Ian’s first exposure to GAA sports came in a big way. We were travelling across Ireland in 2017 and met some folks in Mullinavat, Kilkenny at a tiny little pub just down the driveway from B&B we were staying at for a few days. They found out that we had gotten tickets to the All-Ireland Semifinal the next Saturday between Galway & Tipp. They were quite excited for us. Told us to stop by the shop in Kilkenny, where we were going the next day. We did get a Hurley there and started knocking the sliotar around as we travelled. When we did make it to the game, we had a blast, and it was an incredible match.
When we returned home Patrick looked up GAA here and found the club. Patrick came out a few times to play football during pub league, but nothing serious because of other sports obligations. Ian was playing soccer, kicking on the football team, and playing lacrosse at Cedar Ridge until everything shut down. When the club started back up, it was a great opportunity for us to get out and active again as a family (Patrick, Laura, Colin & Ian). With HS sports really messed up Ian decided to just focus on GAA and has had a great time being involved in the youth camp, but mostly training and playing with the men’s team. We hope to keep involved as we move forward. Ian is a Senior at Cedar Ridge this year and will be applying to NC State, so perhaps can be involved there next year.
