A long way from home.
South Korea is about as far away from Ireland as you can get, but it is a testament to the appeal of the GAA worldwide that there are three established clubs in a country that has long been popular with globetrotting Irish folk.
Daegu Fianna are one of those three clubs, having been founded by Galway man Leo Corbett in 2007 and recognised as an official GAA club since 2011.
Competing in both men’s and women’s competitions, the club serves as an important focal point not just for Irish people but also for the entire ex-pat community due to what club member Diarmuid Farrell (below) describes as “our reputation as friendly, welcoming and ultimately fun”.
Diarmuid got in touch with us recently to give us the lowdown on the club and the characters within the dressing room, including a cracking story about the perils of falling asleep on a train in an unfamiliar place.
Focus on Daegu Fianna GAA Club
Year Established: 2007
Number of members: 40
Biggest Rivals: Laochra Busan and Seoul Gaels
Biggest represenation from a county: This year, Limerick and Westmeath have the biggest representation.
Most famous ever member: There are a lot to be fair. Conor Whelan from Waterford is famous for arriving to training with a bag of cans while still out from the night before. He still somehow managed to train a few drills.
From our ladies team, Tania from Australia and Lolly from the US are famous/notorious for dancing and singing on tables and sidelines anywhere and everywhere they go.
Most memorable scoreline: In 2011 the men’s team beat Seoul Gaels in a tournament for the first time in our history and it was a seismic shock. Think of Longford beating Dublin in the Leinster Championship and you’ll have an idea of how big a deal it was.
Player with longest commute to training: Last year, player/manager Paidi Bacon from Kilkenny used to travel more than an hour on the train and bus to make training twice a week.
Most dedicated club person: Sean Prendeville from Limerick served as chairman of the club for many years, almost single-handedly growing the club through sheer hard work and effort.
Player who could have made it big if love/career/drink didn’t get in the way: We have many players who could have made it if it wasn’t for drink/politics/injuries/love etc. but Eoghan Dalton from Westmeath is definitely up there if he can stop getting injured due to blistered feet from playing on AstroTurf in 40 degree heat!
Loudest person in the dressing room: Too many! Stefanie from Chicago most certainly has her moments where we can hear her and her only.
Number of romances that started in the GAA club: This year we had Linny Woods from Roscommon and Shayla from the USA get together, but the club has a reputation for solidifying romance on the training fields.
This year we had two Fianna marriages. Damien and Siobhan from Northern Ireland and Adam (from England) and Winnie (from Canada) got married so we would like to wish both couples very long and happy marriages.
Duck to Water award – Best new player who had never played GAA before: Laura Faulds from Canada would be pushing for inclusion on most inter-county teams.
Biggest Character: There are almost too many to mention. Although he was before my time, the antics of Donal Hayden are the stuff of legend. Apparently if he and the aforementioned Conor Whelan ever met the world would split in two.
From this year’s squad, Matt O Brien’s heroic efforts in Busan will go down in Daegu Fianna history.
Most annoying person in Clubs WhatsApp Group: Probably myself, Diarmuid Farrell, because I’m always bringing bad news, asking for money or guilty of general ranting and raving.
Best story about a club member that’s fit for print: On the way back from a tournament and after having a sherry or two, Paul Greaney was getting the train from Ulsan back to Daegu but fell asleep and ended up in Seoul (approximately four hours away).
He got the train back to Daegu from Seoul but fell asleep again and ended up in Busan (approximately two hours away).
Lesson to be learned: Don’t fall asleep on the train!
If you’re a member of a GAA club abroad and would like to be featured on the site, feel free to send a mail to [email protected] or find us on Facebook or Twitter.
