This year, the FRS GAA World Games makes a return, and this time, it is being held in County Derry. After some disrupted years due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, GAA players from all over the world are coming together for an unforgettable experience where they will demonstrate their abilities in a week of fierce competition, team camaraderie, and amazing craic.
Amongst all of it, there are a sizeable number of Celtics representing Team Germany and Team Benelux at various levels and in different roles. We could not be more proud of all of them! Having so many players from the Celtics at this level is a clear indication of our club’s growth in recent years.
Our players and members at the World Games are the following: Laura Kennedy, Lea Janssen, Cillian O’Gara, Katharina Breuer, Santiago Modernell, Male Lampart, Fabian Ebach, Jan Stolle, Kea Holze, Ciarán Ó hEarcáin, and Anne Marie Brenner.
We caught up with some of them on the eve of the World Games to see how they were feeling before the tournaments.
Please note that you can find out how they got on following the tournament here: FRS GAA World Games: Our Players‘ Experiences.
How does it feel to represent Team Germany in hurling/camogie/Gaelic football at the upcoming World Games in Derry?
Kat: It feels weird, and I am proud at the same time. It is not comparable with, let’s say, the Fußball Weltmeisterschaft, where there are hundreds and thousands of potential players that could have been picked, but it is still the Nationalmannschaft 😉👍🏻
Fabian: Representing the small but continuously growing German Hurling community is a privilege. Going to Derry is a chance to showcase our skills on an international stage and compete against formidable opponents. Teaming up with members of our rival teams in Germany adds a unique and positive dynamic.
Cillian: Unfortunately, there were not enough interested Irish-born Gaelic footballers to form a team to represent Germany this year. Instead, I joined up with the Benelux Men’s Open team.
While I’m disappointed not to https://www.instagram.com/p/Crc9QEPoQKW/represent Germany this time, I am delighted to be able to play at the World Games with an impressive collection of players from not just the Benelux region but also Paris and Düsseldorf.
Jan: It still feels unreal to be a German national hurling team member. Even though the tournament starts in less than two weeks‘ time. But I am really looking forward to the World Games, the week in Derry, and the GAA Centre of Excellence in Owenbeg. And, of course, as one of three hurling players of the Cologne Celtics, I am proud to be a member of the German national hurling team representing our club and Germany at the World Games.
Malte: The excitement levels are rising, and I can’t wait to get started.
Kea: I am honoured to represent Germany at this sporting event. But at the same time, I’m a bit afraid that I won’t be able to live up to this position.
Lea: I’m very proud to travel with and be part of Team Germany. These are my first GAA World Games, so I’m very hyped to see what it’s like. But it doesn’t feel real yet. I think it will only fully sink in when we arrive in Derry, meet all the people from around the world and when the games have started.
Laura: I have a sideline role and won’t be in the limelight in the same way that the players are, but it is an honour to be playing a part with Team Germany and helping my adopted country in any way that I can.
What is your role in the team (player/trainer), and which sport will you focus on?
Kat: I’m a player on the German camogie team. I’ll be on the pitch during the World Games and try my very best to do us, the German camogie team, proud.
Fabian: I am a forward on the German B Team in hurling.
Cillian: I will be involved with the Benelux men’s team as a Gaelic football player.
Jan: I will focus on hurling and be a player for Team Germany A or Germany Red (and I have no idea if we will play in traditional white or red jerseys). It is planned that I play as a back or half-back, but I could also help out in midfield. Quite the same role as in the club when we play European tournaments.
Malte: I will be (hopefully) playing full forward for one of our Hurling teams.
Kea: I’m there as a player on the German camogie team.
Lea: I’m travelling to Derry as bainisteoir (manager) for the Camogie team, so that’s the sport I will focus on. Here in Cologne, I started to play both Camogie and Ladies‘ Gaelic Football, but I was always more drawn to Camogie and ended up playing it. So, I naturally chose to put my hat in the ring for becoming bainisteoir for the Camógs.
Laura: Along with Lea, I am one of the Bainisteoirí for the German Camogie Team. I have been doing a lot of the admin and organising, and I see myself as having a sort of “Mammy” role for the players.
What are your expectations and goals for the World Games?
Kat: My goal is that we, as a team, play some excellent camogie, perform to our best, and have a lot of fun! Sure, to win something (anything) would be a huge bonus, but I am mainly looking forward to experiencing the World Games.
Fabian: Of course, it’s about the collective experience of meeting members of the worldwide Gaelic Games community and celebrating our sport. Just kidding, my goal and expectation is to win the cup. It is a competition, after all!
Cillian: Our primary goal as a team will be to compete and win in each of our games against our competition. This will be no easy task, as there will be teams of Irish-born players living in Australasia, the Middle East and Italy, among other regions.
