Europe Day 2026 celebrated through Gaelic Games events across Dublin and Europe

Over 1000 children and players took part in Gaelic Games sessions across 11 European cities on Europe Day 2026, as the European Commission Representation in Ireland and the GAA came together to mark the occasion through a continent-wide programme of Go Games events organised in partnership with Gaelic Games Europe.

In Dublin, the main event took place at Fairview Park, where Na Gaeil Nua, Ireland's first migrant-inclusive GAA club with more than 50 nationalities, hosted a training session, which was featured on RTÉ news.

The morning opened with a group warm-up before participants moved through drills and mixed games spanning the full range of Gaelic Games: Gaelic football, Ladies Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and rounders. Founded in 2024, the club brings together people from different backgrounds through sports.

Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne T.D. and Peter Power, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, joined members of Na Gaeil Nua and the wider community for the morning. Former Dublin footballer and eight-time All-Ireland winner Michael Darragh Macauley ran coaching sessions with the club, while Chris Collins, Head of Gaelic Games Europe, also took part in the day's activities.

The Dublin event was part of a wider Europe Day initiative spanning 10 cities across 8 EU Member States: Brussels, Lyon, Vannes, Munich, Cologne, Luxembourg, Vienna, Madrid, Rome and Prague. Clubs across the continent received EU-themed kits and played in EU colours as part of the celebrations.

With more than 100 GAA clubs now active across Europe, from Brussels to Prague, from Madrid to Vienna, Gaelic Games are increasingly bringing people together in Ireland and beyond, on and off the pitch.