GAA Palestine was due to tour Ireland from July 18 - August 1.@GAA_Palestine, Instagram
GAA Palestine said in a statement that it is "deeply disappointed and shocked by the recent decision of the Irish Immigration Service to refuse visas to 47 Palestinian youths and coaches from the West Bank who were scheduled to participate in a cultural and sporting tour of Ireland this month."
The West Bank-based group's tour was set to make stops in Dublin, Carlow, Tipperary, Cork, Clare, Galway, Leitrim, Derry, and Belfast between July 18 and August 1.
The club, which was launched in January 2024, said over 100 Irish families had volunteered to host the Palestinian group, and numerous GAA clubs raised funds to support the visit; a general fundraiser for GAA Palestine has raised more than £65k as of Thursday.
"The event was set to promote cultural exchange, friendship, and mutual understanding, and its cancellation is a significant setback for all involved," GAA Palestine said of its tour.
Documentation
GAA Palestine says it submitted its visa applications in May with "comprehensive documentation," including "detailed plans for visits to various GAA clubs across Ireland, educational exchanges, and cultural activities."
The club said the applicants "had fulfilled all requested requirements and provided all necessary documentation as per the application process."
The club said in a statement: "Contrary to the information communicated in recent correspondence, Irish immigration officials have claimed that the visa applications were refused due to 'insufficient documentation.'
"We understand from letters sent by the Irish Embassy in Israel that the reason cited was a lack of detailed itineraries and financial arrangements — information that had been provided with the application."
The club said it was under the impression that "all necessary documentation and information had been provided and met the requirements for visa approval as stated by the Irish Embassy in Israel."
Appeals process is available
When asked for comment about Palestine GAA's claims that their visas were denied, a spokesperson for Ireland's Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration told IrishCentral on Thursday: "Each visa application is decided on its own merits.
"Confirming that appropriate child protection requirements are in place is essential when considering visa applications for minors.
"This includes a requirement that a child is travelling with their parents or an appropriate guardian, which requires additional documents to be verified such as birth certificates and consent letters.
"In adult cases, evidence of financial means, employment or other ties that indicate a person intends to return home are important criteria. These help to establish that a person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland, and that they will comply with the conditions of a short-term visa.
"An application will be refused if it cannot demonstrate compliance with such conditions. An appeals process is available to anyone who has a visa application refused."
"Utterly and completely devasted"
Steven Redmond, Chairperson of GAA Palestine, said in a statement: “Seven days before these young boys and girls were meant to leave the West Bank, we are told that additional documentation is now required - documentation that was already provided or never previously requested or indicated as necessary.
"We went as far as sending a volunteer to the West Bank to assist with additional documentation that was requested as part of our application.
"Nonetheless, GAA Palestine remains committed to collaborating closely with the Department of Justice to resolve this matter swiftly. We have a dedicated team of volunteers ready to respond and take immediate action.
"We are fully prepared to see this process through. We kindly ask the Government to partner with us in making this happen.
"Volunteers across Ireland are just utterly and completely devastated after all the work and effort put into making this tour happen. It’s heartbreaking to see such a promising cultural exchange fall apart at the very last moment.”
"Let them play"
GAA Palestine has now launched an online petition urging Ireland's Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Tánaiste Simon Harris to "let them play." The petition has exceeded 10k signatures in support in less than a day.
While the club is urging supporters to write to their local TDs requesting intervention, a number of Irish politicians have already spoken out.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Matt Carthy TD, slammed the refusal as "incomprehensible," adding that the children "deserve more than bureaucratic refusals.” He urged O'Callaghan to intervene, saying that his department "must work with GAA Palestine to make a success of this incredible opportunity for cultural exchange."
TD Ivana Bacik, head of Ireland's Labour Party, said she has appealed to Taoiseach Micheál Martin after the "outrageous decision" to deny the visas.
TD Sinead Gibney, the sports spokesperson for the Social Democrats, said on Thursday that the GAA Palestine tour "must go ahead," adding, "A solution can and must be found to allow this group of children a sliver of hope in this their darkest hour."
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said the refusal of visas to Palestinian GAA visitors is an "utter disgrace."
Addressing the Tánaiste in the Dáil on Thursday, Aontú TD Peader Tóibín said that he supported "rules and checks" for visa applicants, but added there the process should also be "compassionate." He asked the Tánaiste to ask the Minister for Justice to formally intervene, to which the Tánaiste said an appeals process is underway.