Regardless of the result, what is most important is that we all put our best foot forward and put in a series of performances that we can look back on with pride in the future. If we do that, then I would be delighted to say we had a successful tournament.
Jan: Hopefully, we can win a few matches. But I know that the other teams will be strong as well. Of course, I hope to have a lot of playing time on the pitch,
On the other hand, I hope to meet players from other teams and other countries. I would like to watch the matches of the other German teams in Hurling and Camogie and Ladies‘ and Men’s Gaelic Football.
I hope the atmosphere in the city and the GAA facility in Owenbeg will be great, and I hope it is possible to feel the buzz with more than 2,000 players in the city. After all, this feels like we are going to Olympic Games with so many teams from so many different countries. We will have an opening ceremony with a parade of the players in Derry on Monday and a closing ceremony after the finals on Friday. Therefore, I think it will be great craic, and I am really looking forward to it.
Malte: Goals, yes! We won’t be favourites, so we want to win a few games, give a good fight in the other matches as well and enjoy ourselves doing it.
Kea: I hope that we play well together as a team and that we can be proud of our performance. A goal would be for us to win at least one game.
Lea: Obviously, I want us to do good at the Games, and I guess that’s what every team dreams of going to Derry this year. But more important than that, I look forward to us meeting and connecting with the worldwide GAA community, growing as a team, showcasing all the talent and skills the Germans have to offer with the small and the big ball and having the most fun possible.
Laura: The International Camogie group will be tough. I think Germany, along with Europe, will be going in as underdogs against six North American teams. But I’ve seen these girls play. I’ve played either with or against all of the camógs at club level, and I know how hard they have been training and how much they want to win.
Nobody on the German Camogie Team is going down without a fight. Everyone is in it to win it, so the other teams should be prepared to take us seriously!
How have you been preparing for this tournament individually and as a team?
Kat: I’ve made a considerable effort to get to every training session that I could get to (it has been a challenge due to injuries and other commitments); I’ve gone jogging and done other exercises in my free time and have learned a lot by watching a lot of matches 😉
Fabian: As Team Germany, we had two collective training sessions, and individually we are practising the skills in our clubs. Also, we all are working on our individual fitness levels and encouraging each other to do so via a joint exercise program.
Cillian: I’ve been training as often as possible with the Cologne Celtics, placing a particular emphasis on the Gaelic football portion of our training sessions. I’ve also practised kick passing, scoring from placed balls and defensive exercises with fellow Celts‘ member Santi Modernell, who will be representing Germany in the international men’s Gaelic football category.
Aside from training in Cologne, I’ve gained valuable recent playing experience, having participated in a Gaelic football tournament in the Netherlands last month with players from Cologne and Düsseldorf. This allowed me to further hone my skills and meet with other players involved in the Benelux team to get to know them better.
Jan: I attended training regularly this season and played three tournaments this year (St. Patrick’s Day Invitational in Cologne, the European round in Maastricht and the German Cup in Darmstadt). Apart from that, I try to cycle twice a week and do some fitness, stretching and yoga together with Julia.
As a team, we met in March for a weekend of training in Frankfurt. This was also the possibility of getting to know all the players. In June, some players who attended the tournament in Dresden had another training session which I couldn’t participate in.
Malte: We had two training weekends with the hurlers, which really helped us get to know each other and build a team spirit. Individually, I have a niggling ankle injury; it’ll be grand though.
Kea: To prepare for the World Games, I went to as many training sessions as possible, went running, played wall ball and did home workouts to be as fit as possible.
Lea: The Camogie team has had shared training sessions to get used to the team’s composition. Besides that, everyone has attended their club’s training sessions, and they’ve done additional runs and fitness activities to stay fit.
We met each other at different tournaments of the region and Europe wide where we played together, but also against each other in different constellations. We furthermore created a team chat to stay in touch and exchange information and had an online meetup, all to work on team spirit and becoming more of a unit.
I, on the individual level, watched the teams and ladies play, tried to get a feeling for the different players and their skills and abilities and an even better understanding of match situations in general. Additionally, Laura (the other bainisteoir) and I provided and still provide the ladies with all the info needed, trying to be the best mentors for them possible.
Laura: We trained together for the first time in March, and the team was selected shortly after that. There was high competition for places on the team. 5 German clubs are represented by the 13 dedicated camógs; Hamburg, Darmstadt, Setanta Berlin, Munich and Cologne Celtics. Unfortunately, due to the geographical distance between the players, getting together frequently was difficult, and we would have liked to train together more than we did. But we have met each other at tournaments, and there is a definite sense of Team Spirit.
Are there any particular teams you are looking forward to facing in the tournament?
