued with that industry when in New York.

I began my own Carpentry and General Contracting business in 2013 called: An Trim Inc.

Custom Carpentry and General Contracting and continue working at this today.

It’s very exciting to be able to host the Shane O Neill’s trip to New York in May and I’ll feel very proud to watch my boyhood club represent themselves and Antrim hurling at Gaelic Park, New York while also playing a game against my current club Rockland GAA a few days later.

This is a clear definition of how unique and important the Gaelic culture is when living abroad yet can combine these clubs for the common reason of sport and comradely. Kevin also is donating towards the trip to N.Y. along with fellow Gael Sean Mc Mullan who is living in North Wildwood, New Jersey.

Sean is the owner of The Anglesea Pub in North Wildwood, he is sponsoring a shirt for the fixtures during the trip. The club also thank Henry Dobbin for a generous donation.

Keep an eye on the Shane O’Neill’s Facebook for further news on the trip.