IT was mission accomplished in more ways than one as the curtain came down on Saturday’s festival of Gaelic football at Plaine des Jeux de Gerland.
For a start, the Pan-European finals passed off without a hitch – a testament to the brilliant work done behind the scenes by Dave Lewis, Eoin Campbell and all at Lugdunum CLG, who were hosting the event for the first time in its 25th year.
While Storm Ashley was preparing to descend upon Ireland, the weather Gods smiled on Lyon as 52 teams from France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium and Jersey took part in 128 matches across 12 pitches.
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And, for all the new friendships forged as the party moved to Palais de Sports de Lyon after, others were renewed, with Paul McKibben, Shane Lavery and Danny Bird - from Eoin Campbell’s home club in Warrenpoint – joining the festivities as part of an ongoing twinning project between Cumann Pheadair Naofa and Lugdunum.
However, another hugely important aspect of the entire venture was Lugdunum’s support of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust (KBRT).
The charity works to alleviate the financial burden of bereaved families by repatriating the bodies of loved ones who have tragically passed away abroad - over 2,000 since its formation following the loss of Colin and Eithne Bell’s 26-year-old son Kevin in New York 11 years ago.
Colin Bell was guest of honour at the football finals, flown over and looked after by the department of foreign affairs, at Lugdunum’s request.
The club’s green jerseys were adorned with the charity’s robin emblem, while Bell spoke at the trophy presentation that followed Saturday’s tournament – the aim, for all involved, to spread the word of the invaluable service they provide.
“While we recognise the need for sponsorship for any GAA team,” read a club Facebook post, “we hope that this action will inspire other clubs in Europe to start wearing the robin, on their sleeve shoulders or backs, just as our twin club Warrenpoint have done for several years now.”
“It was an absolutely fantastic weekend; I don’t know how they did it,” said Bell.
“The organisation was brilliant, everything ran seamlessly, and everybody involved deserves huge credit.
“Lugdunum have been so good to me - they are so attentive to KBRT, and they promote it at every opportunity. We unfortunately do take a lot of younger people home.
“I would say we’ve taken somebody home to most parishes in Ireland and, if people haven’t heard of KBRT, somebody will tell them. We’re lucky in that sense.
“People are so good to us, we don’t get any grants from governments north or south but, in all honesty, we don’t need it because of the community and what it means in Ireland. We’re there for everybody.
“It’s tough but, because we have gone through the experience ourselves whenever Kevin was killed - you don’t know who to turn to, what to do, so for us to be able to say ‘right, leave it with us, we’ll take care of everything’.
“That’s a great thing to be able to do in Kevin’s name.”
Newry man Bell and the Warrenpoint contingent weren’t the only familiar faces from Ireland on Saturday either.
Alongside fellow PE teacher Garrett Coyle, Armagh All-Ireland winner Rory Grugan was involved with an exchange programme from St Macartan’s College in Monaghan.
Erasmus-funded, and linked with Leargas – who manage national and international programmes in youth work, education and training – the St Macartan’s pupils spent the week at Lysee du Bugey in Belley, around an hour-and-a-half from Lyon.
Grugan spent 2013 studying in France, and also teaches the language at St Macartan’s. For the students, too, it is an opportunity to sample a different side to life.
“This is our third year doing it,” said the Ballymacnab man.
“They get to live with French families, experience French culture, French food, go into their school and try different sports they’ve never done before – Olympic handball, rock climbing, gymnastics, boules… a lot of stuff they would never have been exposed to, then we teach them the skills of Gaelic football.”
After meeting up with Campbell and Lewis during a previous exchange, a connection was forged. The St Macartan’s lads played an exhibition game against Lugdunum, and the dates of this year’s exchange fitted in with the Pan-European football finals.
“We got to go and play against a couple of schools, exhibition games in the morning, then the boys were helping with the officiating at some of the big games in the afternoon.
“It’s a class experience for them – fairly full on, activity-wise, but something you’d love to have done yourself at that age.”
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Fund is a cause close to Grugan’s heart too, following the shocking loss of dad John in France eight years ago.
He spent much of Friday night chatting to Colin Bell at an Irish pub in Lyon, watching the inter-provincial rules trials while putting the world to rights.
And the Grugan family will always be hugely grateful for the work of the KBRT in bringing John home.
“We would’ve done a bit of a fundraiser for the charity a few years ago, and it was nice to get a catch-up with Colin.
“What they do is just amazing… it’s a great thing to raise awareness for and, in the context of Europe, there are young people away to all corners, and you hear of these tragedies.
“It’s something that’s so vital because you can imagine all the emotion that’s around a family, and then where do you even start in terms of contacting an embassy, the language barrier, the logistics, the financial side of things… everything just becomes this nightmare, to double up what is already a nightmare.
“So to have that all taken out of your hands, so that you just are able to grieve as a family and go through all the processes that involves, without the extra strain and stress of all the logistical stuff, is a great help.
“It’s that thing about, no matter where you are as an Irish person, you link in with a GAA club – that’s how you make friends and integrate yourself in that city. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is based on that same community spirit of the GAA, providing that service for people who are most in need.
“It’s just the absolute best of what we have.”
