Palestinian GAA club who play with homemade hurls hope to attend All-Ireland hurling final in two weeks
But, if 33 Palestinian kids and 17 adults succeed in getting into Croke Park for
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St Oliver Plunkett's have fundraised €2,315 for the trip
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11-year-old Quassy showing off his homemade hurl
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Schoolkids posing with the GAA Palestine flag
The group is due to arrive in Dublin on Friday week for a fortnight's stay which has been overseen by
For example, the weekend before last, St Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh's Under-8 boys, Under-15 and minor girls teams joined forces to hold a fundraiser which brought in €2,315.
Flights for the group came in at around €40,000 but other costs have been brought right down with families across the country volunteering to put them up and Paddywagon providing free transport for the two weeks.
Already, though, logistics have ensured that they have had to drop their intention to include the six counties on their itinerary.
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They have experienced lengthy delays in trying to obtain visas for them to travel to the Republic of Ireland without trying to negotiate a second process on top of that.
But a solution has been found whereby the clubs in Belfast and Derry which were due to host events for them will instead travel across the border to ensure they still play their part.
It will reinforce what might be seen as an unlikely bond between Ireland's indigenous sports and a small, besieged corner of the Middle East.
The first and to date only GAA club was founded in Ramallah by English-born Irishman Stephen Redmond last year.
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It was renamed the Moataz Sarsour after a club volunteer who was killed by the Israeli Defence Forces last August.
Curiously, it is hurling rather than football which has captured the imagination and become known as 'the freedom sport'.
Watch RTE pair Morrissey & Mullane lose their minds commentating on Tipperary wonder goal
GAA Palestine posted a video of Quassy who used a slat from his bed in the tent he has lived in since his home in Gaza was destroyed, for a hurl to be crafted by a carpenter neighbour.
Clearly, getting people out of Gaza in the current circumstances is impossible with those travelling all coming from the West Bank.
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The usual hold-ups by Israeli troops to cross into Egypt are anticipated but it is hoped their journey will otherwise pass off unhitched to allow them avail of Irish hospitality and offer some respite from their daily struggles.
TO donate to the Dublin leg of the trip, visit
Or to donate to the Cork leg, go to
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