The FRS GAA World Games 2023 took place between July 24th and July 27th at Owenbeg Centre of Excellence, and the finals were played at Celtic Park in Derry City on July 28th.
The Cologne Celtics had a sizeable contingent present at the tournament with Malte Lampart and Fabian Ebach on Germany Team White (hurling), Jan Stolle on Germany Team Red (hurling), Katharina Breuer and Kea Holze playing on the German Camogie Team with Laura Kennedy and Lea Janssen managing the team, Santiago Modernell on the Team Germany Gaelic Football Team, and Ammi Brenner on the Team Germany Ladies Football Team. Cillian O’Gara played on the Team Benelux Gaelic Football Team, and Ciarán Ó hÉarcáin was on the Team Benelux Hurling Team.
We caught up with them before the tournament to find out their feelings in the run-up to it, and here we find out about the experience afterwards. Overall, it was a very impressive showing for Germany, with over 70 players taking part across all codes. Team Germany Red won the hurling Plate competition with an epic battle against South-East USA, while Team Germany Camogie team lost the Shield final and Team Germany Football team lost the Shield final. Reaching so many finals shows how the sports are developing!
The incredible photos in this article are courtesy of Darmstadt legend Daniel Thiem and more of his photos can be found at Gaelic Shots.
What was your highlight(s) on the pitch from the GAA World Games?
Malte: The Hurling Plate Final between South East 2 (US) and Germany Red was just a thriller to watch. Personally, scoring a goal against France and giving us an early lead felt great, but we lost, so the goal did not matter in the end.
Cillian: There are quite a few I could draw from, but I’ve settled on two main ones! The first would be when I scored a point for Benelux against Iberia in our first competitive match (which we duly won). The second was when I put in a strong defensive performance against Italy, so that we ended up winning the match and advancing to the shield final.
Jan: First and foremost, the celebrations of both German Hurling Teams after the final whistle of the Shield semi-final. The final whistle of the shield final, realising that we won it and completed a great comeback. Playing on pitch 4, which was the pitch with the grand stand. The grass was perfect, and it felt a little bit like Croke Park to me.
Katharina: It is really hard to say since being on the pitch and playing for Germany was one big highlight itself. If I have to think of specific situations where I was involved, I’d go for these two: in our 2nd or 3rd game, I managed to block my opponent player from striking three times in a row within a few seconds, even though she definitely was way fitter than me. During our game against Milwaukee, the woman I was marking got really p*ssed. The swearing wasn’t the highlight, but the fact that I was the reason for that was 😉
The second game against Canada was definitely a highlight, too. Not only because we surprisingly made it to the shield final at all but also because we played really well; the atmosphere was great, and the Canadians (like all the clichés say) were so nice and friendly afterwards, sending us off the pitch in the best possible way.
Of course, every goal and point was a highlight! My personal favourites were Christin getting a goal out of a free from midfield and 3 points in the same game from Linda after I told her she could do it!
What was your highlight(s) off-the-pitch from the GAA World Games?
Malte: The support we had at the German games. The other German teams cheering us to the end and celebrating every won ball.
Cillian: Participating in the parade and seeing so many people from all over the world with a shared passion for Gaelic games was a massive highlight. In particular, the view from the top of Shipquay Street down to the gate was something to behold, with so many flags and banners on display.
Jan: The parade and the opening ceremony on Monday night (after day one) through the city centre of Derry. It was such a joyful and peaceful atmosphere, with all the teams from so many different nations waving their flags. In the end, it reminded me a little bit of the ESC.
Another highlight was just having pints with the participants from Cologne in Sandino’s after day 3.
Meeting almost everyone, I know from Hurling in Europe and Cologne within the first hour being in Owenbeg. Desmond (GEE Hurling Officer), Alan Moore (GGE PR Officer), Jack McCarron, Ciaran Harkin, Tony from Maastricht
The support all the German players gave each other. Each German team from each code supported all other German teams by always chanting, “Who are we? Germany!”
Katharina: The atmosphere itself, for one! Being a part of the World Games was really special.
Our (German Camogie) warmup dance was definitely one of the highlights.
One highlight for sure was overhearing two young Irish boys after German Red’s last game. “Did you see the Germans? They were unbelievable”. Big compliment coming from an Irish fella I guess 😉
Who were your toughest opponents?
Malte: Pearse Óg from San Francisco made it to the Finals, but they did not feel like the toughest team. Father Murphys from London felt a lot stronger as they just had no mercy.
