19/03/2014

Rainbow Project Hails GAA Speech

Northern Ireland's gays rights group The Rainbow Project has praised the "inclusivity" of a speech made by a GAA player following Dublin's St Vincents' victory over Castlebar Mitchels in the All-Ireland Club Championship on St Patrick's Day.

In his post match speech at Croke Park, Ger Brennan, who plays for Dublin and St Vincents, thanked the team's families for support, including the players' girlfriends and boyfriends.

"To the family, girlfriends, boyfriends of the players and everyone involved, there's a lot of work that goes into playing for your club team and the county, and there's always an awful lot of support behind us," he said.

"People don't often see that so I'd like to give thanks to all the families and friends."

A statement from The Rainbow Project said: "No big deal some might say but the nonchalant delivery says a lot about this guy and the inclusiveness of this speech and the sport. Hats off to Ger."

In 2009, All-Ireland championship winning hurler Donal Óg Cusack became the first GAA star to come out as gay.

(IT/MH)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

12 May 2010
Stewart Love Plays Set For Revival
Prolific playwright Stewart Love, the man whose work epitomised the 'angry young men' era of Belfast in the 60s, has had his first collection of plays published. Realising that his work has captured a distinct era, Love hopes that this collection will appeal to local drama clubs, drama students, teachers and anyone interested in social history.
02 March 2018
Schools Closures Across NI
The Department of Education have published a list of all schools across that have confirmed they will be closed today, Friday 2nd March, 2018 due to the adverse weather conditions.
01 August 2023
Alliance Calls For Action From PSNI On Hate Speech At Belfast Pride
The Alliance Party has called on the PSNI to "take necessary action" on hate speech at Belfast Pride. Alliance Belfast City Councillor Micky Murray is set to meet with the Assistant Chief Constable on Wednesday 2 August to discuss his concerns and seek reassurances that homophobia and hate crimes are being taken seriously by the PSNI.
27 April 2022
'Continued Responsibility' To Tackle Online Abuse
Social media platforms have a continued responsibility to tackle online abuse, the DUP's Diane Dodds has said. She said: "The purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk doesn't change the fundamental questions which face social media platforms. "Support for free speech does not and should not mean turning a blind eye to threats and vile abuse.
24 March 2011
Lower Corporation Tax For NI
Members of the Northern Ireland Executive are set to meet with UK Treasury officials today to outline proposals to overhaul corporation tax in Northern Ireland. The launch of a consultation document will give the Assembly power to vary the rate levied on businesses.