By Ed Cartmell and Ross Parry
Gaelic Football teams in Liverpool are becoming over-reliant on participation from Irish students, according to members at John Mitchel’s club, Cathal Harkin and Patrick Murphy.
Despite the huge crowds celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Liverpool, the support for Gaelic Football teams do not attract the same level of enthusiasm.
The presence of Gaelic Football in Liverpool has dwindled over the last years, with Irish students mostly making up the numbers in the teams.
History
Irish Immigration has been fundamental in Liverpool’s history, and in the early-mid 20th century, Gaelic Football gained serious popularity.
Cathal Harkin, the secretary for the 2025/26 season at John Mitchel’s, said: “In the early 1900s, Liverpool and London were the two bastions of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in Britain.
“Through the 1950s, there were even more clubs in Liverpool, but by the mid-90’s, the club was reliant on Irish students, so much so, that when the students went home, the club couldn’t field.”
Current state of Gaelic Football in Liverpool
Another member at John Mitchel’s, Patrick Murphy said: “The current state of GAA in Liverpool is 6/10 at the moment.
“There are two teams in the city- John Mitchel’s and Liverpool Wolfe Tones.
“The Wolfe Tones, to their credit, are trying to grow their club by starting a underage set up for primary school age and they have worked on trying to make adult become more competitive.
“With John Mitchel’s, they are in top tier but due to not having a competitive league, the other teams do not have the players to compete in the top tier competition.
“Irish students have helped the club over the last years, but an over-reliance on them can not be such a good thing.”
What more can be done to promote Irish Sports in the City?
With such a popular Irish community in Liverpool, there is definitely room to promote Irish sports further in the city.
Cathal Harkin said: “It would be great to have a huge festival which supported the playing of games, dancing, and music.
“We are fortunate in Liverpool that we have a great history of the Irish and that it’s so close to home.”
Anyone who wishes to get involved with these Gaelic teams can contact these teams directly on social media.
John Mitchel’s- John Mitchel’s GAA Liverpool | John Mitchel’s GAA Liverpool Fixtures
Liverpool Wolf Tones- Liverpool Wolfe Tones GAA | Facebook
(All permission for photos granted from John Mitchel’s team)
