4,000km treks across Asia a world away from short spin to Dunhill GAA club

Week 9 (May 28th, 2014) When I started playing GAA at under nines and under tens game day, for me, meant a thirty minute trip in the back of my parents’ Honda Civic into Waterford City, a short spin to one of the nearby parishes or a stroll over to the local field at Dunhill GAA Club.

It took no more than a couple of hours to go there, play the game and get home just in time for Saturday evening mass. These days it more commonly means train trips across the Korean peninsula, quick hops across the East China Sea or, in the case of the Asian Gaelic games, 4,000km treks across Asia. Half a day of travelling, a day of games and another half a day travelling to get back just in time for work on a Monday or Tuesday morning.

In a couple of days thirteen men and four women will depart to Shanghai for our first international trip of the year. It will be our third time competing at the All-China games, having travelled to Beijing for the last two years. Having won the A competition in our first year but relinquishing the title twelve months later we are all hoping we can come away victorious this time around. Fortunately, the last set of visas arrived safely the day before Saturday’s training session and we are all ready to go. One unlucky player had already been forced to withdraw from the tournament however, due to a minor oversight of having less than six months left on his passport and failing to renew on time. Although many of us will be representing the club in China this weekend, it will business as usual, in Seoul, as those left behind get together for their regular Saturday training session.