Cologne Celtics on TV „Cluiche as Baile“ – TG4, Thursday, June 1st 2023.
Save the date, Thursday, June 1st, at 10:30pm (CET) or 9:30pm (Irish time) as the Cologne Celtics GAA Club will make their Irish television debut. The Celtics will feature in the new documentary, „Cluiche as Baile“ („The Away Game“), produced by the highly-talented Desmond Bros. The documentary will highlight the work and craic involved in…
German Camogie & Hurling Cups 2023: Tournament Report 22.04.2023
On Saturday April 22nd, the Cologne Celtics competed in the 2023 edition of the German Hurling and Camogie Cups. This time they were held in Darmstadt. Although we didn’t win either of them, our players represented our club with pride, passion and skill.
Dear Stephen,…
Stephen O’Rourke, our former club chairperson, is leaving Cologne and moving to Berlin to start a new adventure. In this article, his club mates decided to wish him well and write about their experiences of dealing with someone who has enormously influenced the club’s development.
European Hurling/Camogie Championship Round 1 Maastricht – 01.04.2023
On April 1st our camógs and hurlers represented the club with pride and passion as they reached their respective finals. Read about their progress here in this tournament report – compiled by hurling officer, Frank and club secretary, Lea.
Photos from our St. Patrick’s Weekend Invitational Hurling Tournament 2023
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…
A Celt at the BayArena: Bayer Leverkusen’s Lisburn Lad
Gareth Houston, our club Social and Social Media Officer, found his dream job last year, when he was given the chance to work for his German club – Bayer Leverkusen 04. This is the story of how a lad from Lisburn became a stadium tour guide at the BayArena and why you should do a…
St. Patrick’s Weekend Invitational Hurling Tournament: Saturday, 18th March 2023
On Saturday, 18th March 2023, the Cologne Celtics GAA Club will face off in our St. Patrick’s Weekend Hurling Invitational Tournament. With opposition from Ireland, the Netherlands and our local rivals Düsseldorf, we are looking forward to a massive day of hurling action.
February 1st -St. Brigid’s Day and the Celtic Festival Imbolc
The Ancient Celtic festival of Imbolg („Imbolc“ in English) is celebrated on February 1st. In more modern times, this festival coincides with „Lá Fhéile Bhríde“ or Saint Brigid’s Day, the feast day for the female patron saint of Ireland. Traditionally, this festival marks the beginning of spring and is viewed as a time of renewal…
Interview with Chris Bethe – European Hurling Officer 2020-22 and Darmstadt GAA Legend
Chris Bethe is a legend of Darmstadt GAA and a former European Hurling Officer for Gaelic Games Europe. He chatted to us about his plans for bringing hurling to the international community in Ireland, and his experiences as European Hurling Officer during the time of Corona lockdowns.
Cologne Celtics 2022: Our Year
2022 was a special year for the Cologne Celtics. A busy year where a lot was achieved, and the groundwork was laid to develop further. Relive our 2022 with this Year Review.
Interview with Amanyire Moses: Uganda GAA
Amanyire Moses and Uganda GAA came to our attention upon finding them on social media. Upon further examination we knew we needed to contact them and hear about their story. Here is their story. far. You can help them by following the GoFundMe links in the article.
ZDF-Training 26.11.2022
On November 26th 2022, the journalist Achim Winter came to Chorweiler and participated in our training session. The images were broadcast on the popular TV programme, „Hallo Deutschland“. We had a fantastic day of hurling and camogie.
Interview with John Murphy: Chairperson of European GAA (GGE)
John Murphy is the chairperson of Gaelic Games Europe, and he kindly gave us an interview about his life, playing in New York and Amsterdam, his role with the GGE and hopes and plans for future growth in Europe.
Cork Trip 2022: Cork-Cologne Twinning Association
In 2019, our club entered a partnership with the Cork-Cologne Twinning Association – Städtepartnerschaft Köln-Cork e.V. – and it was instrumental to our Cork trip in October 2022. Read more about the group here.
