Gaels gathered with Gaza to the fore of their thoughts on Saturday as newly appointed Antrim hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald managed an Ulster team to victory over the Rest of Ireland.
While the win mattered nothing compared to the ongoing terrible tragedy in the Middle East, both the players and the large crowd signalled their support for the beleaguered Palestinian people.
The players were togged out in specially made kit, with jerseys that included the colours of Palestine, An Phalaístín emblazoned on the front and instead of numbers each with a letter collectively spelling out Gaels Against Genocide, the organisers of the event at Corrigan Park in Belfast.
Ulster defeated the Louis Mulqueen-managed Rest of Ireland squad by the slimmest of margins, 3-19 to 2-21. It was the first opportunity for Fitzgerald to see some of his own Antrim players in action.
Money raised from the event will be sent to the Gaza Paediatrician Care Initiative, an effort aimed at bringing badly injured Palestinians to Ireland for treatment.
Paul Collins, of Gaels Against Genocide, told the Saffron Gael: “We are absolutely delighted with the turnout and I think people have bought into the charity and idea of 30 children coming from Gaza to get the treatment they need in Ireland.
“We are just helping out the Irish paediatricians who came up with the idea.
“There’s been fantastic buy-in from the public and players. Those who were unable to make it, the messages of support and donations they made have been heart-warming.”
Gaels Against Genocide is a grassroots group formed out of the protests in Belfast against the obliteration of Gaza by Israeli forces.
