Share
30th March 2011
08:40am BST
JOE caught up with Monaghan native Brian Clerkin and Corkman Mick Daly to talk about their aspirations for the newly-formed St. Gallen GAA in Switzerland.
By Dave Barrett
The GAA, and more specifically the club, provokes great emotion in a person. Its history is handed down from generation to generation and fuels the pride that fills the jersey when you take to the field.
However, in some ways, that history is a blocking point to an even greater sense of pride and achievement; that which is gained from actually starting a club and seeing it flourish. This week, JOE talked to Monaghan native Brian Clerkin and Corkman Mick Daly about their aspirations for the newly-formed St. Gallen G.A.A.
September 5, 2010. Irish people gather in cities all over the world to watch Killkenny and Tipperary contest the All-Ireland Hurling final. It's no different in Switzerland, where a convoy of Irish teachers have undertaken the one hour train journey from St. Gallen to Zurich to join some of the local GAA club there to watch the match.
Presumably riled by the cocktail of a fierce battle on the TV and a few pints, they start to hatch a plan to start a GAA club in St. Gallen. Trevor Keating, Hurling Officer on the European County Board and member of Zurich GAA, is there egging them on, helping point the way on what would need to be done. It provided plenty of talking points on the way back home that evening.
A town called home
St. Gallen is situated in the north-eastern part of Switzerland in a valley around 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. It is one of the highest cities in Switzerland and it thus experiences long, cold and snow-filled winters.
Brian and Mick are just two of many Irish teachers based in the city and teach in a boarding school called Institut auf dem Rosenberg. Brian describes it as "an elite boarding school which attracts students from all over the world.
We want to break down the walls and let the Swiss into our culture of GAA.
"It provides an education in English, German and Italian and prepares the students to enter the American, British, Swiss, Italian, German and other European university programs."
Irish teachers have been recruited by the school for 20 years and have been much sought after "because English is our primary language and our education system is respected all over the world for its strength and diversity," says Mick.
First steps
Back to the train and the idea flourished on the journey home. The lads regrouped the following evening to continue the discussion and by Tuesday night, they had convened for their first training session. St. Gallen GAA was born.
Next the lads needed something that gave them a sense of identity. Brian explains "the colours of St. Gallen are green, black and white, so we got onto the Azzurri website and played with their kit design tool until we found something we liked.”
The St. Gallen Bears crest - a bit of Cork and St. Gallen intertwined
As for the crest, that has a bit of Cork and St. Gallen intertwined. Mick Daly took the features from his native Cork crest, like the crossed hurleys, and then they added the bear! The lads say his addition is not without significance.
Mick tells of how "St Gallus, the Irish missionary who preached in the area of Lake Constance, was charitable with his bread. One version of the St Gallus legend tells how he gave bread to a hungry bear, who to show his thanks, helped him build the log cabin which later developed into one of the great Swiss monasteries." A German art teacher in their school brought their idea to fruition and drew up their crest.
Red tape
Switzerland is a difficult place to conduct your sporting affairs in, especially for a bunch of ex-pats.
Brian explains: "Whilst working here, all of the teachers have an 'L' permit while here which means we can’t rent property or open a bank account for a sports team, which pretty much means we are third class citizens. We are trying different ways to get around this but it is one of the hassles of setting the whole thing up."
Funding was another issue as equipment doesn’t come cheap, but help was at hand. A former lecturer of Brian's in St. Pat’s, Carlow, An tAthair Conn O' Maoldhomhnaigh, was the first man to back the lads and sent a donation. Balls, cones and hurleys arrived from Cloughjordan, County Tipperary, courtesy of fellow clubman Stephen Murphy's father.
There is no Irish pub in St. Gallen, so the usual avenue to get sponsorship is not open to them. Without this help from friends and family, the lads aren't sure if they could have even got out of the starting blocks. They've also generated some income from selling replica jerseys. Sales are up around the 70 mark and the few euro profit they recover from each one is contributing to the club’s growth.
St. Gallen's first outing, 2011 and the future for the club
First outing
To get up and running on the European scene they joined up with Zurich’s footballers to play in the final tournament of the European season at the beginning of November. St. Gallen contributed eight lads to the panel, one of whom was a fella called David Thompson.
It was far from a GAA background in which he was reared. In fact, he’s an avid Glasgow Rangers fan. When he met the lads he knew nothing about Gaelic Football, but after sensing the team spirit and camaraderie that existed he was quickly taken in. He played in Maastricht and enjoyed it enough to come back for more in 2011.
2011
The snow-induced inactivity means the lads have a bit more time to work through the red tape and become an established sporting club in the city. In that sense, Brian says that Sean Kelly’s push to have Gaelic Games recognised internationally would be a great help.
There is some possibility for games development too though. They plan to teach the German teachers in their school the skills of the game with the idea that they would then support them to teach the kids how to play the games. Stephen Murphy (football) and John Hines (Hurling) are already lined up to do this.
The snow-covered Institut auf dem Rosenberg, the elite boarding school where Brian and Mick teach
On the playing field, the ultimate goal is to attend a Pan-Euro tournament as a standalone club. However, the lads are realistic and if in the short-term they must continue their liaison with Zurich then that’s fine too. They aren’t in it for the short haul and recognise the challenges going forward.
Long lasting
Mick says the big issue is the transience of the lads. “We are all on ten-month contracts and aside from not knowing if we will have them renewed, we are not here for two months of the summer.”
Whilst Brian is there four years, Mick only arrived in September and neither can be sure that they will be there next year. Still, their intention is not just to quell their own homesickness in the short term; they want to leave their mark in the town which means leaving a GAA club with strong foundations.
They like the speed of the game and the honesty of the game, in the sense that you battle hard but always respect your opponent and shake his hand at the end of the game.
They’ve learned plenty from their neighbours down the road. Zurich are approaching their tenth year and have had great success as a hurling club. The club was originally set-up by three Swiss lads and Brian & Mick fully realise that going native will be the only way to ensure their efforts have a lasting impression.
Brian talks of "the need to be an integrated part of the local community and not an isolated group. We want to break down the walls and let the Swiss into our culture of GAA."
The immediate objective is to link in with the local University who have an established Erasmus exchange programme with UCD. The steady flow of Irish will help develop local players but is the interest there in the first place?
The lads say the Swiss relate well to the games. “They have a lot of similar sports like floorball and handball which are also physical. They like the speed of the game and the honesty of the game, in the sense that you battle hard but always respect your opponent and shake his hand at the end of the game.”
Proud
Being involved in the start-up of St. Gallen GAA has given the lads great reward. Today the membership is closing on 50 people.
"You really do pour your heart and soul into it, full steam ahead. You gather the lads for training, organise the pitch, organise the meetings, social events, wash the jerseys yourself. Over here the club and its members form its own community with its own identity. You get out of it what you put into it and I know I have certainly got a lot out of it so far," says Brian.
Onwards and upwards for ‘The Bears’ of St. Gallen.
If you want to find out more about St. Gallen G.A.A. you will find them on the web www.stgallengaa.com
Dave writes a regular blog about playing G.A.A. in Europe. You can find it through the following link www.keepingitlit.com.
