This story is made possible in collaboration with Zayed Sports City. Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi, Zayed Sports City is the UAE’s leading multi-sport destination.
Ireland is loved across the world for its beautiful green countryside, fascinating history, folk music and lively pub culture.
Yet, for many in Abu Dhabi’s Irish community, one of the things they most miss about home are the country’s national sports.
Represented by the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), these sports include Gaelic football (a sort of mixture between rugby and soccer), and camogie and hurling (stick-and-ball field sports, with the latter played by men and the former by women).
Abu Dhabi Na Fianna is one of the biggest GAA clubs in the Middle East. Founded in 1995 and currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, the club is home to 13 adult teams, including junior, intermediate and senior divisions for women and men. Based out of Zayed Sports City, there are also teams for kids, too.
Providing a home away from home
However, the club’s 130+ adult members (evenly split between women and men) think of it as far more than just a place to play sport. It is a little piece of home, a safety net, and a place to socialise and meet like-minded people.
Brónagh Murphy, 31, has been part of the club for five years. She manages and trains the senior ladies’ team.
“Playing Gaelic football in Abu Dhabi provides Irish residents with a bit of home, and allows us to maintain our sense of identity,” she says.
“I’ve been playing football since I was six years old. We all grow up with it and it’s a huge part of our culture.”
For Brónagh and others, Na Fianna was one of the main reasons why they chose to move to Abu Dhabi.
“After university I knew I wanted to teach internationally, but I specifically chose Abu Dhabi because I knew there was such a strong GAA community here, and that Na Fianna had a great reputation,” she adds.
“Football is a huge part of my life, and I didn’t want to move somewhere where I wouldn’t be able to play.”
Bringing competitive GAA to Zayed Sports City and the UAE
Training twice a week, the senior women’s football team has won 10 out of the last 11 editions of the Middle East Football League. With 16 GAA clubs based across the Middle East, the biggest tournament of the season – the Middle East Championship – takes place at Zayed Sports City every April, with league rounds taking place across the UAE and the wider Middle East.
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Many of the senior team players previously represented their home counties in Gaelic football back in Ireland. This year, the club’s top players are also hoping to be chosen to represent the Middle East in the 2026 World GAA Games in County Waterford in Ireland.
“The standard of Gaelic football in the UAE is very high,” Brónagh notes.
“We’re all very invested in it. It’s also a way of de-stressing and unloading after work and we meet up socially a lot. It’s amazing that the league is now streamed live on YouTube as well. It means that my mother can watch me competing 1000s of kilometers away in the Middle East from back home in Ireland.”
Welcoming to all
However, the fiercely exciting tournaments and competitions are just one part of Na Fianna. An inclusive club open to all abilities, first timers and beginners are welcome.
Erin O’Keeffe, 30, joined Na Fianna seven years ago and now coaches the junior teams.
“There’s space for everyone at the club,” she explains.
“We build each other up, and it never gets too serious or competitive. The craic comes first and football comes second. The most important thing for me is making sure that everyone has a great time. We always depart Zayed Sports City feeling happy and in a good mood – it’s a place where we can forget about work and our other responsibilities for a while.”
A sense of community
Erin remembers how Na Fianna helped her make friends when she first moved to the UAE.
“I moved over on my own in my own early 20s,” she says.
“I knew nobody and it was quite intimidating, but I was lucky to be put into a school with some Irish girls who played with Na Fianna. Joining the club really helped me settle in and make friends. It’s a massive part of why I enjoy living in Abu Dhabi.”
26-year-old Aoibhe Whelahan manages the female camogie players.
Moving to Abu Dhabi straight after university in 2021, she also joined Na Fianna as soon as she arrived. It allowed her to meet new people with the same interests, and find a support network.
“The club was everything to me during those first few months,” she recalls.
“They even arranged for my dad, who is very involved in hurling in Ireland, to come over and referee for us. I am so grateful for that. Meeting the club really reassured my parents that I was being looked after over here and I had a community around me. I was the youngest member and I felt very cared for. I now try to extend the same kindness that was shown to me to the new Na Fianna members.”
Encouraging a healthy work-life balance
A keen camogie player since she was just four years old, Aoibhe grew up attending camogie camps, coaching and playing at the highest levels.
“I love the fast pace of camogie and how intense it is. I crave it, it’s my outlet, and the place where I can truly be myself. My family has always played hurling and camogie and so it connects me to my family’s legacy as well,” she says.
As with Gaelic football, she stresses that everyone is welcome to come along and give it a try. She particularly enjoys sharing her culture with women of different nationalities.
Indeed, although the club is predominantly made up of Irish teachers in their 20s and 30s, it also has international members from as far as England, Canada, South Africa, Australia and beyond.
Aoibhe concludes: “It’s nice to train with a diverse group of women. Sport is something that brings us together and I’m proud to bring a bit of my culture to the UAE.”
