Gaelic games in France
Gaelic games have been played on the European mainland for centuries.
There are records of the Irish Brigade, formed in France in the aftermath of the Flight of the Wild Geese, playing hurling in France as early as 1747. France is woven into the story of one of the titans of the game of hurling. It was at the Battle of Fontenoy that General Thomas Lally de Tollendal, who led the Irish Brigade, gave the famous battle cry, cuimhnigh ar Luimneach (‘remember Limerick’), which remains the Limerick county motto to this day.
Increasing popularity
The modern growth of Gaelic games in Europe has its roots in France too, with the Paris Gaels. This was the first club in mainland Europe, founded in 1994/95.
Since then, the games have gone from strength to strength in France, particularly in the last fifteen years. GAA France recorded 160 registered players in 2007. This figure has grown to nearly a thousand, spread across 27 different clubs all over the country. Today, France has more players and clubs than any other continental European country.
A home away from home
Central to this growth has been the incredible story of Gaelic games in Brittany in north‑west France, which shares with Ireland a Celtic heritage of which it is fiercely proud, including its own Celtic language. Breton.
Brest, located in Brittany, was one of the first clubs to be founded. It gave a blueprint for the development of the games in France by becoming the first club to be founded without any Irish players. Soon after came Rennes, who christened themselves Ar Gwazi Gouez (The Wild Geese in Breton), a nod to the deep shared history that ties Ireland and France together.
Now, fourteen clubs compete in Brittany, which is also home to one of continental Europe’s only 15 a side pitches for Gaelic games (Rennes). Gaelic games have even been included in the PE curriculum for the baccalaureate!
Games for all players
Gaelic games in France are about inclusion and cultural affinity as much as they are about the traditional Irish diaspora. Almost 88% of the membership is non-Irish born. In 2023, the registered players came from 26 different national origins. Women’s football and camogie are well-represented with almost 25% of the players being female.
All of these players come together thanks to a shared love for the games along with a sense of community. Gaelic games come with a thriving social dimension to competition. Promoted by dedicated volunteers, Irish, French, and more, the games have made such huge strides in the past decades.