GAA Palestine Summer Tour 2025 Update

Planned Derry and Belfast events will move to Donegal and Louth after unexpected VISA delays.

Palestinian GAA clubs from the West Bank are set to arrive in Ireland on July 18th, 2025. The 47 participants, including 33 children between 9 and 16 years, will travel from Tulkarm, Ramallah, Jenin, Beit Lahm and Al Khalil for a two-week tour to foster friendship, solidarity, cultural understanding and athletic development.

Tour plans included events in Derry and Belfast, which will not now go ahead in those locations due to unexpected visa delays.

Palestinians travelling from the West Bank must first get visas approved from the Irish embassy in Ramallah for travel to 26 counties in Ireland. A separate Visa application process to travel to the six counties, a result of Brexit trade borders, is contingent on the prior approval of a visa for the 26 counties by the Irish embassy. Processing times at the Irish embassy have recently been extended from 4 weeks to 8 weeks – a change that was implemented around the same time applications were submitted for the group.

While there is ample time for Visas to be issued for 26 counties, the group is still awaiting final visa approval from the Irish embassy and will not now have time to apply to the British embassy for visas to travel to the 6 counties. Added to the delays is the reality that it is unsafe for young Palestinian athletes to travel to dangerous areas of the West Bank to attend interviews at the British embassy.

The founder of GAA Palestine Stephen Redmond, said:

“As a duty of care I don’t believe in asking our young members to travel dangerous roads in the West Bank to attend interviews and then pay a premium of circa £10,000 for Visa Applications for 2 nights stay, as safe, sensible or right.”

Organisers of the trip had hoped that with the goodwill of politicians, Palestinian athletes would be able to move freely across all 32 counties of Ireland, but this freedom of movement has not been approved. Given the time constraints due to visa processing delays at the Irish embassy and the costs and risks involved in attending interviews at the British Embassy in Ramallah, GAA Palestine has been forced to make the regretful decision to move planned events from Derry to Donegal and from Antrim to Louth.

Events planned by Antrim and Belfast Gaels are moving to Cooley Kickhams club in Carlingford. On Wednesday, July 30^th Antrim Gaels, including county hurlers, will travel to Cooley Kickhams Cub to run a skills session for Palestinian visitors.

Glen Phillips, from the group Gaels against Genocide, said:

“There is massive disappointment amongst Antrim and Belfast Gaels that GAA Palestine are unable to visit the six counties due to administrative issues. This highlights the absurdity of our country being partitioned and part of our land being ruled by a foreign government.”

Despite the unfortunate circumstance, he said:

“The group look forward to the GAA Palestine trip and also to seeing freedom for all of Palestine and all of Ireland in the not too distant future.”

Events planned by Derry Gaels will move to St. Eunan’s Letterkenny and Gweedore, where Donegal and Derry Gales have joined forces to plan an exciting line-up of events for their Palestinian guests.

The group will begin their visit with a four-night stay in Dublin, where they will explore iconic landmarks, including a trip to the beach – likely to be a first for the majority of Palestinians travelling from the West Bank. They will also receive an exclusive VIP tour of Croke Park, led by GAA President Jarlath Burns.

Following their vibrant Dublin experience, the Palestinian touring party will continue their Irish adventure with a trip to County Tipperary. En route, they will make a stop in Carlow before arriving at the historic Hayes Hotel in Thurles, the birthplace of the GAA.

In Thurles, the group will visit the Lar na Páirce Museum and Interpretative Centre, which tells the rich story of Gaelic Games — hurling, football, camogie, and handball — from legendary times to the modern day. They will also tour Semple Stadium, the spiritual home of hurling, immersing themselves in the history and culture of Ireland’s iconic sport.

The day will culminate in a lively blitz at Dr. Morris Park, hosted by local Tipperary GAA clubs (Burgess, Drom & Inch and Borris Ileigh), providing the young athletes with a chance to showcase their skills and foster camaraderie.

Next, the group will head to County Cork, known as the Rebel County, for a series of exciting adventures. Highlights include a boat tour of Bantry Bay and a scenic train journey to Cobh — both new experiences for many of the children, who will have the opportunity to enjoy their first boat and train rides!

Their Cork visit will also feature a tour of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, home of Cork GAA, a visit to the famous Blarney Woolen Mills, and participation in the Cork Palestinian Solidarity Campaign march for Palestine on Saturday, July 26th — an important moment of solidarity and cultural pride. The march will be entirely led by local children in Cork, other Palestinian children and the touring party.

Following Cork, the tour will head west to County Clare, where host club Éire Óg will be putting on entertainment for the tour before taking in the majestic Cliffs of Moher followed by a visit to Castlegar GAA Club.

Subject to approvals, the journey will continue with visits to Belfast and Derry. These historic cities will offer insights into Ireland’s rich history and vibrant culture before the group returns to Dublin, stopping at Emerald Park for some fun and entertainment.

The tour will conclude with their journey back home, departing from Dublin on Friday, August 1st, after a truly immersive Irish experience that celebrates sport, culture, and friendship across communities.

We invite media outlets to cover this inspiring journey and highlight the enduring bonds between Irish and Palestinian communities through sport and culture.

Secretary of Na Piarsaigh Doire Trasna Conchúr Ó Cearúlláin, said:

“GAA is proudly played on a 32-county basis in Ireland and growing internationally, and the young visitors from Palestine will be travelling across the length and breadth of the country to experience our games and culture. It’s deeply disappointing, however, that they are being restricted from visiting the occupied counties due to unnecessary bureaucracy. Common sense and compassion should prevail – children coming from such challenging and traumatic conditions should be welcomed and allowed to travel freely across our island. Athletes travelling to play sports shouldnt have their travel restricted within a nation and should have freedom of movement for sports.”

GAA Palestine Partners: Paddywagon, Forsa, O’Neills.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Gill Waters, GAA Palestine Press Officer

Email: pressoffice@gaapalestine.com

Mob: +353 862 482 364

Notes to Editor: GAA Palestine was founded just over a year ago when London-Irishman Stephen Redmond began conversations with community leaders in the Al Am’ari refugee camp in Ramallah. Inspired by shared histories, the project aimed to introduce hurling to Palestinian children. Clare native Claire Liddy, a social care worker, delivered the first hurls and sliotars during a humanitarian visit, leading to the first training sessions and the formation of the Moataz Sarsour GAA Club, named after a 17-year-old player tragically killed by Israeli forces shortly after his first session.