Rome Hibernia is home to GAA players from Ireland, Italy and around the world.
On a rainy Saturday morning in January, dozens of men and women battled it out on a muddy pitch in a lively display of Ireland’s Gaelic football. The scene could easily have been in Dublin, Kerry or Donegal. Instead, it was in the unlikely setting of Rome.
The event was the first in the Rome Spring Series, a five-week run of friendly matches organised by Rome Hibernia GAA, with 10 clubs from six countries in Europe travelling to the Eternal City. The first group of GAA players to make the journey was The University of Edinburgh – a mixture of Irish and Scottish players – who played their hearts out at the Tre Fontane stadium in the city’s EUR district.
The rain eventually gave way to sunshine and, after four hours of non-stop matches in the shadow of the iconic ‘Square Colosseum’ building, the 70 mud-splattered players sat down together for pasta and beer.
What is Gaelic football?
Gaelic football is a fast-paced Irish field sport where two teams of 15 players compete to move a round ball down the pitch using a combination of carrying, bouncing, kicking and hand-passing. Points are scored by either kicking the ball over the crossbar for one point or into the net for a three-point goal.
The sport was introduced to the Italian capital 2012 with the founding of the Rome Gaelic Football Club by Tyrone man and former Rome resident Chris Taggart. Today called Rome Hibernia, the club comprises more than 50 players, equally split between men and women.
Rome Hibernia’s current chairman is not Irish although he has strong links to the country, picking up his GAA skills while living in Ireland for five years. Gianni Goretti, 37, is originally from the Tuscan city of Arezzo but has been based in Rome since 2022.
Rome Hibernia chairman Gianni Goretti
“Setting up the Spring Series gives us a great chance to attract new players”, Goretti told Wanted in Rome, after the final match against Edinburgh, stressing that the thrill of the sport is matched by plenty of fun off the pitch.
“The team trains regularly, plays competitively, and has a strong social side, making it a really accessible way for new players – whether experienced or completely new to the game – to get involved”, the chairman said.
“It’s the unbelievable passion for the games and the community that we have – that’s the main thing that keeps us going”, Goretti said as he pointed across the pitch: “Look at Ronan, after four hours of football, he’s going around picking up cones and washing mud off footballs”.
A talented Gaelic footballer himself, Goretti is also one of the few Italians in the club adept at hurling, still very much an exotic sport in Italy.
What is hurling?
Played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small leather ball known as a sliotar, hurling combines elements of hockey, lacrosse and baseball at a blistering pace. Players use the hurley to strike the ball through the opponent’s goalposts, scoring one point for sending it over the crossbar and three points for hitting it into the net.
“We struggle to have numbers for the hurling” – Goretti admits – “Everybody plays football and only some play hurling. It’s mostly the Irish, and a few Italian guys – me, Tommi, Brían and occasionally Peppe and Andrea.”
“Brían is both Italian and Irish and has lived in Italy most of his life”, Goretti notes, “then we have Ronan who like any good Kerryman has never played hurling before and actually started playing it here in Rome with us”. On the ladies’ side, Pamela from Italy and Nancy from the US occasionally play too.
Rome hosted the Railway Cup hurling final in 2003, when Leinster defeated Connaught 4-9 to 2-12, in what was the first major GAA competition played in continental Europe.
More than two decades later, hurling is set to have another important showcase in Rome on 31 January when the Annaghdown club from Galway competes in round two of the Spring Series. The hurling match is set to be played at around 14.00, after four hours of Gaelic football.
Club members
Most Irish GAA players moving to Rome seek out the club, usually by looking online, but how do Italians find out about it?
“We have a good few Italians now, all of them with a different story” – Goretti says – “Some of them, like myself, lived in Ireland for a bit and discovered the GAA there, others hear about it by word of mouth”.
More than half the club are Italians now, with about a third Irish and the rest an international mix, including players from the US, Turkey, Iran and Finland. Many of the Irish players are working in Rome as teachers, others are students based in the city for a few years.
Who’s been on the team the longest? “It’s probably Brían – Goretti says – “he’s one of our best players”.
Ladies’ team
This season has been a particularly good year for the women’s team, which currently has 22 players, eight of whom are Irish, four Italian, and the rest international.
Members of Rome Hibernia ladies’ team
The ladies’ side has been coached by Úna Casey from County Derry, who has been with the club for about eight years and has played a major role in keeping the women’s game going in Rome.
“With Úna now in her final year of medical school, Emily O’Connor from County Meath and Michael Nelson from California have stepped in to take over coaching duties”, Goretti says, “with the assistance of the men’s coach, Seán Walsh from County Kerry.”
Sponsors
The club is sponsored by the Fiddler’s Elbow – Italy’s oldest Irish pub – and tour operator Roman Vacations, whose support plays a key role in covering the cost of training gear and club equipment.
“Their sponsorship helps ensure players can take part without high personal costs and has been central to the club’s continued growth and sustainability”, Goretti says, adding that the club also receives assistance from the GAA’s Global Games Development Fund. Supported by Ireland’s department of foreign affairs, this fund supports overseas clubs to help them deliver grassroots Gaelic Games activity.
“Pitch rental is our main expense”, Goretti says, stressing that “we have a very good rapport with the rugby club at Tre Fontane”.
Highlights and future goals
A highlight for the club came in 2024 when Rome Hibernia hosted one of the rounds of the European championships, winning both the men’s and ladies’ titles.
Last June the club showcased Irish sports in the heart of Rome, in partnership with the embassy of Ireland to the Holy See, as part of the Vatican’s Jubilee Sports Village.
Jarlath Burns, president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), travelled to Rome for the occasion, along with Chris Collins, head of operations for Gaelic Games Europe.
Ireland’s ambassador to the Holy See, Frances Collins (centre), with GAA president Jarlath Burns and Chris Collins, head of operations for Gaelic Games Europe, and members of Rome Hibernia GAA.
At the time, Ireland’s ambassador to the Holy See Frances Collins hailed “the sense of community, hope and inclusion that local GAA organisations like Rome Hibernia represent to so many both in Ireland and across the globe”.
During a special Mass for the Jubilee of Sport at St Peter’s, representatives of the club presented Pope Leo XIV with their jersey, in an exchange that went viral on social media.
In November the club hosted a successful Cúl Camp to introduce Gaelic Games to children, the first of its kind in Rome, with a second youth session scheduled on 14 February in Villa Borghese.
As for future goals: “The World GAA Games in July in Waterford” – Goretti says – “We are hoping to bring two full men teams and one ladies’ team, as Team Italy.”
Cormac Cup
In the meantime, the Spring Series calendar features games at Stadio Tre Fontane every Saturday until 7 March, including the Cormac Cup Special Edition on 28 February.
The participating teams at this event will include Milan GAA and Leuven from Belgium as well as Erin’s Isle and Na Gaeil Nua GAA, both from Dublin.
The Cup is named in memory of Cormac Mac Lochlainn, a hugely popular founding member of the club and a pivotal figure in establishing Gaelic Games in Italy. Tragically, Mac Lochlainn died in 2022 after a brave battle with brain cancer, aged just 39, but his enduring legacy is celebrated in Rome every year with the tournament in his honour.
The Rome Hibernia players also remember him on their jerseys with the message: “You’ll always play with us Mr. Mac”.
For more information about the club, including fixtures, training times and details about how to join, follow Rome Hibernia GAA on Instragram and Facebook.
Andy Devane
