During the toughest of all summers, when people called out for support, the GAA community helped answer the call, as shown by those who feature in AIB’s The Toughest Summer documentary which will air on RTÉ One tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25th at 10.10pm.

The series, which includes five webisodes, celebrates the strength and resilience of GAA communities nationwide and has given voice to their stories through the lens of award-winning documentary maker, Ross Whitaker.

Tuesday’s documentary marks the finale in AIB’s The Toughest Summer series, which saw AIB, proud sponsors of the All-Ireland Club Championships across football, hurling and camogie as well as the All-Ireland Senior Football Championships, give viewers a poignant look into GAA communities across Ireland over the past several months.

The Toughest Summer showcases the powerful and extraordinary ways that the GAA has connected with their local communities when needed most, proving that even when there are no games being played, the GAA is still the beating heart of Ireland’s rural and urban communities. This week’s documentary tracks the story of a host of GAA people, from players to coaches, fans to commentators, and will follow the stories of TJ Reid, Michael Darragh Macauley, Caitriona Cormican, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh and Ann Downey to name but a few.

Tomorrow night can't come quick enough! 😆

With some very familiar faces from the @officialgaa and @OfficialCamogie scene it's going to be worth the wait! 😉 Catch @AIB_GAA's #TheToughest Summer Tuesday 25th August at 10:10pm on @RTEOne 📺 pic.twitter.com/Uk6wJFo8SL

— AIB_GAA (@AIB_GAA) August 24, 2020

The documentary is the culmination of a journey through a unique period of time in GAA history and chronicles the unprecedented halt to the games in March 2020. It follows the stories of GAA people and their communities across the country as they learned to cope with their new reality, and their subsequent path towards returning to on-field action once more. It tells the story of a summer that has been like no other; one that has truly highlighted the importance of GAA within local communities and one that has united friends and rivals, old and young, players and fans.

Michael Dargan, Head of Consumer Marketing, said: “We are really looking forward to “The Toughest Summer” airing on RTÉ this Tuesday evening. The five webisodes to date have highlighted the unique role that GAA plays at the heart of local communities, and this week’s documentary will delve even deeper into this interconnected relationship between GAA and the local community. It will show us the power of GAA during the most trying of times and will highlight the superb work of thousands of GAA members around the country who contributed so much to their communities during the past five months. We at AIB are hugely proud of our long-standing support of both the GAA and the Camogie Association and are delighted to have the opportunity to tell the unique story of “The Toughest Summer”.”

Also speaking about The Toughest Summer, Ross Whitaker said: “I am really excited to see the final instalment of this series air on RTÉ this week. It has been fantastic to collaborate with AIB to tell this incredible story and track the amazing people in communities nationwide and tell their story of “The Toughest Summer”. What GAA people have done for their communities truly shows why Gaelic Games hold such a special place in the hearts of Irish people. I am honoured to have been able to tell their stories and to celebrate the GAA through this documentary, which we hope will leave viewers inspired and hopeful about the future.”

AIB’s The Toughest Summer will air on Tuesday, August 25th, on RTÉ One at 10.10pm.

The documentary will also be available on AIB’s YouTube channel from 1pm on Thursday, August 27th at www.youtube.com/aib.

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