Cillian: It’s tough to decide, but our opponents who came from Australasia were probably the most impressive (and indeed, they went on to win their whole category). Not too surprising when you find out how many of their players were on inter-county panels not so long ago.
Jan: Even though New York was the best team by far we had to face, it was great fun playing them because it was a good and clean match. For me, the toughest opponents were St. Louis and Canada because they played very physically. In general, the North American teams played very physically and tried to impress us that way. And the no. 7 of Canada smashed his hurley on my shin, claiming he was going for the ball. So I missed the second half of my very first match due to a laceration.
Katharina: Probably US Warriors, South East 1 and Coastal Virginia. They were tough games, but it was a lot of fun too.
What was the best aspect of playing with Team Germany/Benelux?
Malte: Getting to know the people you usually play against in German and European tournaments.
Cillian: It was great to meet lads such as myself who’d moved abroad for different reasons and to get to know them both on and off the pitch. It was also great to play alongside those lads who I’d normally come up against in tournaments across the Benelux region.
All in all, though, I think the most valuable thing I gained from playing for Benelux was the playing experience against top opposition, something which has made me a more confident footballer.
Jan: We had never played together as a team before. But we quickly connected well and developed good chemistry on and off the pitch. For me playing with Daniel from Darmstadt and Jasper from Hamburg in the backline was a great experience and great fun as well.
It was great playing with all the other players from the other German teams and getting to know them better. I know that I will face them as opponents next time when I meet them at tournaments again. But it will be great seeing them again and having a chat with all of them.
Katharina: Apart from the obvious, the benefit of this event was getting to know the other German player, which you normally would only ever see on the pitch during tournaments without much time to talk. Being in Derry and having the same goal was a good way to connect. Even with people outside of Germany.
What surprised you the most about the experience?
Malte: The organisational team of the World Games was super organised. I was expecting a bit more spontaneous switches of games, pitches and times, but everything went so smoothly.
Cillian: I’d heard about Gaelic games being played across France and Iberia, but what surprised me was the number of teams that came from those regions. I was particularly impressed by the French fans, who sang and chanted endlessly to support the men’s Gaelic football team in their run-up to the final in Celtic Park.
Sadly, they lost to an excellent Sean MacDermott’s team coming from Warwickshire, but seeing the players and fans in action was one of the standout moments of the whole tournament from my point of view.
Jan: I was able to understand the accent the people spoke in Derry, and I realised that you just say “aye” when you mean “yes”. I would not say I was surprised, but I was rather impressed by how welcoming everyone was in Derry and Dungiven. Especially everyone from our twinning club Kevin Lynche Hurling Club, was so supportive and helpful. They even washed our jerseys (not only once but three times) and returned them the next day before the first match. And they rooted for us very loudly at every match they watched.
Katharina: On the pitch: definitely our win against Milwaukee. It’s not that I didn’t believe in our team, but that was a game where we really enjoyed ourselves. That (and, of course, our skills) was the key to winning. It felt amazing!
What was the best pub you visited?
Malte: We had some drinks pitchside at Kevin Lynch Hurling Club in Dungiven. The atmosphere was breathtaking, with mountains and the sun going down, plus some rainbows, so I have got to go for that.
Cillian: Hands down, it was The Don Bar. Away from the city centre and up the Creggan Road, this small pub served the best pint of Guinness I’ve had in Ireland for a very long time. The staff were also friendly, and the atmosphere was just right for a group of us Celts to watch the All-Ireland Hurling Final.
Jan: Is there anything like the best pub? There are many good pubs in Derry. Just to name a few
- Sandino’s – a great place where students hang out a lot,
- Blackbird – we went there after winning the shield final, so great memories for this one,
- The Rocking Chair – good food and not too busy,
- Peadar O’Donnell’s – maybe the best-known pub in the city.
Katharina: The slightly disappointing part of this whole week: most of the time, I was too tired to get the party really started 😀 We visited a few pubs, but I can’t say “this was the best, because …”
Great craic, pints and baby Guinnesses in Sandinos, Blackbird, The Harp Bar/Dungloe Bar.
Thanks for your feedback, everyone – it is greatly appreciated and provides valuable insight into how the World Games were to experience. A huge well done to all of you for representing Germany/Benelux/GGE etc. You represented the club on the world stage impeccably.
If you would like to get to know more about our club, Gaelic sports in Germany or any other aspect of what our club offers, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. For those interested in joining us, it could be you playing for Germany in a few years‘ time. It can start with that contact button.
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