Kat: I’m not looking forward to any particular team; I’m curious in general about the World Games, and just looking forward to the experience!😁
Fabian: If I have read the schedule correctly, we will meet France in the Round Robin. Never having played against our neighbours, I am particularly looking forward to that match. But there will also be matches against many North American teams, which I am excited about. It is the beauty of the World Games to play against players and teams you would never usually meet!
Cillian: We’ll play against a team local to County Derry for our first match. This will be a tough first test of our abilities and an excellent way to determine how we measure up against teams that have trained and played together for many years. Giving a good account of ourselves in this game will surely set the stage for the rest of our upcoming fixtures.
Malte: France. It’s the first time Germany and France meet in Hurling, and I hope it’s the beginning of a great rivalry.
Kea: There is no team I’m particularly looking forward to, as I don’t know any other team yet. But I’m looking forward to meeting so many teams from all over the world and seeing them play.
Lea: I’m very curious about most of our opponents since we will mainly play North American teams. Team Europe has players we probably have met at least once during our European tournaments. I don’t know what awaits us from the other side of the Atlantic. I can’t wait to see what they have to offer and to show them our passion for playing Camogie.
Laura: I’m looking forward to the challenge of facing off against the North American Teams and showing them what the German camógs can do.
How much do you know about Derry? Are there any aspects you’re excited about outside of the matches?
Kat: I watched a few episodes of „Derry Girls“ as preparation 😂 apart from that, I’m happy to explore every bit of Derry and understand its deep culture and history… Pubs, I’m obviously talking about Pubs🍺☺️
Fabian: Derry is a historic city located in northwest Northern Ireland. It is renowned for its well-preserved city walls, which stand as a testament to its rich history. The city has experienced significant historical events and has made progress towards peace and reconciliation. Derry has a vibrant cultural scene with a strong emphasis on literature and music.
In short, being a Derry Girl is a f***ing state of mind that I aspire to embrace to the fullest extent possible.
Cillian: I learned a bit about Derry while studying history for my Leaving Cert! The city played an essential role in the fateful Williamite War in Ireland when it was besieged by the deposed king of England, James II. The siege’s failure paved the way for King William’s victory in Ireland and ensured Protestant domination in Ireland for the next few centuries.
In more recent times, Derry was a flashpoint in the Troubles, with Civil Rights marches and horrendous acts of violence, including the Bloody Sunday massacre perpetrated by British forces in 1972.
Aside from its chequered and often troubled history, I’m excited to get to know the city and wider county of Derry more generally. As well as that, it is very possible that Derry may be in the All-Ireland final the weekend after the World Games, so there would surely be a great buzz in the atmosphere around the city and wider county as a result.
Jan: My wife Julia will accompany me. We have never been to Derry before. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the city. We have a travel guide at home and read a few pages about Derry, where to go, what to see, and its history. From what we read about Derry, it must be a really lovely city.
Julia and I met a lady from County Donegal a few weeks ago. She told us that the city is more or less divided into a catholic part (left side of the river) and a protestant part (right side of the river). Plus, she asked if we watched the show““Derry Girls” on Netflix. She said it would be good preparation to understand the accent in the city.
Outside of the matches, I am excited about seeing the city of Derry and exploring it while we are there. Hopefully, there will be enough time. Then there will be the twinning event with a GAA club from Dungiven, which I am also looking forward to. Additionally, Julia and I plan to go to Giants Causeway and visit the Bushmills Distillery. We both have never been to Northern Ireland before.
Malte: I have not been in Northern Ireland since the troubles (Yes, I am old). Derry looks like a special town, so really looking forward to spending a week there.
Kea: Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about Derry yet. I’m looking forward to exploring and getting to know Derry and the surrounding area with the team after the Games.
Lea: Like some others here, I have watched „Derry Girls“, so I want to take a picture of the big mural and maybe buy a treat in Dennis’ wee shop. But as a historian, I also did research on Derry’s history during the Troubles, especially Bloody Sunday in 1972. So, I’m interested in visiting some of the historical sites, first and foremost, Free Derry Corner and the Bogside district.
In general, I’m looking forward to catching the vibe and atmosphere of the city, finding some nice spots for food and having a sneaky pint every now and then in one of the cosy pubs of the city – provided we have some free time, of course.
Laura: I’m from Waterford, which is about as far away from Derry as you can get in Ireland. My father is from up North, near Bangor in Co. Down, but I’ve no connection to Derry.
I’m looking forward to meeting the camógs from Magilligan, our twinned club.
Best of luck to all our players at the GAA World Games, you are all a credit to the Cologne Celtics, and it is incredible to have so many club members present on the world stage. Make sure to check out GAA World Games‘ social media channels to find out how they got on at the tournament.
If you would like to know more about the Cologne Celtics GAA club or get involved with the club, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Who knows, maybe you will also have the chance to represent Germany on the world stage in years to come… It can all start with a simple message!
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