A Celt at the Irish Embassy, November 5th 2022
On November 5th, 2022 the Cologne Celtics were represented at the Biennial Meeting of German-Irish Societies and Irish Cultural Organisations for the first time. Here we could present our club to other groups around Germany, and develop connections with them. This article is about what happened during the day.
Cologne Celtics v St. Finbarr’s: 03.10.2022. The Player Experience
On Monday, October 3rd, the Cologne Celtics faced up against the mighty St. Finbarr’s at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. In this article, we take the player experience of what it felt like to play in this unique setting on a brilliant night of hurling.
The Celts take part in Movember, 2022
This year, 2022, a team from the Cologne Celtics is taking part in Movember to raise money for Men’s Health charities. Our players will each run 60km in November. Support our Mo Bros and Mo Sistas today.
German Camogie & Hurling Cups 2022: Tournament Report 24.09.2022
On September 24th, 2022, the Cologne Celtics held the German Cups – the Chris Hennessy and Sebastian Rießbeck Cups – in Chorweiler. With the Desmond Brothers TV crew, the head of the German Embassy’s Irish Abroad Unit, and many other guests in the crowd, we enjoyed a full schedule of hard hurling and camogie matches.
Cork Trip October 2022: Club Report
On September 30th, 2022, a group of Celts went to visit Cork for the first official club trip to Ireland. After the success of the occasion, it is fair to say that it will not be our last time in the Rebel County!
The Celtics are Going to Cork: Sept. 30th-Oct. 4th 2022
On September 30th, a contingent of Cologne Celtics players will make their way to Cork to play a match against the famous St. Finbarr’s club, and to build sporting connections between the partner cities of Cork and Cologne. We will be going with our friends from Städteparterschaft Köln-Cork e.V.
German Camogie & Hurling Cups 2022 in Cologne: Saturday, 24th September
On Saturday, September 24th the Cologne Celtics will host the 2022 editions of the German Hurling and Camogie Cups. The tournament will take place at Bezirkssportanlage, Chorweiler from 11am until c. 5pm. We expect a day of fierce battles on the pitch and fun off of it.
Introducing our Sponsor: Jameson Pub Cologne
Meet our main sponsor: Jameson’s Distillery Pub. For the last few years, Jameson’s have proven to be invaluable for hosting club events and promoting our club in Cologne.
Gaelic Sports für Frauen mit den Cologne Celtics
At the Cologne Celtics GAA Club, we are always looking for new players and members to join our team. In this piece, some of our female players describe their experience of playing camogie and Gaelic Football. This piece is in German and English.
Interview with Irish International Footballer Amber Barrett
Amber Barrett is an Irish international who played from 2019 until 2022 with 1. FC Köln. A passionate GAA fan (and county-standard player!) she joined us for a chat during the pre-match camp before Ireland’s World Cup Qualifier against Georgia.
How Laura met „Die Maus“
Living abroad can bring some unique experiences that simply would not be possible by remaining in your home country. This is the story of how Cologne Celt, Laura Kennedy, has had the opportunity to appear on one of the most popular and well-known children’s programmes in Germany, „Die Sendung mit der Maus“.
Darmstadt Hurling & Camogie Tournament Report: 11.06.2022
On June 11th 2022, the Cologne Celtics hulers faced off against Setanta Berlin, Darmstadt, Vienna Gaels and Hamburg GAA while our camoige team faced the hosts in the Darmstadt Tournament. It proved to be a wonderful day for the teams from the Rheinland!
Live Irish Music Sessions in Cologne
Live Irish music sessions are now happening in Cologne! On June 6th, some of our members went to the event in the Black Sheep Pub organised by our Irish Language and Cultural Officer, Gareth Houston. Here are some photos of the event and live recordings of the music.
