‘NBC Nightly News’ hails volunteer work of Irish athletes in Breezy Point -VIDEO

Segment on how athletes from Ireland made a difference after Sandy

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

2 Comments

Members of the GPA give a helping hand to Superstorm Sandy struck Rockaways

Photo by Sean Mc Phail

Tweet

NBC Nightly News has hailed the work of Irish athletes helping rebuild Breezy Point in New York after Hurricane Sandy.

In their “Making a Difference” segment  the network spent time with the Gaelic Players Association who sent 20 players and managers to Breezy Point last week to help with the rebuilding there.

The segment, which aired on Tuesday night, showed legendary All Star players like Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack, Tipperary hurler Lar Corbett  and former Dublin manager Pat Gilroy working side by side with locals to restore a youth gym and make houses habitable in the devastated neighborhood.

Read more: Top Irish athletes restore key community buildings in Rockaways, Breezy Point

It intercut their work with scenes from the All Ireland football and hurling finals showing the Irish volunteers playing before crowds of 80,000 in Dublin’s Croke Park. GAA players are all amateur athletes and the Gaelic Players Association was founded to look after their concerns and give back to the games.

NBC Anchor Brian Williams paid tribute to the Irish athletes calling them superstars in their own country but just ordinary workers lending a hand in America. The NBC segment showed hundreds of Breezy Point residents showing up on Sunday last to give thanks to the Irish squad and the Irish government who also chipped in to help with the restoration.

Donal Og Cusack referred to the elderly lady they met on their first trip to Breezy Point after Hurricane Sandy and how she asked them for help to move a fridge out of her home. From that point on they agreed to come back and help in the mostly Irish American enclave he said.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Print

E-mail

Tweet