Donegal GAA Masters set for memorable weekend in Glasgow

Donegal GAA Masters, All-Ireland Plate winners, have been invited to be part of a big fund-raising weekend in Glasgow at the end of the month. They will take on neighbours, Tyrone GAA Masters, current All-Ireland Mick Loftus winners on Saturday, 19th March in a challenge game for the Willie Dowds Memorial Trophy.

The trip is part of a fund-raising weekend for the redevelopment of Pearse Park in Glasgow to include a full-sized floodlit GAA pitch for Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and shared use with Shinty and Aussie Rules. It is also envisaged that the development will have a state-of-the-art Pavillion with modern changing facilities and an Irish Cultural Centre, including a viewing gallery and social space.

The connections between Scotland and Donegal are well-established and there is also a strong Tyrone connection with Peter Mossey, a Gortin native, one of the main drivers behind the project.

Donegal's connection with Pearse Park goes back to the 1990s when they played challenge games there in 1993, 1994 and 1995 with Mayo, Derry and Dublin the opposition.

The links between Donegal and Scotland and Glasgow in particular are historical, through culture, language and especially through the GAA and soccer via Glasgow Celtic.

The GAA was formally established in Scotland in 1897 and since then there have been 77 clubs with one club in particular, Tir Conaill Harps with deep Donegal roots.

The GAA communities abroad are the legacy left behind by the generations of committed and insightful Gaels who never let the spirit die when they arrived on foreign shores. The purchase of a 5-acre site in Cambuslang over 70 years ago (in 1953) exemplifies the desire by the Irish Community to have a GAA facility they could call home - where they could continue to express their culture by the playing of our native games.  

And now planning permission has been granted  to build a new multi-sport HUB and Irish Cultural Centre and never before in our history has there been a better opportunity to provide a facility that will reward the efforts of many generations of Irish immigrants to Scotland and ensure the long term sustainability of the GAA in Scotland.  

And with the support of Celtic FC, the forthcoming fund-raising weekend for the 28-29th March has been organised to assist with the provision of a redeveloped cultural and sports facility at Pearse Park. 

And that was the  concept behind the current initiative to extend an invitation to two of the leading Masters Teams in Ireland, Tyrone and Donegal Masters Teams as special guests to Glasgow to play an exhibition game  on 29th as well as a Gala Function at Celtic Park on Friday 28th. The weekend will also include a trip to Celtic Park on the Saturday where Celtic take on Hearts in the Scottish Premier League.

The Donegal Masters have been back in training for a few weeks in preparation for this trip and also for the forthcoming season.  Eddie Crawford has taken over as manager with John Joe O'Shea involved again for 2025.

Eddie reports that nearly all of last year’s panel are available again as well as a number of new recruits including Gary Dunnion, Leon Thompson, Stephen McGlynn, Ronan Kennedy, Kevin McBrearty, Paul Lynch and Shaun O’Donnell.

“We have been getting good numbers at training. Our biggest problem is getting pitches, but we are getting on with it.

“There is a push on this year to go for a Shield at least. I think we have a team to do better than last year,” said Crawford, who has a backroom team of trainer Ruairi McLaughlin as well as Paul Gallagher, Michael Canning and John Joe O’Shea 

“The trip is a nice wee bonus at the start of the year and will be good for bonding. We are looking forward to it and delighted to be invited and it is nice to be representing Donegal abroad,” said Crawford, who said they and Tyrone have been invited onto the field at half-time in the Celtic-Hearts game to show off their cup and plate,” he said.

HISTORY OF PEARSE PARK

One of the most significant events that occurred for enthusiasts of the GAA in Scotland and indeed, for the future revival of the Association three decades later, was the purchase of an area of land in 1953 at Eastfield in Glasgow.  This was and is ideally located off the main Rutherglen-Cambuslang Road, 15 minutes-drive from the city centre, in addition to Scotland’s national soccer stadium at Hampden Park and Celtic Park.  

To celebrate the centenary of the birth of one of Ireland’s foremost patriots, Eastfield Park was named Pearse Park in 1979.  Padraic Pearse had a strong affection for all things Gaelic and had been a visitor to the city’s Gaelic League in 1899 and 1902. Linking with the park’s renaming, to mark the centenary a joint G.A.A. and Pearse Park Commemoration Committee organised a fund-raising activity to erect a Celtic Cross at the ground. In addition, a celebratory match was also played between a Glasgow side and Huddersfield, the winning Glasgow team receiving the Pearse Cup as its prize.

The ground was used for various Gaelic sporting activities over the next few decades.  This included from 1975 until the 1980s an annual Pearse Park family sports day and reunion involving a Gaelic exhibition match and several other activities.  With a significant revival of Gaelic Sports taking place in Scotland’s west-central belt from 1984/85, Pearse Park played a central role as a home venue for GAA clubs such as Pearse Harps, Mulroy Gaels and Tir Conail Harps.  The venue also played host to numerous Cup Finals and British Inter-County Championship matches. 

The last competitive match played at Pearse Park took place in the summer of 2006.  2023 marks 70 years since the GAA in Scotland opened its new grounds in the east end of Glasgow. It would be fitting if this could be celebrated with a new GAA and new multi-purpose Sports facility at this very location. The meetings, ideas and planning have begun.