Boston GAA Season Underway at the ICC
June 20, 2012
The Galway Footballers reached the semi-final stage last season and are on track of playoffs again this year
The GAA season is in full swing at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Massachusetts. Men's and Ladies Gaelic football and Hurling games take place every Saturday and Sunday. The GAA has been a significant part of Boston's Irish community for over a century and the ICC has been home to the organization for over a decade.
There are eleven clubs competing in the Men's senior football championship, each team plays eight games and the top 6 enter the playoffs in August. Defending champions, Aidan McAnespies, have their work cut out for them with Donegal, Wolfe Tones, Shannon Blues, and Kerry making a push in the early going. Donegal are seeking to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the club with a senior football championship and are on maximum points so far. Hot on their heels are Shannon Blues who are also 3 for 3, while Kerry and Wolfe Tones are also unbeaten. Last year's Boston and North American champions, Aidan McAnespies , Galway, Connemara Gaels , and Christopher's are also still well in the playoff hunt.
Wexford got their senior hurling championship off to the best possible start with a win over Fr. Tom Burke's. The Galway Hurling Club, are the holders of the senior hurling championship and will be in action next weekend versus Tipperary. In the ladies senior football championship, new club, Connacht Ladies came out of the gates strong with a big win over defending champions, Tir na nOg. The oldest Ladies club, Boston Shamrocks, will be looking for an improvement over their 2011 form.
Hurling is also spreading throughout the New England region. There are 4 Junior hurling clubs located in Concord, NH, Portland ME, Hartford CT, and Worcester, MA. A fifth club is in the works located in Vermont. This will result in a GAA presence in 5 of the 6 New England states! There is also a burgeoning underage movement with more than 11 underage gaelic football and hurling clubs throughout the region.
The finals take place on the last weekend of August and the winners go on to represent the Boston-Northeast division at the North American County Board Finals. The NACB Finals will be held in Philadelphia this year. Last season there were two NACB trophies won by Boston teams. Aidan McAnespies carried the men's senior football championship, while the Wexford Hurling Club won the junior hurling.
The Irish Cultural Center is located off Route 138 in Canton. For directions visit www.Irishculture.org. Schedules, results, tables, reports, and contact information for the clubs are available at www.bostongaa.org and www.tharantrasnan.com. Admission is $10 for the day with no charge for children aged 16 and under. Tweet
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