A Snapshot of GAA History in Canada
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THE HISTORY OF THE GAELIC
ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION IN CANADA
By John O'Flynn
Trafford Publishing
ISBN 1-4251-6377-7
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A new book will be launched at the Toronto St. Pat's Canadians 40th anniversary banquet to be held on May 24. The book is entitled The History of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Canada by Vancouver writer John O'Flynn. The following is an excerpt rom the book.
The Early Years
ST. PATRICK'S Gaelic Football and Hurling Club was formed in March 1968. All of the founding members were previously with the Garryowen Club. Due to a massive influx of people from Ireland to Toronto in the late Sixties, it was felt that there was a need for another GAA club in Toronto.
The new club was based in the West End of Toronto. Founding members included Vice President Eddie Nevin (Carlow); Secretary Jimmy Mullins (Laois); Delegate John Keane (Kerry), Treasurer Syl Bowles (Limerick) and President Father Gerry Scott (Roscommon).
The following year the president was Frank Sheehan (Cork); Katie Gilroy, R.I.P. (Cavan), served the club with distinction in these early years. St. Pat's first games were played at Neil McNeil High School against Garryowen.
Irish Canadians
By 1980, the problem of what to do with the growing number of young Canadian-born players in Toronto eager to get into the game was worsening. Several Irish-born members from the Toronto GAA decided the time had come to do something about it.
A meeting was organized by several Irishmen who had Canadian-born sons who were directly affected by this invisible barrier-Danny Columb Sr., Jimmy Hayes, and the late Michael Holly Sr.-and some younger Irish immigrants-Sean Harte and Cormac O'Muiri-who were interested in growing the game in their new country.
These men determined that a new Gaelic club specifically for Canadian-born players was needed. With the help of their Irish coaches, these players could train together and learn the game, and perhaps play exhibition games against existing clubs.
With that, the Irish Canadian Gaelic Football Club was born. Cormac O'Muiri became the club's first president and along with Harte and Columb Sr., he led the first training session at Kingsmill School on Royal York Road in Toronto.
St. Pat's Canadians
As the years went by, players started to disappear from the teams around the Toronto Senior Football League. By the early 1990s, the Celtic Tiger had come to life in Ireland; this meant that the incentive no longer existed for young footballers to come to Canada looking for work in the summer.
Through natural attrition, the Irish Canadians also found themselves struggling to field a team, and Toronto's St. Pat's Club was in a similar position. In late 1993, a meeting was held between representatives of both clubs - Paul Connally and Steve Murphy from the Irish Canadians and Enda McGuinness of St. Pat's attended - at Jack Murphy's bar on Eglinton Avenue, to discuss the possibility of amalgamating the two clubs.
The clubs had done some indoor training together over the winter months and everyone seemed to get along. The decision was made to combine the clubs so they could field a more competitive team to challenge the likes of Clan Na nGael and St. Mike's in the league.
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JOHN O'FLYNN
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The deal was discussed among the members and voted on, and the new era of St. Pat's Canadians was born. About the same number of players from each club made up the roster. Enda McGuinness was voted the first president and Paul Connally was chosen as vice president.
A new red and white strip was purchased to recognize the Canadian colours, but sadly, the era of the Irish Canadians was effectively over.
Ironically, by joining forces with a club that had a large contingent of skilled Irish-born players, the Irish Canadians who remained went on to enjoy the most competitive and successful phase of their football careers.
The new team quickly established itself as a new force in the Toronto Senior Football League. They were able to combine the toughness and defensive strength of the Canadian players with the ball handling and scoring touch of the Irish players. In 1995, the club made it all the way to the Championship Final, but they came up just short against the powerhouse St. Mike's club.
Author biographical note: John O'Flynn's father, Thomas O'Flynn (Kilmeedy, County Limerick), first came to Toronto in 1953, and his late mother, Elizabeth (nee O'Keeffe) (Duagh, County Kerry), arrived together as a married couple in 1962 to British Columbia.
John was born in 1964 and attended Vancouver's St. Patrick's Elementary, Vancouver College and graduated from the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission.
John's parents introduced him to Ireland's national games of Gaelic football and hurling with the members of the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club. He had the opportunity to represent the club and play Gaelic football in two North American County Board Championships: 1984 Boston and 1985 Chicago.
He attended the founding meeting in Toronto of the Canadian County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1987 and currently serves as secretary.
He has presented workshops on Gaelic football to teachers and summer camps that introduce the games to youth. John has also served as a referee in both minor and adult games in the United States and Canada.
John resides in the District of North Vancouver, B.C. with his wife Kathleen, and is father to Matthias, Kristiann, Kelleigh, Emily and Michael. A graduate of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, John has taught in both denominational and non-denominational schools in Richmond (St. Paul's K-7), Powell River (Assumption K-9), (Vancouver College K-12) and at present as a grade six teacher in West Vancouver (Mulgrave K-12).
For more information or to order The History of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Canada, visit: www.trafford.com/07-2929.
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