This Saturday the 13th of March (unlucky for some so they say!) is the day when teams from all over Spain including Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona, Valencia and Seville converge on the Village of Ojen to play the Marbella leg of the Iberian GAA League.

The day will be packed with Football including Mens and Ladies games and with ten teams in total that’s going to make for one very strict schedule as we aim to play the final and play-offs for the 5 o’ clock finish time. The games and time schedule is listed below in so far as the first rounds anyway and the end of the day:

After all the games are sorted, some of you might need to have a wee drink and some grub. (I say some of you…you know I mean all of you!)  The food is being arranged at Matambre, just around the corner from the Claddagh Bar and past Beckitts restaurant where we have quite a tasty of selection of Tapas and Munchies.  In case you get lost, heres the bars and places we recommend when your in town.

An update from the the results for the GAA Valencia tournament held on Saturday 27th of March.

Tournament begins

The Throw-in for the 2010 Men’s Iberian Championship took place today in Valencia. It was at a new venue this year, Puçol, in the heart of the orange fields just north of the city and 4 teams took part; the hosts Sant Vicent, Naomh Fermin from Pamplona/Iruña, Barcelona Gaels and Madrid Harps.

Valencia began well, squeezing past a tough Madrid side, before meeting their match in the next game against Barcelona. Madrid recovered well from that early defeat to beat both Pamplona and Barcelona. So they then qualified for the final along with Barcelona, with Valencia narrowly eliminated on points-difference.

The Matches Continue

Despite losing to Madrid a little earlier in the group game, Barcelona rallied strongly in the final and took an early lead thanks to some clinical free-taking. In what was the best game of the day, Madrid narrowed the lead to less than a score with only a couple of minutes to go, but couldn’t quite get there, and so Barcelona have picked up where they left off last year, winning the first round and going into an early lead in the Championship.

A special mention of our referee for the day, Patrick Stassen from Maastricht who made his tournament debut. He left the game flow whenever possible and the day was all the more enjoyable for that.

The championship now moves onto Marbella in 2 weeks, where today’s four teams will be joined by Costa Gaels (Marbella) and Seville. The Ladies Iberian Championship will also begin there, with Valencia, Barcelona Gaelettes and Madrid competing.

Today’s results in full:-

• Madrid 0-6
  Valencia 1-4
• Barcelona 3-13
  Pamplona 0-2
• Valencia 0-3
  Barcelona 4-9
• Madrid 4-11
  Pamplona 0-1
• Valencia 11-7
  Pamplona 0-1
• Madrid 2-8
  Barcelona 0-3

Valencia Tournament Final:

• Madrid 1-08
  Barcelona 0-14

So we had dinner last Friday night with the Irish Club Marbella and a few of the lads from the team turned up to meet up, enjoy some fine food at Beckitt’s Restaurant and of course, sink a few beers and the evening turned into a fine old night with plenty of messing about and cheer.

But this story is about one person in particular.  Our esteemed Chairman of the Gaelic Athletic Football Club, good ole Gordon himself.

Say Hello to the man himself.

Now, if you don’t know our Gordon he runs a great wee Irish bar in Puerto Banus and an avid GAA man he is, so its nice to see that he didn’t let the side down again on this occasion.

After consuming a substantial, but not inebriating amount of alcohol at dinner, the party was really only getting started as Gordon and a few of the lads went “visiting” a full of the local drinking establishments around Marbella until the wee small hours upon which Gordon decided that he had had enough and took a taxi back to Banus where he decided to check in on his bar and make sure all was well.

Now at this stage, the night had wore on and our Gordon was a little the worse for wear.  But no bother to the man from Tipperary, he had responsibilities and not man nor an act of God would stop him checking out his beloved bar!

Having asked the young lass there if all was well then established that all was in order, the staff where fine and the folks in enjoying a few beers where seen to, Gordon decided to sit down and relax a little.

On a sofa.

A big soft sofa.

The inevitable happened and our Gordon fell asleep. Thats’ not so bad though and you cant blame a man for catching 40 winks in his own bar.

Its when he awoke that the story unfolds.

Having consumed a pretty fine amount of drink and woken up Gordon hauled his fat arse of the sofa and declared “I’m of to me bed lads, goodnight!”

Everyone nodded at this wise decision from the publican… that is until, to their amazement,  they saw him locking the doors to the bar behind him as he left and buggered off down the stairs with a spring in his step and not a care in the world.

