The Gaelic Athletic Association was founded on November 1st, 1884 by a group of spirited Irishmen who had the foresight to realize the importance of establishing a national organization to revive and nurture traditional pastimes.

This was an important time in the history of Ireland and the ambition taken by these people has flourished into a strong evidence of Irish sports and culture not only in Ireland but throughout the world over many decades. Through large emigration the Diaspora of Irish people had little to cling to, except their culture and Irish pride. This is nowhere more evident than in the northeast section of North America where G.A.A. clubs arose in the greater metropolitan areas of New York, Boston and Philadelphia.
Over the past ten years emigration from Ireland to the New York area has slowed down. This trend gave birth to a consensus on this side of the Atlantic that the playing of Gaelic Games will be primarily reduced to families of Irish Emigrants. While this in itself has been an accepted past practice in most scenarios, the struggle to market the games are fundamentally hindered by the lack of quality playing facilities. These Irish American children grow up in a society with a choice of multiple sports to chose from; and have at their whim quality facilities abetted by a high standard of coaching.
The games of Gaelic Football and Hurling must compete with baseball, basketball, American football, soccer, hockey and lacrosse too name the obvious. And to match what these games offer it is imperative that we provide as good as, if not better facilities and coaches to entice these youngsters to play our Gaelic games.

The Rockland County Gaelic Athletic Association Center of Excellence will provide what is required to market, promote and enhance the growth of the Gaelic Athletic Association in not only the Tri State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut; but our doors will be open to all of our G.A.A. compatriots throughout North America.

The Center of Excellence will be composed of three playing fields. One will be a full size regulation G.A.A. pitch, and two accompanying underage pitches. Floodlighting will give us the ability to coach and play in the evenings . That facet will enable us to not conflict with the aforementioned sports played earlier in the day. A new clubhouse will present us with the resources to develop all aspects of Irish traditional pastimes, such as music, dance, song, and theatre. A gym will provide our coaches to teach the players indoors during the winter months. Our facilities will also have a full sized children's playground for the younger siblings to play and this will accommodate the G.A.A. Moms' and as a result our Center of Excellence will provide place of leisure for the entire family.

The object of the Rockland County G.A.A. Center of excellence is to provide top class facilities for all the G.A.A. clubs in our area who do not have their own playing fields. And together, as the original band of G.A.A. founders set out to do in Hayes Hotel in Thurles over 126 years ago, we will emulate their dream of promoting the Gaelic Athletic Association in this land across the seas.

The revival and nurturing of our traditional and indigenous games has taken place. Now it is our responsibility to spread this message…. Tweet

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