Shannon Gaels in Queens will be moving into their new home Saturday
By Irish Echo Staff
Queens-based Shannon Gaels GAA are holding the grand opening ceremony for their new field at Frank Golden Park in College Point, Queens, tomorrow, Saturday, May 11 at 1 p.m.
“When our ‘Field of Dreams’ project was first envisioned in 2013, it seemed a daunting task for our small club, which had only been formed in 2002 with a handful of members,” said the club in a release.
“With the assistance of Mayor Bloomberg, many elected officials, and the Parks Department, we began to explore possibilities for improving the field at Frank Golden Park. There followed a massive fundraising effort by our club which resulted in donations from our members, Irish-owned businesses, and the Irish government and GAA headquarters in Dublin.
“Our new field, Phase I of development, has been almost entirely paid for with private funds of more than $1.6 million. The second field – Phase II - is being funded by NYC and NYS, with groundbreaking anticipated for later this year.”
Shannon Gaels, said the release, was the first Queens-based gaelic athletic club to become part of the New York Minor Board (the umbrella governing body for juvenile GAA clubs) and is now one of the two largest juvenile clubs in the tri-state area fielding 22 boys’ and girls’ teams playing gaelic football and hurling/camogie.
“In addition, we field one team each in adult men’s football and hurling. Saturday’s event will feature music and dance by some of our club’s children, speeches by several dignitaries, and a full slate of games.”
More at www.ShannonGaels.org
