On Saturday, March 18th 2023, the Cologne Celtics GAA Club held our St. Patrick’s Weekend Invitational Hurling Tournament – the inaugural Francie O’Connor Cup.
During an immense day of hurling action, Eindhoven Shamrocks came out victorious – as they won all three of their matches – and went away with the well-deserved trophy.
We were delighted to welcome players from Monagea GAA to Cologne, and we look forward to playing against them again in the future. We had a fantastic evening with them afterwards in the Black Sheep Pub as we watched Ireland beat England in the Six Nations Rugby Championship to win the Grand Slam.
The following day, many of our players and members joined them for a tour of Cologne (provided by our club secretary Lea) and some food and refreshments at Peters Brauhaus.
Although the day wasn’t a success on the pitch for the Cologne Celtics, we had twenty-six male players available on the day – between our first team and our Düsseldorf/Rheinland Gaels team. We also had an army of volunteers who helped out enormously on the day.
Following on from previous tournaments, we are learning and improving our hosting capabilities each time. For this tournament, we used a Scoreboard App to keep track of scores, allowing supporters to keep an eye on the tournament as it developed. This development is something we will remember for future tournaments.
We look forward to hosting more tournaments and matches in Cologne going forward!
Photo Collection:
Here are some impressions from the day. These photos are provided by club members: Patrick Stapleton, Julia Jeshke, Stephen O’Rourke, Gareth Houston and Steffi Karrenbrock (Pen Paper Story).
The Teams
Team pictures and group shots of Cologne, Rheinland Gaels/Düsseldorf, Eindhoven and Monagea.
Individual Players
Some images of individual Cologne/Düsseldorf players and members during the tournament
Match Photos
Action photos during the various matches. The most prominent matches featured are Eindhoven v Rheinland Gaels/Düsseldorf and Cologne v Monagea.
Supporters and Volunteers
The event could not have taken place without the work done in the background by our volunteers. Having supporters at the event allows us to introduce our sports and our club to a wider audience.
The Cup
It wouldn’t be a tournament without a trophy to fight for, and here are some images of the trophy and the winning team: Eindhoven Shamrocks.
Steffi’s Photos
Some photos of the tournament from the incredibly talented photographer and our website designer/admin Steffi Karrenbrock (Pen Paper Story):
The Afters at the Black Sheep Pub
Like all great hurling tournaments, we fight and struggle on the pitch, but we can go for pints and enjoy each other’s company off of it. These photos are from after the tournament, as Cologne and Monagea came together to watch Ireland beat England and for Monagea to make a presentation to our Hurling Officer, coach and spiritual leader, Frank.
Thanks to everyone who took photos on a great day of hurling in the Rheinland. We are delighted that we could play against Irish opposition and build further connections with Eindhoven. With featuring two full teams for the second time in a row at our home tournament (following on from the German Cup 2022), hurling is looking bright in the Rheinland.
Of course, we want to continue our growth and always look for new players and members. You can contact the Celtics directly on our website to hear more about us or get involved by joining the Celtics, whether as a playing or social member. We always seek new people to join our team and our wider community.
Kölle abú!
Cologne Celtics 