RSS
Sport


Home Page > Sport > NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg wants GAA field for Queens

Blogs


comment on article Make a comment
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail

NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg wants GAA field for Queens

'It's time Queens had an Irish football field'

By
APRIL DREW,
Irish Voice Reporter

Published Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 9:28 AM
Updated Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:29 AM

 

Bookmark and Share

Accompanied by Ciaran Staunton, Mayor Michael Bloomberg meets GAA fans at the Shannon Gaels field day in Queens on Saturday.

Video / Mayor Bloomberg visit GAA festival in Sunnyside, Queens/ Click here

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a large gathering of footballers from the Shannon Gaels club and their families in Queens on Saturday, October 17, that it is “time Queens had an Irish football field.”

Bloomberg, who attended the first annual Shannon Gaels field day at Sunnyside Gardens, said, “We are in very early stages of the process but we are cautiously optimistic that we can get it (a GAA pitch) done.”

Admiring the Sunnyside Gardens, Bloomberg said, “This is a great event and Sunnyside Gardens is a great park, but I think it’s time Queens had an Irish field to call home.  How about you?”

Fiona Smyth, a mother of three children who play with Shannon Gaels, welcomed the news from Saturday.

“It really would be great to have our own pitch,” said Smyth.

“Three of my kids play with the Shannon Gaels which means we have two separate nights of training because the pitch the smaller ones train on isn’t big enough for the older kids so they train on a Wednesday.”

Smyth, the event organizer on the Shannon Gaels committee, said having their own pitch would guarantee more members. Currently there are over 200 children playing with team.

“And if we had our own pitch then we could start up a hurling team,” she said optimistically.

Bloomberg said that the Queens Parks Department sat down with members of the Irish community to discuss options last week.

“We’re still in the very early stages, but we’re all optimistic,” said Bloomberg.

“The Irish have helped make this the greatest city in the world and I want to see more Irish come here … and more immigrants from around the world.” 

Ciaran Staunton, who helped organize a meeting between the Sunnyside Irish community and the mayor three months ago where the idea of a GAA pitch was put on the table, told the Irish Voice on Tuesday that having a permanent place for the Shannon Gaels to train and play is essential for the development of the sport.

“Every other sport has a pitch so now it’s time for the Shannon Gaels to have theirs,” said Staunton.

1 2 Next page >
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


Be the first to make a comment.

It may take several minutes for your comment to appear.


Click to learn more from DiscoverIreland.com.


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password