GAA and jockeys: McAleese visits Dubai’s oasis of Irishness

PRESIDENT Mary McAleese was treated to an oasis of Irishness in the Dubai desert yesterday — complete with underage GAA and top jockeys.

Before watching a children’s football match at Dubai Celts GAA club, the President was shown around the city’s Meydan stables by jockeys Mick Kinnane and Johnny Murtagh.

The pair had come to the UAE to prepare for the six-week carnival of racing which will culminate in the €4.6 million Dubai World Cup showpiece race next month. Given the strong ties between the bloodstock industry in the United Arab Emirates and Ireland, Mrs McAleese, and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin, were invited to see how the relationship works.