Young hurlers from Palestine will arrive in Tipperary on a historic visit

A group of boys from Palestine will escape momentarily from living in fear every day of their lives on the West Bank to visit Semple Stadium and play hurling in  Tipperary.

The 33 boys, who all started to learn the skills of hurling last April when Palestine GAA was formed, will be living the dream when they arrive in Ireland.

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They will visit the home of hurling, play in a blitz against teams in Semple Stadium or in Dr Morris Park, go to Hayes Hotel to see where the GAA was formed in 1884, visit Lar na Pairce and take a tour of the Rock of Cashel.

“They are all so excited about the trip, it will be an incredible experience for them all,” said Denis Grace, a Tipperary man who was among the group who set up Palestine GAA and is one of the organisers of the trip to Ireland.
33 boys, aged from 9 to 17, will arrive in Ireland on July 18 and stay until August 1.

The trip to Tipperary, where they will line out against seven Tipperary clubs and one club from Waterford, will be one of the highlights of their trip, which will also see them visit Cork, Clare, Galway, Derry, Belfast and Dublin.
They will be accompanied by fourteen adult members of Palestine GAA, including their own hurley maker.
The boys will wear official GAA kits that were approved by Croke Park with O’Neills manufacturing official Moataz Sarsour GAA Club kits for the visit.

In the blitz , the Palestine hurlers will play Cashel King Cormacs, Drom-Inch, Nenagh, Rockwell Rovers, Borrisoleigh and Burgess as well as Roanmore from Waterford.

Denis became involved after he went on a support march for Palestine in March 2024 and, through that, made contact with Carlow man Stephen Redmond, who had visited Palestine and wanted to introduce the young people there to Irish sports.

They both started fundraising to get gear, helmets, sliothars, footballs, hurleys, training cones, and other equipment out to the West Bank, and from there, Palestine GAA was formed in Ramallah, where the authorities have now agreed to introduce hurling into the school curriculum for 35 schools in the area

Denis, who was born in Killross outside Tippeary Town, but grew up in London where he still lives, is very grateful to so many people in Tipperary and people from all over the country that donated to help the group send out the equipment and coaches to the West Bank over the last year. The organisers of the trip are also very appreciative of the numerous people and GAA clubs in Tipperary and throughout the country that supported their appeal for donations and assistance to make the trip happen.

“We have storage for the equipment we are getting in Dublin because people from all over the country have been very generous over the last year. Paddy Wagon are donating a coach and a driver to bring the boys all over Ireland and people in Tipperary and other counties are taking in the boys as guests in their homes.

“It is overwhelming to see the work people are putting in from our organisation and all the GAA communities to make this fantastic tour happen for the children. Two Palestine GAA volunteers Marion Kiely who is our tour coordinator and Claire Liddy, who is getting all the logistics including all the paperwork with the visas done, are both doing a great job,” said Denis.
“We started off with hurling lessons in the West Bank in April last year with just 14 kids.

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“We sent coaches over regularly, and it has been built up over the last year. Now we have over 40 turning up to training in Ramallah and other clubs that are not yet as advanced in places like Jenin and Hebron in the West Bank, and we have just started camogie lessons for young girls,” said Denis.
“Unfortunately, they cannot train at the moment in some areas in the West Bank because it is very dangerous. That is the reality of the situation. Officers of the club in Ramallah have been shot and arrested by the IDF,” said Denis Grace, who was involved with the St Anne’s GAA club in London after returning from coaching sport and studying in Japan.

Originally named Ramallah GAA club, it is now called the Moataz Sarsour GAA club in honour of a 19-year-old man, a club member, who died after being shot by the IDF.

TRAGIC LOSS
Informing his father that the club would be renamed in his honour, Palestine GAA wrote the following to the bereaved family:

“We will carry him close with us as we build the club proudly named in honour of him. In the heart of the club and in the whole of GAA Palestine, to us, he lives on. May the tragic loss of Moataz martyred at such a young age, be a resounding calling cry of humanity that can be heard by his name being known throughout the world, whenever the club bearing his name is seen and spoken of.”

“ I am honoured my son’s name will live forever as a link between my nation and ours, because this is a battle of memories,” Moataz’s father said to one of the coaches sent over by the group after they renamed the club in his honour.