Gaelic football athletes gift Pope Leo a Jubilee jersey

Catherine Hallinan, Niamh Ryan, and Katie Molloy attended the Jubilee of Sport Audience on June 14 and gave the Pope a special jersey

Three expats, part of the Rome Hibernia Gaelic Athletic Association, present the Pope with a special Jubilee jersey during the audience for the Jubilee of Sport.

By Kielce Gussie

One of the dozens of groups who gathered at the Vatican for the Jubilee of Sport this weekend was the Rome Hibernia Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), where three expats have found their home away from home.

Twelve years ago, a man from Northern Ireland created the Association as a place where people could come together and play the sport. Niamh Ryan and Catherine Hallinan from the Republic of Ireland and Katie Molloy from New York joined the GAA a couple of years ago and have been playing ever since.

A Jubilee for all

For the three women, having this Jubilee weekend dedicated to sport was special because, as Catherine explained, the GAA is a prime example of the theme of the Jubilee weekend: sport bringing people together from all walks of life.

The men and women's teams travel all around Europe competing

“Having a Jubilee that represents us, our community, and the community around the world of Gaelic games and sport at large is super important and [encourages] a moment of reflection as to its meaning and how it connects us all,” she shared.

Just for the Pope

The two-day Jubilee of Sport event kicked off with an audience in St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday, June 14, and the three managed to find seats close to the Pope. During his greetings, the Pope mentioned Ireland and Niamh described how surprised they were to hear it. “To have him call out our country in particular was just incredible, unforgettable,” she said.

Proudly waving their Irish flag, Katie recounted how they were able to share a special moment with Pope Leo. “We were able to give our special Jubilee of Sport edition Rome Hibernia jersey to the Pope. We got the Jubilee logo printed on the sleeve, written in Gaelic,” she said.

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Catherine joked that now that Pope Leo has the jersey, they consider him an honorary member of the GAA.

Faith and sport at the heart of Irish history

For these three athletes living in Rome – at the center of the Catholic Church – there is a tight knit tie between faith and sport. This is even more the case for the Irish members of the GAA. “I think in Ireland, [there are] as many Gaelic Athletic Association pitches are there are churches,” Catherine joked, “So it’s like we grew up playing sports with our faith.”

She pointed out that faith and sport can be found at the heart of Ireland's storied history. Gaelic football - one of Ireland's national sports - "has been almost a beacon of hope, and our religion went hand in hand in keeping the Irish identity alive through a long, and at times, troubled history,” Catherine continued.

So to honor this bond between faith and sport that is so important in Irish culture, the team's jerseys have a special image: St. Michael the Archangel on top of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome.

According to tradition, Catherine recalled, "this angel appeared to Saint Patrick in a dream when he was banishing the snakes from Ireland. So it's very much ingrained in the history of the club."

Their jerseys have a special connection to Rome as the image of St. Michael the Archangel on top of Castel Sant'Angelo is on the front

Moreover, as Niamh explained, the GAA lives out the Jubilee of Sport theme through its strong emphasis on teamwork, which helps bring people together. “We have six different languages on our team, so [the game] just unites this group of people together, despite your background or wherever you come from. It just it's irrelevant.”

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