TWENTY teams and over 350 players from across France will converge upon Lyon tomorrow for the annual French GAA championship finals – with a former Derry star joining getting proceedings under way as special guest.
Patsy Gormley was between the sticks when the Oak Leafs took on Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland final, making a stunning save on a day that ultimately ended in defeat for Derry.
His son Eamonn is a partner in the Wallace Bar in Lyon, one of the main sponsors of the ambitious Lugdunum CLG - the host club for this year’s French finals.
It is a huge logistical undertaking, but president Eoin Campbell and the Lugdunum club are now looking forward to the start of the action.
He said: “Basically the whole tournament is a bit like a Feile competition – short games all day, with men’s and women’s competitions running simultaneously across four pitches.
“The French finals move around each year, last year it was in Rennes. It’s a lot of work and can be a difficult thing to run - we’ve hosted competitions in the past and this is the biggest yet.
“But hopefully it will be a great day for all involved.
Earlier this year Lugdunum marked its 10th anniversary by joining forces with Cumann Pheadair Naofa, Warrenpoint in the first international twinning venture of its kind in Ulster.
And, as part of that partnership, national referee and Warrenpoint native Brendan Rice is travelling over to France to officiate on the day.
“With the Warrenpoint connection, it’s a good way to get the twinning partnership off to a good start,” said Campbell, who is also from the Co Down town.
“Clubs over here really rely on their sponsors, and so we’re very grateful to the Wallace, Johnny’s Kitchen, Johnny Walsh’s and Accasbel. They’re all Irish-owned businesses, and all really strong supporters of the club.”
To strengthen their connection with Ireland, Luygdunum has also started wearing the logo of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust on its jerseys.
Music at the after-party will be provided by TRÚ, whose lead singer Dónal Kearney is a former Down minor who also represented Warrenpoint and was previously captain of Madrid Harps.