Meet the Celtics: Santiago Modernell from Uruguay
Santiago Modernell is our first Uruguayan hurler/Gaelic footballer. We discuss how he came to live in Cologne, his time in Dublin and his dream of opening his own coffee shop. ¡Esta entrevista también está en español!
Interview with Graham Clifford: CEO & Founder of the Sanctuary Runners
Graham Clifford is the CEO and Founder of the Sanctuary Runners organisation. We came into contact with him last year during the Virtual Cork City Marathon, and here we caught up with him to find out more about him and the Sanctuary Runners.
Den Haag Hurling & Camogie Tournament Report: 07.05.2022
On May 7th 2022, players from the Cologne Celtics and Düsseldorf GFC combined to take on teams from the Benelux region in the Den Haag tournament. We competed in both camogie and hurling. Read about how we got on here.
Meet the Celtics: Lucie Griesbach
Meet Lucie Griesbach from northern Germany. Based near the Danish border, she was introduced to camogie while living in Cobh, Cork. She played a crucial role in our German Camogie Cup victory.
Interview with Cologne’s Pie Man – Richard Crighton
Meet Richard! He is Cologne’s Pie-Man! We have had several collaborations with Richard at this stage as he has delivered his products to our training sessions and hurling tournaments in NRW. How does a creative designer end up with a pie-selling business in Cologne – find out in this chat!
The Cologne Celtics at the Monheimer Frühlingsfest: 27/03/2022
On Sunday 27th March, the Cologne Celtics were invited to the Monheimer Frühlingsfest. We had the opportunity to showcase our sports to the locals, and even had the chance to chat with the Irish Ambassador. This was a successful day for the club.
Meet the Celtics: Johannes Heyen
It is time to meet another Celt, this time: Johannes Heyen. Johannes is one our most dedicated members – a regular at training and has played his part in Munich, our home tournament and, of course, the German Hurling Cup success. His interview is in both English and German.
German Camogie & Hurling Cups 2021: Tournament Report 12.03.2022
Relive the German Camogie and Hurling Cups 2021 – the Chris Hennessy and Sebastian Rießbeck Cups – held on March 12 2022 in Düsseldorf. A fantastic day for our club, as both our teams came back to Cologne victorious.
The Warrior Women of Ireland
With International Women’s Day, we at the Celts decided to examine four extraordinary warrior women of Irish history and mythology. This article outlines the lives of a mythological warrior queen, a pirate chieftain, the „most dangerous woman in America“ and a political, soldiering and revolutionary countess. Enjoy!
Interview with Eoin O’Farrell: the Hurler who Rowed the Atlantic Ocean
Eoin O’Farrell is a hurler with Blackrock National Hurling Club in Cork. In the winter of 2017/18, he and three of his mates took part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Race and crossed the Atlantic Ocean the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean. Here is his story.
Erasmus During a Pandemic: Our Players‘ Experiences
At the Celts, we have been boosted over the years by the presence of Erasmus students from Ireland and elsewhere. Many of our more experienced players are former-Erasmus students who also had the opportunity to study and work in Germany as students. Erasmus is a time to discover, travel and socialise but how does that…
Interview with Irish Footballer Noe Baba
Meet Noe Baba. He’s Cameroonian and Irish, and he plays football for KFC Uerdingen 05. In this interview, we discussed moving from Cameroon to Castlebar, playing professionally in Ireland, England and Germany, and his experience of living in Cologne, including during the lockdown. A big Mayo fan, we also delved into his experience of playing…
Cologne Celtics 2021: Our Year
2021 was a big year for the Cologne Celtics. Tournaments, matches, training, social events, charity fundraising, new sponsors – we packed a lot into 12 months. Read about it here!
Latest sponsor Irishify: Our Official Training Partner
We are proud to welcome the company Irishify on board as a Partner, expanding the list of companies placing trust in the Cologne Celtics brand and what a partnership can bring
Interview with Jason Keelan from „The Loaf of Bread GAA“ Podcast
Jason Keelan is the one-man-band behind the popular podcast – „The Loaf of Bread GAA“. Having interviewed our club members, as part of the GAA Global series, we decided to flip the tables and interview him. Here is the result.
