slide1

It’s time to modernize a Queens spot where youngsters play a sport whose history dates back to before the 14th century. The Shannon Gaels Gaelic Athletic Association’s home field, Frank Golden Park in College Point, recently received $580,000 in public funds for an upgrade. The money — an $80,000 allocation from City Council Member Paul Vallone and a $500,000 allocation from Borough President Melinda Katz — will go to resurfacing the playing and scrimmage fields as well as installing an eight-foot fence around the park and a 30-foot retractable fence behind each goal post. With several hundred members who trace their heritage to all 32 counties on the Emerald Isle, the Shannon Gaels fields boys, girls and co-ed teams in various age groups that compete throughout the world. The association, which also organizes competitions involving other Irish sports such as hurling, was founded in 2002 with no home. Members practiced on sections of Forest, Juniper Valley, and Sunnyside Gardens parks until 2009, when they signed a 15-year lease with the NYC Parks Department for rights to seven acres of Golden Park, just south of 14th Avenue.

Information on the sport and more photos on jump page.

It is said that Gaelic football requires the technique and kicking of soccer, the jumping and hand-eye coordination of basketball, and the speed and toughness of American football. One of Ireland’s most popular sports, it usually pits 15 players on each side who score points by kicking or punching a ball through goal posts or into goals. The first Gaelic football club in New York City was formed in 1857.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

two

Gaels

SG3

Photos: Shannon Gaels


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment