Kurdish hurling trailblazer Zak rallies to the cause for Leitrim

Zak Moradi may have been the first Iranian Kurd to play in Croke Park but the Leitrim hurler is convinced that he won’t be the last.

Indeed Moradi believes that more and more youngsters from different nationalities will follow in his footsteps as the GAA becomes a hugely-important staging post for immigrants settling in Ireland.

Although he was born and raised in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, Moradi’s family were originally based in the mountainous region on the Iranian side of the border with Iraq.