British Army soldiers make GAA history

A GAA team formed from British Army soldiers played their first official game of Gaelic football in London on Saturday afternoon.

Against the surreal backdrop of a pitch beside Wormwood Scrubs prison, Naomh Padraig, made up of players from the Irish Guards regiment, played the Tir Chonaill Gaels junior footballers in the McArdle Cup.

The pre-season fixture was made all the more intriguing by an all English-born Gaels side coached by former London manager Paul Coggins. Coggins who guided the Exiles to a Connacht final in 2012 described the occasion as “historic”.