New GAA initiative brings Northern Irish pro-Union community to Croke Park

A brilliant new initiative aimed at bringing together representatives of the pro-Union community in Northern Ireland with those of the GAA, will be launched a Croke Park on 1st April.

The news arrives ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed on 10 April 1998.

Thinking Futures: Building Recognition, led by the GAA and the Institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool, seeks to remove barriers to discussion, discourse and debate. It is hoped that the scheme will foster parity of esteem and mutual respect.

GAA President Larry McCarthy described the move as a "call to action" in a press statement over the weekend:

"While the GAA is best known for its promotion of sport and culture, we pride ourselves on our wider contribution to communities. Inclusiveness and respect are two of the GAA’s core values and we work hard to bring those to life in all we do. The launch of our new ‘Where We All Belong’ manifesto celebrates these values. But it is also a call to action, for the GAA is aware that, for some, barriers exist to engaging with Gaelic games.

“We continuously attempt to break down these barriers and introduce as many people as possible to what we believe are the best games in the world, and offer them the opportunity to both contribute to and benefit from a community-based, volunteer-led organisation that has enhanced countless lives," McCarthy continued.

"We are open to new discussions and welcome the opportunity to participate in conversations and I hope that today can be the start of something significant. I thank the University of Liverpool and the Department of Foreign Affairs for their support of the initiative, and I sincerely hope it gets a level of engagement and traction that can make a difference to our society.”

Commenting ahead of the event, Professor Pete Shirlow, Director of the Institute of Irish Studies, added that a debate about a shared future requires communities to not only engage but to listen

"The view that communities hold of each other, needs to be understood to create a stronger inter-community voice that challenges prejudiced behaviour and attitudes. Messages and conversations based upon fact and experience will do much to aid the GAA community in its wider understanding of barriers to engagement and participation.

"There is also a need to challenge the suspicion, and at times hostility, towards the GAA that exists in some communities," Shirlow continued. "Prejudice is rarely based on fact, but conversations and events such as this narrow the ground between and aim for a shared understanding of community."

Three additional events will take place over the next few months, one each in Munster, Connacht and Ulster.

Thinking Futures: Building Recognition on 1 April brings together representatives of the pro-Union community and the GAA. Date:Saturday 1 April 2023 Time:2.00 pm Registration:FREE but registration essential: https://t.co/wZX2MqOd3k Location:Croke Park

— Peter Shirlow (@PeterShirlow) March 18, 2023