GOREY COMMUNITY SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE HEADING STATESIDE

A GROUP of 70 students and teachers from Gorey Community School are jetting off Stateside this Thursday on what is hoped will become an annual GAA and cultural school trip.

The visit takes in New York and Boston, where hurling, football, and camogie matches have been organised against local teams.

‘ The whole concept of the trip is to promote and develop our national sports both here in Gorey but also in New York and Boston,’ said Seamus O’Connor, PRO for Gorey Community School. ‘ The interest in New York is massive and the teams there are delighted to get to play opposition from outside the States.’

The games in New York will be played in Gaelic Park against the New York U18 All Star teams, who have been in training for the last few weeks in anticipation of the matches.

While in Boston the school teams will play local opposition in Canton, the home of Gaelic Games in Boston.

The group will take in all the usual sights and attractions in both cities and will also get to see Boston Celtics play while in Boston.

The trip was organised with strong support from the GAA games development officers in the two cities, and with the help of John Murphy (former Wexford minor footballer, 1992/3) and Ger Flood (Cloughbawn).

John is chairperson of the Wexford Association in New York while Ger is currently managing an Irish Bar and Restaurant in Manhattan and is kindly feeding the visitors on a few occasions during their stay.

‘We hope to make this an annual trip as the GAA in New York and Boston are fully supportive of the venture and are eager to promote it,’ said Seamus.

The school acknowledged the generous contribution of Innovate in Gorey which kindly sponsored the students’ training tops for the trip.

‘Jim Hughes of Innovate is very much behind the initiative and has given a commitment to support the school going forward,’ commented Seamus.

Thanks were also sent to the school sponsors Gorey Credit Union who have continually supported the school over the last few years.

Gorey Community School students at the launch of their GAA trip to New York and Boston, pictured with school principal, Michael Finn, Innovate sponsors, Eoin Conroy, Conor Devitt and Mia O’Loughlin with teacher Rory Mc Carthy.