February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Reputations were made as the country?s best players vied for provincial honors before huge, enthusiastic crowds.
Those days have gone the way of Blackthorn boots as players now receive the recognition once conferred by provincial honors through winning All Star awards and inclusion in the national team that challenges the Australians in the compromise rules series.
Some have called for the elimination of the series, now known as the Martin Donnelly Inter-Provincial Championship, but instead the GAA has tried to revive it by moving the matches to exotic locales.
The year 2003 saw the Gaels descend on a confused and indifferent Rome. When apathy also greeted the 2004 final in Paris, the association realized a change was needed. As a result this year?s football decider will be played on home soil, while the hurling championship will be played in what has long been one of the Irish diaspora?s main landing spots, Boston, Mass.
The Aidan McAnespies Gaelic football club will host Sunday?s final between Munster and Leinster at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Mass., as the centerpiece of a weekend of Gaelic games. On Saturday afternoon, all-star selections from Boston and New York will tangle in ladies? football followed by their male counterparts. The two cities have a natural rivalry based on geography, as well as a battle to claim supremacy in North American Gaelic circles.
The New York men?s side has lost its last two matches, the FBD League Final versus GMIT and the Diaspora Cup match versus Tipperary, so they will be keen to go into the long off- season with a win as they set their sights on spring showdown with Roscommon in the 2006 Connaght Championship.
Admission and parking are free for Saturday?s matches. Sunday?s schedule will kick off with a hurling challenge between Boston and New York. The Gotham squad will come into the match on a high after disposing of Christy Ring Champions Westmeath at Gaelic Park to claim the inaugural Eddie Burke Trophy.
It should provide a good lead into the main attraction, the Martin Donnelly Inter-Provincial Hurling final between Munster and Leinster at 2 p.m. Munster have dominated this competition winning the championship on 44 occasions, 20 more times than Leinster, their nearest rival.
Defending champions Munster, who defeated Ulster to qualify for this final, will feature seven of the All Ireland winning Cork side in their lineup as they look to sip from the Cup one more time.
Leinster, who last claimed this title in 2003, crushed Connaght 1-25 to 0-10 to earn their passage to Boston and figure to provide stiff opposition with a panel back boned by 10 Kilkenny stars
Anticipation for the final is high in Boston and Sunday evening?s banquet is already a complete sell out. In addition to both teams a cadre of GAA officials, including Chairman Sean Kelly, will be in attendance and the legendary GAA commentator Michael O?Muircheartaigh will emcee the event.
New Yorkers interested in traveling up for the matches can get directions from the Irish Cultural Center of New England on their web site www.irishculture.org or may call 781-821-8291 or John Guirke at 617-216-1385.
In other international GAA news, the New York Fire Department Gaelic Football squad have recently returned from a very successful trip to Dublin and Belfast, where they played matches against the Fire Brigades of Dublin and Northern Ireland.
Over $20,000 was raised for the Dublin Children?s Hospital while the teams raised $15,00 for the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. The FDNY which previously only got together for charity matches a couple of times a year, most notably against the NYPD, has just completed their first season in the New York GAA?s Junior B division. The Bravest did well enough to make the JFB playfoffs and that preparation stood to them as they came away from Casement Park with a draw, after succumbing to a talented Dublin team in Parnell Park.
Both teams are eager to do it again and plans are in the works to have the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade to travel to New York next Columbus Day weekend for a rematch to benefit the New York Cornell Burn Center.
Those interested in traveling to Boston for the matches can get directions from the Irish Cultural Center of New England on their web site www.irishculture.org or may call 781-821-8291 or John Guirke at 617-216-1385.