A milestone event for inclusive sport in Ireland is happening on the grounds of Munster Technological University (MTU), this Saturday, July 19. Na Laochra Aeracha and Aeracha Uladh will meet to play a football match in the GAA grounds at MTU, marking the first time two LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA teams have played each other in Ireland.
Speaking to Dean Kinsella, Co-Founder and current Vice Chair of Na Laochra Aeracha, he shared how the club is feeling ahead of this weekend’s event: “We are very much looking forward to the event because, as mentioned, this is the first time two LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA clubs will have met up to play a match together in Ireland.
“We are also very excited to have Aeracha Uladh come down from Belfast, so that we can get to know the team and the club members a bit better, and play a match at our MTU grounds, which has been offered up to us from our recent MTU sponsorship for 2025 to 2026.”
Both teams have been crucial in promoting inclusive sports in Ireland, with Na Laochra Aeracha forming in January of 2024 in Cork as Munster’s first LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA club. Similarly, Aeracha Uladh is Ulster’s first and only LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA club based in Belfast since April 2022.
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I asked Dean for some background on both clubs as they prepare for their upcoming game: “Aeracha Uladh GAC is the first LGBT+ focused Gaelic club in Ulster. The club currently has one GAA team and one LGFA team, which are based primarily in Falls Park (West Belfast). Like the other Clubs, Aeracha Uladh is about breaking down those stereotypes around gender and sexuality that have built their way into sport, with everyone being welcome to join. With 35 GAA Members and 38 LGFA Members currently registered, the club is continuing to grow and develop each year. Whilst currently focused on Gaelic football, a goal for the club is to develop a hurling and camogie team that will provide further opportunities for members of the LGBT+ community to engage in sport.
“Na Laochra Aeracha has over 80 members across Gaelic football, hurling and camogie. The men’s football team are also taking part in the Cork GAA Seandún Championship this year for the first time. The ladies’ football team took part in a Mothers and Others Football Blitz recently in Kinsale. And our very first hurling and camogie friendly match is set for this August.”
This first-time event is significant for the future of inclusive sports in Ireland. I asked Dean what the club hopes this weekend’s match will bring for the future of the sport, to which he replied, “Na Laochra Aeracha hopes that this friendly match represents the first of many more LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA matches to come. Our hope is that, in the near future, we will also get the opportunity to play a match against Na Gael Aeracha, based out of Dublin, and possibly set up a provincial blitz that might meet up several times a year on each club’s grounds.”
Na Laochra Aeracha and Aeracha Uladh will play against each other at 7pm on Saturday, July 19, at the MTU GAA main pitch.
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