Past GAA "World Cup" competitions

Eamonnca1 · March 16, 2013, 08:21:06 AM

Apparently there were GAA "World Cup" competitions held in Ireland in 1998, 2000 and 2002. Anybody have any memory of these? Know anything about them? Know where I could find some information on them?

passedit · March 16, 2013, 10:27:25 AM

1996 as well basically international boards. Ciaran mc Donald played for New York in 96. Final day before the Aif.could have done with playing the following day!

muppet · March 16, 2013, 01:04:58 PM

Quote from: passedit on March 16, 2013, 10:27:25 AM
1996 as well basically international boards. Ciaran mc Donald played for New York in 96. Final day before the Aif.could have done with playing the following day!

Welcome back!

passedit · March 16, 2013, 01:49:59 PM

Cheers muppet. Never really been away, have a wee look most days just don't have much to say.

Eamonnca1 · March 16, 2013, 05:40:27 PM

Quote from: passedit on March 16, 2013, 10:27:25 AM
1996 as well basically international boards. Ciaran mc Donald played for New York in 96. Final day before the Aif.could have done with playing the following day!

Was there many at these games? Was there much publicity about them?

passedit · March 17, 2013, 02:14:15 PM

No and no.

Lasted the week before the All Ireland football final. I played with London and we were short a few who couldn't get the week off. Big feed in Croke Park on the saturday night, other than that, not much fuss.

irunthev · March 28, 2013, 07:45:47 AM

The competition was also played in 1994, that was the start of it. The teams involved at various stages over the years were London, Rest of Britain, NY, North American Board, Canada, Europe, Scotland, Australasia. A women's element was also introduced in 2000 and 2002 and I think the ladies one carried on for another year or so after the men's one finished.

The first one was hosted at DCU, the second at Ballyboden, the third at St Vincents, and the last two at Naomh Mearnog. The final was generally played in Parnell Park, although the last ever final was played at Naomh Mearnog.

The first two were great craic socially and all the teams practically lived in Copper Faced Jacks and no one took them very seriously, but the later ones tended to get a bit more competitive.
I played in the first four and was a selector in the final one.

It was a great concept but the reality was it was impossible to get strong teams there. The Aussies had the issue of the time away from home. Each time they travelled they came a week early to get some games in Ireland. The Americans had the problem with the illegal guys living in the States.

For these guys and everyone else, it was also difficult to get guys to take a week off work to go to play football in Dublin.

The London team of September 1994 contained just two players from the Championship team of three months earlier. It just wasn't possible for a lot of guys to drop everything, especially those with businesses or families.

stpauls · March 28, 2013, 01:13:01 PM

i played for Europe in the last one in 2002, a great weeks craic, and it was taken pretty seriously, but due to the spread of players for us over the continent, our training was limited to the Sunday after we played a tournament in the league, and there was only about 1 tournament a month from April through to August, and the first training we had together as a complete team was the Sunday night before the tournament actually started on the Monday afternoon.

Rossfan · March 28, 2013, 03:05:32 PM

Did ye get official rates of travel for going to training St Paul ?

stpauls · March 28, 2013, 04:32:35 PM

Quote from: Rossfan on March 28, 2013, 03:05:32 PM
Did ye get official rates of travel for going to training St Paul ?

unfortunately not RF, and even if we did, it would have been spend at the after tournament piss ups anyway, so probably a good idea we didn't!!

Eamonnca1 · March 28, 2013, 05:44:23 PM

Any estimates on the size of crowds? Hundreds? Dozens? Or was there even any crowd at all other than the players and their entourage?

stpauls · March 29, 2013, 10:38:55 AM

honestly Eamonnca, in 2002 it was mainly just players and the entourage, though there were a few there who were not part of the teams. mainly just locals who had nothing better to do with their time i would say.

Eamonnca1 · March 29, 2013, 11:31:36 PM

That's what I suspected. Thanks for the info.

irunthev · March 30, 2013, 09:29:07 AM

The years when the final was played in Parnell Park you might get a few hundred at the game, but that woudl include the other squads (or those that could be bothered to turn up). The last year it was staged the final was played in Naomh Mearnog and there were only a handful of people there, and a few big-hitters from Croke Park who were obliged to be there and that was about that.

One year our entourage consisted of our manager and that was all. We had fifteen players and a manager. As I say, it was hard to get lads to commit to a whole week of football away from work business and families.... that and the fact that at the time London were always rubbish at planning in advance and as a result would be ringing lads a week before the tournament asking them if they wanted to go.

In fairness to Croke Park they always treated us very well and as the the years went by things improved. We received All Ireland tickets at the end of the week (to be paid for) and also there was a welcome dinner at the start in Croke Park and then an end of tournament function.

The press never showed much interest in it mind you.... but it woudl have meant some of them getting off their arses