and beyond will gather for the 2015 North American County Board Gaelic Athletic Association Finals. cities, Canada and the Cayman Islands will compete for trophies and titles in three sports: Gaelic football, which is a blend of soccer and basketball, according to playoffs chairman Harry Costelloe; hurling, a fast paced, 3,000 year old sport similar to field hockey; and camogie, a women’s sport similar to the men’s hurling event.
In addition to there being men’s and women’s sports, there are divisions based on age, with the youngest competitors being 16 and the oldest upward of 40, according to Caroline Cunningham, a member of the Chicago planning board for the North American County Board, which oversees the development of Gaelic games in the United States, outside of New York, according to the North American Gaelic Athletic Association.
This will be the fifth or sixth time that Gaelic Park, at 6119 W. 147th St., is hosting the event in the North American County Board’s 66 years, Costelloe said.
The Gaelic Athletic Association has a long history in Chicago. It was formed on Chicago’s West Side in 1890, according to its website.Cheap Jerseys from china http://www.cheapnfljerseysonlinef.top Club lore says it started with a hurling match between Innisfails and Grattans on the Fourth of July in 1891, and by 1893 more than 2,000 members were playing in 15 different clubs in the city. Membership continued to swell well into the 20th century, until World War II brought immigration to a near halt.
Annual fest features a ‘What’s Cooking Frankfort!’ theme Jessi Virtusio
One of the biggest ways to kick off autumn in the Southland is Frankfort Fall Festival.
Led by the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and 30 civic organizations, the free annual event to Sept. 7 in downtown Frankfort includes approximately 300 artisans, a carnival and entertainment on Breidert Green,.
One of the biggest ways to kick off autumn in the Southland is Frankfort Fall Festival.
Led by the Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and 30 civic organizations, the free annual event to Sept. Numbers rose and fell with economic and immigration trends over the next several decades, but the construction of Gaelic Park in Oak Forest in 1985 anchored the Chicago area on the national Gaelic Games stage, and the city’s clubs are thriving, according to officials.
More than 96 matches are to be played throughout the weekend. There also will be food, drink and souvenirs, with vendors selling everything from hot dogs to jerseys and team photos.
“It’s a fun time,” Cunningham said. “It’s jam packed, tons of people.”
This year, the event will incorporate technology for spectators, she said. Those who can’t be at Gaelic Park can download the ClubApp live scoring application for free to get live scores for all of the matches to be played throughout the weekend.
With six matches running in each time slot, even those attending might want to download the app. Cunningham, who plays for the St. Brigid’s Ladies Gaelic Football Club of Chicago, said that players whose teams are eliminated will follow the other matches, as will friends, fans and families in Ireland.
