THE cream of Gaelic football talent in the Fire & Rescue Service have travelled to New York to celebrate St Patrick's Day with a match against their US counterparts.
The trip was initially planned in 2020 but the Covid outbreak forced a cancellation at the eleventh hour.
The NI Fire & Rescue Service Gaelic Football Club will line out against a New York City Fire Department side in Gaelic Park in the Bronx today.
The players will also join the famous New York St Patrick’s Day Parade at Times Square tomorrow, as well paying their respects at Ground Zero to fallen colleagues in the emergency services from the 9/11 attacks.
The travelling party includes several experienced footballers, including Peter Turley (Downpatrick and recently retired Down midfielder), Trillick's Eoin Gormley and Fintona's Mark Donnelly – both recent winners of the All- Ireland over-40s with Tyrone – Damien Cassidy of Ederney, Noel Mullan from Cookstown Fr Rocks and Pomeroy men Patsy Begley and Ciaran McKenna.
Their manager and club chairperson is Watch Commander Ronán O’Reilly, a Devenish clubman, who also hopes to make an appearance in the closing stages.
He said it is 16 years since a NIFRS team made a similar trip to New York but they have enjoyed a close relationship since then as they seek to promote Gaelic football among firefighters.
“In more recent years we have been very fortunate to represent our service at Gaelic games for its inaugural showcasing in Vancouver for the World Police & Fire Games 2009, and again in New York City for the games in 2011, where we renewed our long friendship with the FDNY crew.
"In 2013, when Belfast hosted the global games, our senior lads were inspiring in a sensational Gaelic football final. We took our first Ulster Inter-firms Championship in 2013.”
The travelling club members are represented not just by serving officers, but numerous support staff and a significant number of retired personnel.
The New York Fire Department has also been over to Belfast several times since 2006, and has always made a sizeable donation to the children’s burns unit at the Royal Victorial Hospital.
On this occasion the NIFRS was determined to reciprocate and has raised £6,000 for the NY Firefighters Burns Foundation Children’s ward based in Manhattan.
Mr O'Reilly said: “Sixteen years on and we’re back, a 46-strong contingent from our club. The NIFRS have been very supportive of the friendship links established with our FDNY colleagues and wish us well at the home of Gaelic games in New York, Gaelic Park, Bronx.”
