France win first-ever GAA internationals

Last Saturday, the city of Toulouse was the venue for a first ever international Gaelic Games meeting between France and Italy as a selection of the best players from France met an Italian selection in both football and handball.

Both countries won two trophies each on the day, with all the players involved heading home with lots of fantastic memories from a historic and unique event.

13 games were played on the day, six in handball, six in football and one in hurling, with 150 players in total involved on the day. Over 500 spectators were in attendance, including the chairman of the European County Board, Brian Sheehy, while journalists from France, Ireland and Italy were also present - Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport providing great coverage of the game earlier this week.

The French mens and ladies teams claimed the honours in football, while both Italian handball pairs defeated their French counterparts in the morning matches. The results came as no surprise to those involved as it reflected the playing populations of both countries. At present, the Gaelic Football population of France outnumbers Italy's ona 6:1 ratio, while in Handball, the French players had only started playing the game in the 3 months prior to the games.

Before these encounters, a few clubs (Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse) and a grouped team (players from Italy, Provence, Niort, Clermont or St Brieuc) had played a mini tournament, with Paris Gaels being the eventual winners against Toulouse.

During the afternoon, a hurling exhibition took place with all spectators invited to take part, and after all of the day's activities, the celebration mark the French Federation's tenth anniversary, and the local Toulouse club Tolosa Gaels fifth birthday took place, giving those present further opportunity to meet with one another.

Following the success of the event, everybody is already looking to the future. It seems very likely that this historical event will not be a once-off and has provided a template for future international competitions.

Results:

Ladies football:

France 5-14 Italy 2-4

Mens football:

France 8-23 Italy 0-5.

Ladies handball:

France 5-15 / 1-15 / 1-15 Italy

Mens Handball:

France 7-15 / 6-15 / 11-15 Italy

With thanks to Guillaume Kerrien and Pamisire photos