Meet the Celtics: Cillian O’Gara
Meet Cillian O’Gara. Cillian is now back home in Ireland but he was a key man in our development as a club. A passionate Gaelic footballer, Cillian established himself as one of our dual stars during his time with us.
Irish Links to Halloween
Halloween is a huge celebration around the world, and is one with deep Irish links. This article examines Halloween’s connections to the Celtic festival of „Samhain“ and other traditions with Irish/Celtic connections.
New sponsor: O’Reilly’s provides our ladies with team kits
We can announce that O’Reilly’s is the new sponsor of our ladies. To show you our new ladies outfits our members Lea and Kat took part in a promotional photo shoot.
Great Matches Revisited: All Ireland Hurling Final 2012
In 2012, Galway and Kilkenny fought it out for the Liam McCarthy Cup. It was during the first weeks of my first year living abroad as an Erasmus student. This match put King Henry Shefflin up against Galway legend Joe Canning.
Cologne Hurling/Camogie Tournament: 02.10.2021
Our first hurling and camogie tournaments in Cologne! On October 2nd 2021, we were delighted to host Darmstadt and Stuttgart in hurling, and Darmstadt, Munich, Vienna and Stuttgart in camogie.
GAA Links to Political Careers in Ireland
In this article by guest author, Ferdia O’Mahony, we examine the links between Irish politics and the GAA in Ireland. Find out about how an inter-county playing career, or other involvement with the GAA, has helped Irish politicians get elected.
Meet the Celtics: Otso from Finland
Meet Otso Tolonen, our Finnish dual star. A veteran Gaelic footballer from his time in Finland, Otso has taken up hurling in the last two years and has established himself as one of our key players.
Corona Discoveries – Podcasts
Podcasts were one of my major discoveries during the Coronavirus lockdowns. Here is a list of some of my favourite ones with recommendations for other podcast fans.
Munich Tournament Report: 04.09.2021
Munich Hurling Tournament: 04/09/2021. Our hurlers played against Munich, Darmstadt and Vienna while our Camógs faced up with Vienna against Munich/Darmstadt in a great day of hurling and camogie action. Kölle abú!/Up the Rhineland! ➔ Read more
Our German players describe Gaelic Sports
Our players are frequently asked about the nature of the sports we play. So in this article, we asked our German players to describe the Gaelic sports in their own words.
Meet the Celtics: Seán Fuchs
Meet our international handball player – Seán Fuchs. He’s half-Irish, half-German and 110% a County Monaghan man. We caught up before the Ulster Final clash to discuss his experiences with the Celtics, Gaelic football, handball, his studies and more.
GAA history: The Story of the 1982 All Ireland Final
“The Goal”, The Battle for “Five-in-a-Row” and Defeating the Invincibles: Find out more about one of the most famous matches in GAA history – including the Goal which made Séamus Darby’s name ring down through history.
July 3. 2021 Challenge Match: Cologne Celtics vs. Darmstadt GAA
What a day! This was a great day for hurling in Cologne. After a highly disrupted 18 months, the Celts were back on the hurling pitch for a feast of action with our friends and rivals at Darmstadt GAA.
Inspiring women: Waterford Camogie Captain Niamh Rockett and her way to the top
From being told „you’re going to be in a wheelchair by the time you’re 30” and dealing with arthritis to win the Camogie All Star Award, Niamh Rockett is one of a kind. The captain of the Waterford Senior Camogie Team talked to us about motivation, teamwork – and chicken dinner videos.
Rheinderby 2nd edition – Düsseldorf GAA vs. Cologne Celtics
We were back on the field with our “frienemies”! On Saturday, 26.06.21, the second Rhein Derby took place in Düsseldorf. Let’s hope it won’t take so long until the next derby and we bring the trophy back to Cologne.
