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.