Reaping reward for our worldly sporting wisdom

Watching the excellent ‘Feile Dreams’ documentary last Monday, it seemed, at first, extraordinary to think coaches of Irish birth or descent could actually go and sell the game of Gaelic football to a group of kids born and raised in London, most of whose roots are traced back to Africa rather than Achill, Athlone or Annascaul.

But then, it isn’t unique. In far flung places all over the globe, there are sporting missionaries spreading the same word to people with no connection to our soil. GAA projects in Brittany and Philadelphia, where locals again outnumber the Irish, come to mind, but wherever you go, there are outposts where we are sharing our passion and expertise with a new flock.

The thought occurs too that maybe we shouldn’t be all that taken aback. The GAA may provide the most obvious vehicle for our best and brightest minds away from home, but we really don’t give ourselves enough credit for the wisdom and knowledge which we have exported down the years.