GAA: Community, Connection and Sport – The Growth of the Gaelic Game in Europe

An Irishman and a Frenchman sit in an Irish pub in Lille on a wet Saturday afternoon.

This is not the beginning of a joke, but a story of connection, community and the discovery of a new sport.

It is well known that the Gaelic Games has expanded beyond its Irish roots with teams as far afield as London, the United States, Africa and Australia.

But it’s in mainland Europe where it’s really starting to grow.

Originally from Dublin, Turnbull has been involved with the GAA for as long as he can remember.

So when he settled in Lille in Northern France in 2020, where he didn’t know many people, he tried to find a GAA club and that’s when he discovered Lille GAA.

Founded in 2013 by two Lille natives after a trip to Ireland, the club is one of 35 in France.

“I turned up and I’m hoping it’s mostly Irish people, a few French people and it’s a way to make friends,” Turnbull said.

“But I was literally the only Irish person in training, so the thought of 20 French boys running around in the rain on a Wednesday night playing Gaelic games is an incredibly surreal experience, I have to say.”

As one of the locals who fell in love with the sport, Ian Bodzenna’s story is a bit different.

A big football fan, Bodzenna was introduced to Gaelic games on a trip to Dublin and, through a French-Irish friend, went to training at Lille GAA about five years ago to see what all the commotion was like.

“It’s a special sport in France, which is a huge football and huge rugby country, as well as basketball and handball.

“Players from all these different sports join together in the Gaelic football team.

“It brings together all the DNA of the different teams playing, which is a huge thing in French culture, so it helps us a lot.”