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The Irish across the Middle East as well as lovers of all things leprechaun came together at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BRFC) last weekend to celebrate Celtic culture and watch the Gaelic football tournament.
The event, which attracted more than 500 attendees over the day, featured games by the Gaelic men and women teams across the region. The evening featured Irish and Celtic musical acts, who entertained the crowd with sensational tunes while they enjoyed their select beverages.
Conleth Mc Geary visiting from Liverpool, who played some football during the day and tunes for the crowd in the evening said: “It’s been great coming to Bahrain for the festival. The day has been mind-blowing, especially the standards and the numbers, which I enjoy. I am playing some new songs for the crowd tonight, including a new single, Smile. But I’ll also be playing some classics from home with my own twist to them. It’s part of my tour across the Middle East. Bahrain has been my good luck charm, so I am happy to be back.”
As for the Gaelic football itself, the mens’ senior cup was won by Abu Dhabi A, the ladies senior cup was won by Sharjah Gaels. The mens’ social cup was won by Abu Dhabi C and the Jumeirah Gaels took the ladies’ Social top prize. In the juniors, the boys Kerry A took home the mens’ cup and Dubai C took the ladies’ cup.
Alana McConalogue, organiser, said, “The 25th anniversary of the Gaelic Festival was a huge success. We had attendees from all over the world. In addition, DHL sponsored reusable bottles for all the players, so that plastic waste could be eliminated. It was also great to see our ladies team make it to the semi-finals, ranking as one of the top four teams in the Middle East.”
As the evening took on its life, the spirit was jovial and celebratory all round as the crowd danced to the tunes of the Altagore band, who are playing in Bahrain at various venues for the month of November.