Meet the Celtics: Marnix from Holland
It is time for our only Dutch teammate – Marnix van der Galien. Have a look how he came to the Domstadt and a sneak peak of „Dutch war fries“, a very delicious Dutch food.
Kölle putzmunter – Cologne Celtics go green
To launch our Green Club Agenda, members of the Cologne Celtics GAA Club has taken part in litter picking along the Rhein in order to give back to our adopted city of Cologne and promote our environmental goals within the club
The Cologne Celtics take part in the Virtual Cork City Marathon
For this year’s Virtual Cork City Marathon, Sanctuary Runners has sought support and solidarity from Cork’s partner cities (including Cologne) around the world, and they have answered.
#Runninghome: How a run in France led to 15.000€ for charities in Ireland
From its humble beginnings on a run in rural France, RunningHome.ie now has over 800 runners around the world and has raised €15,000 for charities in Ireland. Guest writer and founder Aisling Demaison would like to share her story of #runninghome with you.
Meet the Celtics: Healthy Club Officer Tom Lacey
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members. In this interview, Tom Lacey talks about his journey to Germany, how he became Healthy Club Officer and his own personal experiences with mental health issues.
When Jan discovered Hurling: A Cologne Celtics Love Story
„Since then I was absolutely addicted to Ireland and Irish sport.“ Read here how Jan discovered hurling for himself – and became a member of the Cologne Celtics in these difficult times we are all going through together.
Times of a pandemic: Virtual board games with friends, beer and pizza
Since we have probably all watched even the most absurd series and films on Netflix, Prime Video, etc., a game night with friends would be a welcome change.
Meet the Celtics: Katharina from Cologne
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members and get a little insight into their lives. This time: Katharina, not only a dear member but also our Public Relations Officer.
Corona Discoveries: The Joy of Jogging
It has been a year unlike any before for most of us. One year of a pandemic that changed the life of so many. The Celts decided to get involved with Darmstadt GAA’s initiative #NoLazyHurl. That was the start of discovering the joy of running for a lot of us. So let me take you…
International Women’s Day: Spotlight on Great Women in Sports
In honour of IWD and the way women in their fight for equality have already come, we as a sports club want to highlight some milestones in sports history, where women broke boundaries and went beyond the rules that were set to them.
Meet the Celtics: Finbar Coyle from Drogheda
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members and get a little insight into their lives. This time we asked the illustrator and character designer Finbar Coyle.
Cork – a Partner City of Cologne
For Oisín O’Mahony, Cork is the true capital of Ireland (although some team mates might see it differently). Here he talks about his hometown with its many pubs, about sporting successes – and there’s a bit of slang in it too.
Meet the Celtics: Vangelis Bita
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members and get a little insight into their lives. This time: Vangelis Bita.
Meet the Celtics: Bernadette Keohane
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members and get a little insight into their lives. This time we have our first female interview: Meet Bernadette from Cork (baiiiii!) who has some funny stories to tell!
20×20: New horizons for the Cologne Celtics Ladies
As much as 2020 brought general life to a halt, there has been a boost for us at Cologne Celtics GAA during this pandemic. We are proud to declare that we signed the Charta and are now members and supporters of the Irish campaign 20×20.
A New Year’s Resolution – Looking back and forward in time
2020 has been an unprecedented year for everyone. A year where we learned, that we should not take the little things for granted. Some thoughts by Marnix van der Galien.
Christmas 2020 – how we can escape the Coronablues
2020 is different. This year has been challenging for all of us. 2020 has demanded a lot from us, more or less. The same is true now for Christmas, for most of us a family holiday where we are close, reuniting with our families and friends. This year, one thing is especially demanding: social distancing.
The Curse of ’51: Mayo Football and the All-Ireland Championship
A preview of the All-Ireland Senior Football Final 2020 between Dublin and Mayo. Mayo are looking for their first All-Ireland title since 1951 and according to modern myth their lack of success is linked to a curse placed on them after that All-Ireland victory.
