A large crowd attended Saturday’s Ulster v the Rest of Ireland hurling spectacular at Corrigan Park, organised by Gaels Against Genocide in Gaza.
The were entertained to a fine game of hurling with little separating Davey Fitzgerald’s Ulster and a Rest of Ireland Select taken by another Clare native, Louis Mulqueen.
Although the result was inconsequential, the Ulster side did run out 3-19 to 2-21 winners although the visitors were disputing that score in the end.
It was a first opportunity for Fitzgerald to see some of his Antrim players in action and the Saffrons’ contingent on the field were certainly not taking it easy as they looked to make an impression, with Eoin O’Neill’s first half-goal helping the Ulster side into a 1-9 to 0-10 lead at the break.
Niall McKenna cracked home a second major five minutes into the second period but the Rest of Ireland team hit two of their own with Iraqi-born Leitrim hurler, Zak Moradi landing the first, but it was a bundled home effort from Joe Maskey that tipped the balance in favour of the hosts in the end.
In all, it was an excellent afternoon with the Gaza Paediatrician Care Initiative the big winner as all of the funds are going towards their effort to bring badly injured Palestinians to Ireland for treatment.
“There were a lot of moving parts and trying to draw them together took a group of dedicated volunteers to make it work,” said Paul Collins from the Gaels Against Genocide Group.
“We are absolutely delighted with the turnout and I think people have bought into the charity and idea of 30 children coming from Gaza to get the treatment they need in Ireland. We are just helping out the Irish paediatricians who came up with the idea.
“There’s been fantastic buy-in from the public and players. Those who were unable to make it, the messages of support and donations they made have been heart-warming.”
The Gaels Against Genocide group emerged from weekly protests in the Belfast and has already held its own rallies.
However, the need for this event to take place at all was bittersweet as on one hand, the generosity of the GAA community is helping make a difference, but then the fact this has to happen at all is a source of deep regret.
The scenes of death and destruction visited upon the Palestinian people have been horrifying with the UN estimating around 70 per cent of the victims are women and children.
It was perhaps fitting that local children played a huge part in the day’s events in pre-game and at half-time as those of a similar age in Gaza have a very different reality.
“With the GAA being community-based, we were very confident the West Belfast, Antrim and further afield GAA communities would rally behind, and that’s how it has worked out,” Collins added.
“It’s a terrible thing we’ve had to do all of this, but we’ve families here and children playing in the Go Games, which is quite poignant as children in Gaza don’t have the opportunity to enjoy sport like the kids here today.
It was heart-warming to see the response of the Gaels of Antrim and further afield as they came together to raise funds that sadly will only make a difference to those fortunate enough to avail of this excellent initiative.
Meanwhile governments refuse to condemn this genocide despite the fact that it is being broadcast daily on our T.V. screens and by social media.
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