I’ve heard of lockins before, and I’m not sure how they do them down in Tipperary, but Gordon, your the man and I think next time you might want to try positioning yerself INSIDE the bar to make it an official lockin and one that folks can at some point leave!

Just had confirmation that the friendly game against Seville will be going ahead on Sunday at 1pm in Ojen.  If your playing, shine yer boots and if yer not playing then put a note in your diary to come to Ojen and watch the game. If the guys can get in touch with either Justin or Gordon and see about arrangements for getting to Ojen in advance and in good time (like 12:30 at the latest) that would be great.

Directions to the Ojen pitch are on this page.

The Costa Gaels are really interested in starting a ladies Gaelic football club here on the costa del sol and want to know if you, your wife, sister, girlfriend or simply a friend would be interested in getting involved in helping to put together a team for the ladies.  Its in the very early stages but a few have put their name forward as being interested and will be training on Sundays in Ojen with the mens squad until the numbers are sufficient to train and play independently.

The Valencia Ladies Gaelic Football Team

Initially we see it starting as something social for the girls to get together and meet one another with the GAA team as the social glue that keeps you together but really the Costa Gaels as it currently stands would be so proud to have the girls accompany them to the tournaments throughout Iberia and Europe through the year. As you can see from the photo above, Valencia have a well represented female team and we really want to see the same here on the Costa Del Sol.

If you happen to be reading this and know of a female friend who would be interested in giving it a try, please let them know and tell them to get in touch with Gordon or Justin.  We would be more than happy to hear from them!

Just to let you know theres a new category on the ite for vidoes about the GAA and famous or great moments.  You can slide on over and have a look at it by hitting the Vids and stuff link on the right side of this page or for those who are to lazy they can click this link:

Link to GAA videos for lazy buggers.

One that might give you a laugh is the Tyrone v Armagh Semi Final from 2005, make sure you have audio as it has a lovely bit of commentary on it.

Just a short post to say we where well chuffed at the turnout for training on Sunday 26th on what was a relatively miserable weekend.  Some new faces as well, which is always a good thing and with 14 on the field the 7 aside game was great craic and good experience for the newer players (and the older ones who forgot they had hands and feet!).  Lets keep the momentum going and with the few guys who couldn’t make it we will have a pretty impressive 20 something strong side!

Next week though, can we make a point of not injuring Justin? (Yes Wayne, that means you…and the rest of you).  You all now hes a bit soft but if hes out your bound to suffer, after all he is the best player on the team, and I’m not embarrassed to say it.  I am the bollocks!

For those who havent bothered, I thought it might be an idea to tell you about the GAA and how it came about. I know, slightly off topic and all that but hell, if you have to listen to Gordon you may as well have some bloody idea when to nod and agree and this little extract may help you do that. Enjoy!

GAA – Way back when

GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) football and hurling have been arousing Irish passions for a long, long time. Football became popular as early as the 16th century, when teams might have consisted of all the able-bodied men of a town or parish. In those earliest days, the rather unorganized game would begin between the two towns and end when one side had managed to force the ball across a line into the other’s territory.

The modern GAA game plays like a mix of soccer and rugby. Fifteen-player teams battle across a pitch using a round ball slightly smaller than its soccer counterpart. The ball is carried for short distances, and passing is done with a kick or a “hand-pass,” the ball struck with a hand or fist. The action is fast and furious, and play is rough. Protective equipment is nonexistent.

Hurling is similar to lacrosse or hockey. It’s played on a large pitch with a curved wooden stick (or “hurley”) and a small ball (or “sliothar”). It’s one of the fastest games afield, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Bodies bang, the ball is as hard as a baseball, and the sticks are made of solid ash.

While GAA football is an old sport, hurling is ancient. Irish mythology is replete with tales of heroes, such as the legendary warrior Cú Chulainn, who were expert hurlers. Such myths point to a hurling history some 2,000 years old and the sport’s prominent place in Irish tradition.

Irish Heritage, Dead, not forgotten then back and fighting

While the GAA games boast ancient roots, their modern history is inseparably linked with the revival of Irish culture and nationalism that occurred in the late 19th century.

In 1884, with Ireland under the rule of the British Crown, a group of Irish nationalists met in County Galway to establish an organization for Irish athletes, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is still the governing body of hurling and Gaelic football (as well as of ladies football and carmogie, a hurling-like sport for women).

Given these nationalist roots, it comes as no surprise that the GAA has always promoted more than just sport.

“The GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) was a cultural thing,” said Keane. “It was created as a direct response to the way in which Irish culture was being eliminated, and they wanted to revive that culture.”