A Waterford Hurling Fan’s Perspective
The last time Waterford won the All Ireland Senior Hurling final was 1959. 1959….. Senator Kennedy was preparing to announce his campaign for presidency, Elvis Presley was in the charts, and Some like it Hot starring Marilyn Monroe was in the cinemas.
Remembering Bloody Sunday: Croke Park 21 November 1920
For some, Bloody Sunday conjures images of the 1972 civil rights protest in Derry, and unfortunately throughout Irish history, this is just one of many Bloody Sundays. However today, Gareth Houston will be talking about the 1920 Bloody Sunday, which saw its 100 year anniversary Saturday on the 21st of November.
Meet the Celtics: Gareth Houston
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members. Meet Gareth from Antrim, committee member and Cultural Officer of the club.
#Little Things
Die LittleThings-Kampagne konzentriert sich auf die kleinen Dinge, die wir alle tun können, um unsere eigene psychische Gesundheit zu schützen und die Menschen, die uns wichtig sind, zu unterstützen. The LittleThings campaign focuses on the little things that we can all do to protect our own mental health and support the people we care about.
GAA Mental Health Charter
Die Charta für psychische Gesundheit der GAA ist ein Grundsatzdokument, das den Clubs hilft, eine Kultur zu entwickeln, die positive psychische Gesundheit unterstützt und fördert. The GAA’s Mental Health charter is a policy document that helps clubs develop a culture that supports and promotes positive mental health.
Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing
Die von der New Economics Foundation entwickelten „Fünf Wege zum Wohlbefinden“ sind einfache Aktionen, die du in deinem Alltag durchführen kannst, um dich wohl zu fühlen und gut zu funktionieren. Developed by The New Economics Foundation the Five Ways to Wellbeing are simple actions you can do in your everyday life to feel good and…
Play in my boots
„Play in My Boots“ wurde 2014 von der St. Patrick’s Mental Health Foundation und der GAA als Ressource für psychische Gesundheit von Spielern, Trainern, Vereinen und Gemeinden gegründet. „Play in My Boots“ was founded in 2014 by St. Patrick’s Mental Health Foundation and the GAA as a mental health resource for players, coaches, clubs and…
Meet the Celtics: Arun Dhananjay
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members. This time: Arun Dhananjay from India.
Meet the Celtics: Oisín O’Mahony
In our interview series we take the time to get to know our players and members. This time we asked Oisín O’Mahony, who’s also our new Chairman, a few questions.
Internationales Fußballturnier in Maastricht 2020
Die Kölner Celtics schickten ein großes Kontingent von Spielern zu unserem ersten internationalen gälischen Fußballturnier in Maastricht. The Celtics in Cologne sent a large contingent of players to our first international Gaelic football tournament in Maastricht.
Partnerschaft mit Städteverein Köln-Cork
Wir freuen uns sehr, die Partnerschaft zwischen dem Städtepartnerschaftsverein Köln-Cork und dem Cologne Celtics Gaelic Sports Club e.V. bekanntzugeben! We are very pleased to announce the partnership between the Cologne-Cork City Twinning Association and the Cologne Celtics Gaelic Sports Club e.V.!
Turnier in Stuttgart
What a trip! Unser gestriger Ausflug nach Stuttgart war ein tolles Ereignis für den Club. Mit Mut und Entschlossenheit haben wir uns gegen die Gastgeber durchgesetzt. What a trip! Our trip to Stuttgart yesterday was a great event for the club. With courage and determination we stood up to the hosts…
Celtics Hibernians Cup
Was für ein Wochenende. Am Samstag, dem 2. November, waren die Cologne Celtics Gastgeber der Prager Hibernians beim ersten „Celtics Hibernians Cup“ What a weekend. On Saturday 2nd November the Cologne Celtics hosted Prague Hibernians in the inaugural ‚Celtics Hibernians Cup‘ 🏆
Cologne Celtics 