By Shaun Casey

WHEN Barcelona Gaels line up against Conahy Shamrocks of Kilkenny in the Leinster Club JFC this weekend, they’ll be continuing the fascinating recent history of European teams competing in the provincial series.

The Spanish club has grown from strength to strength and their remarkable rise has continued over the past few years. They visit the Marble County as European champions following their 4-15 to 3-09 win over Berlin back in September.

There is a huge Ulster connection to the club. The chairperson is Eoin McCall from Antrim, the jerseys are provided by Armagh-based sports brand McKeever Teamwear, and one of the team sponsors is former Armagh footballer Des Mackin.

Conor Murphy from Kinawley, a former Fermanagh player, is part of the panel, as is Aidan McLaughin of Muff, Donegal and Anthony Watters from Culloville, Armagh, a cousin of Oisín McConville, James Morgan and the O’Neill brothers, Oisin and Rian.

The team manager Tiarnan Kennedy is also an Ulster man, from St Gall’s in Antrim.

“I’ve watched them a few times and they’re actually very good, they have a nice brand of open style of football,” said Mackin, an Ulster champion with Armagh in 1999.

Mackin now resides in Barcelona, and his bakery, La Cava Cakery, is on the back of the jersey.

“We’re getting in behind it this year because they’ve grown immensely,” he added. “They’ve two men’s teams, a couple of ladies’ teams and a really buoyant membership.

“The team that’s travelling at the weekend is approximately 29 in total and 28 of them are Irish and one is Australian.”

They have a huge membership and have calculated that it costs each player approximately €1000 in expenses just to represent the club, who are currently fundraising with a raffle, supported by many Irish businesses.

It’s an action-packed weekend for the club as they host their first-ever ‘Mothers and Others’ tournament, a non-competitive blitz that will involve ten Irish teams, including Donegal’s St Mary’s, Convoy, Magheracloone of Monaghan and Antrim’s Lamh Dhearg.

“It’s a great project and I think it’ll actually catch legs in Ireland. The GAA is obviously behind it. Whenever you look at all these other sports like rugby, soccer, maybe even padel, a lot of them are trying to incentivise women to play.

“But a lot of people forget about mothers and if the GAA can get it right, it’s a whole new sort of leisure to work on. There are ten teams coming over, and then they’re going to bring some supporters with them too.

“It’s obviously a social thing and I think a lot of people forget that about sport. It is community, it is participation, it is non-competitive sometimes and that’s what you need, the love of sport.”

The Cullyhanna native still has that special connection with home and with his club and county teams. He was in Croke Park to see Cullyhanna win the All-Ireland Intermediate Club title in January and returned in July to see the Orchard County capture the Sam Maguire.

Mackin, along with two of his children, attended the Ulster final this year as Armagh tasted a heartbreaking defeat to Donegal after penalties. He joined his old teammates at half time as the 1999 Ulster winners, captained by GAA President Jarlath Burns, were honoured.

“2024 particularly has been very good for Cullyhanna. I actually got back for that final with my son. We went to two Ulster finals, one last year and this year, which were penalty shootouts, so they were value for money, it was worth every penny of it.

“Whenever I look at the likes of Ciaran McKeever, (Ross) McQuillan, (Jason) Duffy and (Aidan) Nugent, winning two All-Irelands in one year and obviously an Ulster Club title and a county medal, what a season those guys had.

“My three kids all have Armagh jerseys. I can go home, meet all the lads and it’s like yesterday whenever we were back playing and catching up, even though we’re all got a bit less hair and maybe put on a couple of pounds,” laughed Mackin, “but it’s so interconnecting.

“Even walking around Barcelona you’d see a couple of GAA jerseys. I actually stopped a guy the other day wearing a Cork jersey, and he was a local Catalan guy who bought the jersey back in Ireland. It’s amazing the connection that the GAA has throughout the world.”