To accomplish this goal, the organization focused on traditional athletics, but also on other activities. The GAA’s official guide includes a mandate to “actively support the Irish language, traditional Irish dancing, music, song, and other aspects of Irish culture.”

The GAA is active in all of these areas. It promotes Irish culture in much the same way it does athletics, through a network of clubs throughout the country. Competitions, called Scór, celebrate Irish literature, song, dance, music, and other traditions.

In its early years, the Gaelic games themselves took on political significance in the troubled Ireland of the time.

The athletic association developed a strong rural network across Ireland, and many GAA members were involved in events connected with the 1916 Easter Rising. By 1918 the organization was banned by the British government, but the games were still played as an act of Irish defiance.

The game was touched directly by the conflict. After the Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed 11 British officers in Dublin on November 21, 1920, on suspicion of espionage, government troops (the Black and Tans) exacted a reprisal by firing on the crowd at a Gaelic football game at the sport’s “cathedral,” Croke Park, leaving 12 spectators and one player dead.

As Ireland’s political situation has evolved, its sports have always been a lightning rod for nationalist feeling. Not until a few months ago was a ban lifted that forbade current or former British Army officers from participating in Gaelic athletics.

Outside the wee Emerald Isle

Gaelic sports are no longer confined to the Emerald Isle. The waves of Irish emigrants who left their home shores took their important games with them.

John McDevitt is a Boston-based member of the North American Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The organization has 84 clubs in North America involved in football, hurling, and carmogie, and sends teams to play internationals in Ireland.

The clubs thrive in heavily Irish settled communities in Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, but have also expanded across the country, from Florida to California and Seattle.

According to McDevitt, the first match in America was held in Boston in 1886, between Kerry and Galway. The players were recent immigrants, and they chose sides according to their home counties.

The tradition of county-based teams endures in North America, and many of the athletes are still originally from Ireland. That is changing, however, as increasing numbers of American-born players take up the games. Youth leagues are creating new generations of players born outside of Ireland, and some have no Irish connections at all.

“Minor (youth) football is just starting to really get going in the States,” said McDevitt, “and it has a strong future.”

This has consequently spread all across the globe and even ended up here in Spain, in the form of the Iberian League and our own little team in Marbella, the Costa Gaels.

What happens when some edjit kicks the ball outta play or the goalie has to get up of his arse and do something, its all covered here.

Sidelines and Kickouts

A player who touches the ball last before it crosses out of play is penalised by possession returning to the other team and a free awarded depending on where the ball leaves the field of play. If the ball crosses the sideline, a sideline is taken. This free may be taken in a similar fashion to any other free awarded, and is taken from where the ball left the field of play.

If an attacking player is the last to touch the ball before it crosses the end line, a kick out/puckout is awarded to the defending team. Kick outs, in Gaelic football, are taken from the ground. Puckouts, in hurling, are where the goalkeeper has a free strike of the ball from his goal area. Where they are taken depends on where they crossed the end line:

If the ball crosses the end line but does not go between the defenders’ goalposts, a wide ball is declared and the free kick is taken from the 6 yard line (i.e. the front of the small parallelogram).

In football, if the ball crosses the end line, and goes between the defenders’ goalposts, either above or below the crossbar, a score is given to the attacking team and the kickout is taken from the 21-yard line.

As explained earlier, if a defender plays the ball over his own end line, a ‘45′ / ‘65′ is awarded to the attacking team.

Yep, the scoring in GAA is as odd as hell, but it makes sense. I swear to god it does.

Scoring

In Gaelic football and hurling there are two types of score, a goal or a point.

A point is scored by playing the ball over your opponents’ end line, between their goalposts, and over the crossbar.

A goal is scored by playing the ball over your opponents’ end line, between the goalposts, and under the crossbar. A goal is worth three points.

Goals

Players may score from either the hand or the foot in football, or the hurl and foot in hurling. A goal cannot be scored using the hand pass method, although points can be scored this way. A goal scored by hand will count if the referee deems it not to have been by the hand pass method e.g. if a player is in possession of the ball, drops it, and punches the ball into the goal this will count.

A set of goals in Gaelic football/hurling are similar to those of rugby. The two vertical posts (goalposts) are placed 14 yards apart, with a horizontal bar (crossbar) between them, 8 feet from the ground.

If a defender plays the ball through his own goalposts, whether by foot or by hand, the appropriate score is awarded to the attacking team. A defending player may score an own goal with a hand pass.