New York has been Ronan McGinley's home since 2011.
The Errigal Ciarán man represented their senior football team until 2017, captaining the side along the way before linking up again as coach and, for the past two seasons, as manager.
With his wife Kerri and their son Tomás, they have set up home in the Big Apple, McGinley maintaining his close affinity with the Exiles team all the way through.
In 27 years, New York have claimed just one championship win, that famously coming against Leitrim in 2023.
Over the years the lot of a New York senior football manager and administrator has become more complex.
This weekend they host Roscommon in the Connacht SFC.
Weather has been dire in New York and competitive action has been sparse.
"Our last game was against Offaly last year. We have no formline to know where we are," McGinley said.
That has not always hampered them. Aside from that Leitrim win in 2023, they ran them all the way to extra-time in 2018.
Across the decades they have pushed Roscommon, Laois, Sligo and Carlow.
"The win against Leitrim legitimised what we do. There is pride in what we do. We are competitors. We want to win," McGinley added.
That win was more important than one would imagine.
Despite New York’s guaranteed status in the championship since 1999, growing pains linger from some counties and GAA units about the cost of sending teams over to New York to compete every year, with doubts over how meaningful the fixture is.
That’s the view here at home.
In New York – and London – the championship day opener is a cultural statement, a declaration of Irishness and a bringing together of Irish people who have carved out lives far from home.
"It is there in the background," McGinley said of the doubts being expressed over the future.
"The reality is that if the Connacht fixture does not go ahead then I would see it as being very difficult for New York to maintain a presence in the championship.
"It would be very disappointing if that happened because New York has a history in the championship. I would very much like to see it continue.
"I have a young lad out here, and it would be great to see him have the opportunity to represent New York in the championship. I know there are huge costs involved but teams seem to be good at offsetting them with some fundraising when they are out here."
Far from losing this fixture, McGinley would actually like to see New York’s imprint on senior football extended.
The Exiles have never featured in the league but the Tyrone man, brother of three-time All-Ireland winner Enda, believes league football could be arranged and beneficial to all – with some careful planning.
"Ideally, I'd like to go into Division 4 and see how we go, where we would structure it so that we would fly home and play two games in eight days," he opined.
"There are teams outside of Connacht who'd love to play games in New York and for the diaspora from each county to go and see their county play.
"It is a hard circle to square because for New York to be competitive long term, it needs more games. That comes at a cost. How that cost is paid for either by New York or by teams coming out to play New York is a thorny issue, particularly with rising costs for everything."
This Sunday week, they host Roscommon at Gaelic Park in the Connacht football quarter-final.
On paper they will also play a preliminary quarter-final of the Tailteann Cup in June.
Amid that there is also a substantial decline in the amount of young Irish players travelling to New York, which affects the quality of his squad.
McGinley notes there is a "trickiness" around US work visas and travel, and is asked about the high-profile movements of ICE since Donald Trump began his second term as US president.
"Over a few years everyone knows the visa situation, and the old pathway of players coming out from Ireland, I’ve seen a significant drop-off in that compared to when I came out originally," McGinley stated.
"So New York, for their long term, have to source players here."
Supplementing this year’s panel are the likes of Jack Kennedy from Tipperary, Cork’s Callum Dungan, Kerry’s former All-Ireland winner Jack Savage and Clare’s former bustling wing-back Cian O’Dea.
"I’d say the majority of younger people in Ireland, if they’re looking to travel or work in a different country, Australia seems to be the bigger draw," McGinley added.
"And not just this particular presidential term, over the last couple of terms, there has been a tightening up on visas, getting visas, the eligibility of them. And particularly the longer-term ones. A lot of lads we see coming out now are on a J visa, that typically lasts a year, maybe 18 months. So you’re getting that player for a year.
"The longer-term visa, the three-year one, is a tougher ask. It’s more of a lottery. It so just so happens this is the time of year the three-year lottery is selected, that’s in the background. Football is a great outlet and everything else, but it’s small potatoes to life choices they have coming up."
He has a squad of 40 for this weekend’s game, with only 23 involved last year.
But it’s nothing that McGinley hasn’t seen before. And he’s still leading the fight on behalf of the team he lives and breathes for. His home away from home.
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