They bring a whole new meaning to pride in the jersey.
Na Gaeil Aeracha teams are busy preparing for some important upcoming championship matches. The drills and target practice at their training session on a park pitch in the capital are run of the mill, but the club itself is an important sporting trailblazer in its own right.
Na Gaeil Aeracha is Ireland's first explicitly LGBTQ+ inclusive GAA club.
"It all started with a tweet," club founder Karl Shannon explained.
"I just put out that if anyone else was looking for something in the GAA similar to the Emerald Warriors in rugby and of course I got a lot of hits on that. A lot of people messaged me privately saying it’s definitely something they want to get into.
"Lo and behold, I had so many numbers I had to actually do something about it.
"I was there setting up a club all through lockdown, zoom meetings galore and all that kind of stuff."
That was peak pandemic 2020 - now two years on, the Dublin-based club has more than 100 registered members.
Their LGFA side notched up some notable junior cup victories, while the men’s side are making their competitive debut this season.
"I guess I was just the first person to take the initiative to say let's get this done for the GAA and the LGFA," Karl said.
The reaction to Na Gaeil Aeracha has been overwhelmingly positive, say club officials.
"We have had great experiences ... we have played a lot of teams and they have had really good stuff to say, really well received, really encouraging us to keep going and drive on, because we are starting from the start here," Karl said.
These sentiments are shared by LGFA co-captain Aoife Halstead.
"It’s brilliant to have a club like this to come onto the scene and just be accepted straight away by the wider sporting community and the wider GAA community as well."
Na Gaeil Aeracha will be special guests of the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association at the Dublin Pride Parade.
The club is hoping to field a hurling and camogie team next season. Like all clubs competing in the lower tiers, getting the numbers to make up a team on occasions can be difficult. 2022 has been better.
"I think people of the LGBTQ community are really looking for a space like this," Aoife said.
"A space that’s really inclusive, really welcoming and it’s really needed within the community and for allies as well.
"It’s a great month to be in the community to celebrate everything to do with it. We are so proud to have the rainbow flag on the back of our jerseys."
The LGFA team are also full of praise for their opponents.
"All the teams we’ve played have been so receptive and especially because we are a new team, they have really provided so much support whether it’s offering their pitches or their equipment when we were getting off the ground ... it’s brilliant to see," Aoife said.
Na Gaeil Aeracha has attracted a lot of players who are new to Gaelic football. Ballina native Sebai Marsh is one of those.
"When I saw this pop up on social media, I just thought it would be a great way to get into the community more and just to make some new friends ... it’s been great so far.
"Last year they were trying to focus on getting down the main skills. A lot of us didn’t even know how to solo so we have come a long way."
With LGBTQ+ culture being celebrated internationally and nationally in Pride month, Na Gaeil Aeracha, in particular, have every reason to be proud.
