Mickey Harte published the Following article in the Irish News 5/14/2010 praising the work of Grassroots coaches in NY:
Last weekend Hugh Mc Aleer, Mark Conway and myself had the privelege of travelling to Philadelphia and New York on behalf of club Tyrone to promote the Garvaghey project amongst our loyal supporters on the east coast of the USA. Due to the excellent groundwork carried out by Mick Traceyin Philidelphia and Seamus McNabb in New York, the trip was a resounding success and we would like to acknowledge the work of both these men in making it so. In addition to the fundraising nature of the visit, I had the opportunity to see at first hand the dedication of those who promote our games away from the comfort zone of the island.
A shining example of the true spirit of the GAA was epitomised by one of the newer clubs in New York, Shannon Gaels. Despite the fact that they would have been assured to have at least 50 per cent of their games at home , this club has had to travel every weekend since they didnt have the luxury of a home ground. Car Pooling of parents and club members ensured that the young GAA enthusiasts in their club fufilled their fixtures in various venues from Brooklyn to New Jersey, the Bronx to Connecticut and Long Island to Rockland. Formed in May 2002, the club members resilience has been recently rewarded when they acquired the use of Frank Golden Park in College Point. Although some restoration work needs to be carried out (this ground was formerly used for Baseball) the members are delighted to have a home venue. For me, the most significant feature of this club is the fact that, although they have a strong Irish base included in their numbers with people from virtually every county in Ireland, they also have players of Jewish, Polish, Russian and Middle Eastern backgrounds. Now thats what I call bringing an international dimension to the GAA. Well done to all those concerned , especially Benny Reid and Danny Brown from Tyrone who make sure there is a strong Red Hand influence within the club.
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