From
Mikey Farrelly

Saturday the 22nd of September saw the Gaelic football tribes of China descend on northeastern China for the 5th All China Gaelic Games in Dalian.

Four ladies teams – two from Beijing, one from Shanghai and a joint team made up of Dalian and Shenzhen – and four mens teams from Dalian, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen – battled it out for honours in the beautiful sunshine of a late summer’s day in west Dalian.

These teams included representatives from no fewer than seventeen countries around the world - Ireland, China, the UK, Brazil, the Philipines, New Zealand, the USA, Sweden, Germany, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Mongolia, Canada, Turkey, Mexico and Mauritius. Throw into the mix the referee Pat McGovern - a native born Swanlinbar man - and you get a taste of how truly international an event this was.

Irish ambassador Declan Kelleher was also there to lend support and all in all there was a wonderful festive atmosphere for the whole day.

Starting at the ungodly hour of 9am some tremendous football was played over the course of the day. When the dust settled and the skin and hair ceased flying an amalgamation team from Dalian and Shenzhen emerged victorious in the Ladies Bowl. For our local Dalian girls this was a tremendous achievement as our 4 representatives (2 Chinese and 2 American) had had almost no previous experience of the game beforehand. They all acquitted themselves wonderfully. Beijing won the overall ladies championship. Led by Player of the Tournament Jenn Pratt they defeated Shanghai in a tight and tense final.

Shenzhen mens team played some heroic football on the day. Coming from 3 goals down against Dalian to force a draw and narrowly losing out to Shanghai in the group stages they eventually triumphed in the Bowl. The mens final featured Shanghai and new kids on the block Dalian.

For Dalian, getting to the overall final represented a major achievement. The team -featuring only one Irish player with previous experience of playing the game - managed to overcome experienced opposition in Beijing and Shenzhen to reach the final. They displayed tremendous courage and skill but ultimately in the final they were no match for the sheer power and skill of a Shanghai lineup spearheaded by ace marksmen Davie Hayes (Player of the Tournament) and James McDonald. The All China 2007 Cup was presented by Ambassador Kelleher to Shanghai captain Declan Nolan.

On Saturday night the teams came together for the mother of all parties at the Genghis Khan Mongolian bar and grill where slinky dancers, Mongolian drummers and mermaids swimming in the water filled glass walls were just some of the attractions on view as the Ambassador handed out the medals. The enormous contribution to the event by referee Pat McGovern was also recognized in a special presentation.

So that was the All China Gaelic Games 2007 – a marvelous event and an occasion to remember especially for our fledgling new club here in Dalian. On behalf of Dalian Wolfhounds GAA club I would like to thank all of the supporters and sponsors who contributed to this magical weekend.

Visit: Dalian Wolfhounds GAA Club 'Bringing GAA to Manchuria ...


Ambassador Declan Kelleher presents the All China 2007 Cup to Shanghai captain Declan Nolan.


Ladies Champions Beijing


Catherine Tulauskas (Shanghai) shoots for goal


Turkey meets Donegal - Kivanc (Turkey) from Dalian tackles Ciaran
(Donegal) from Shanghai


The Red Flag football pitch in Dalian