February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
“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?” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he attended the inaugural Shannon Gaels Gaelic Football Club field day last weekend which was attended by close to a thousand people.
“This week, our Parks Department sat down with members of the Irish community to discuss our options. We’re still in the very early stages, but we’re all optimistic,” Bloomberg said.
“The Irish have helped make this the greatest city in the world and I want to see more Irish come here,” he added.
Bloomberg, who is campaigning for a third term, turned a scheduled eight minute stop into a more than half hour stay and threw in the ball for the Under 12 Cailean O’Reilly Cup game.
A designated field for GAA games in Queens would be located in one of the borough’s parks and at this stage there is no indication as to precisely which one.
It has been decades since there was a full time GAA facility in the borough.
Queens resident and immigration reform activist Ciaran Staunton, who introduced Mayor Bloomberg to the field day crowd, said he was very encouraged by the mayor’s words and the signals coming from his office.