Dublin club putting the Gaelic back into football
Members of Na Gaeil Óga pictured with Jimmy Deenihan TD last night
A new all-Irish-speaking football team in Dublin, set up through Facebook, are hoping the 'cupla focal' will prove to be their tactical ace card.
"When our goalkeeper calls the kick-outs you'll often hear opponents shouting 'that means it's going right', when it's actually the exact opposite," revealed founder-member Daithi de Butleir (20) of Na Gaeil Óga.
They pride themselves on being the first all-Irish-speaking GAA club in the capital not affiliated to any school or institution and already have 60 members.
A student at DCU, De Butleir comes from Kilkenny city and, apart from spending his summers in the Connemara Gaeltacht, did not go to an all-Irish school.
But he said the club, which has affiliated to the junior ranks of the Dublin County Board and already played five games in Division 10, is "for people who want to show that the language is alive and enjoyable."
- Cliona Foley
Irish Independent
