Galician Revolution

The locals go by the motto that says A Coruna is a place where 'nobody is a stranger'. Having experienced first hand the warmth of the welcome Denis and I received this weekend, I can confirm they are good to their word. I was met at the airport by the club President (G.A.A. clubs should seriously consider changing the traditional Chairman title to President) Wenceslao Garcia Zapata and his team-mate Sebas.

On the short spin into town, I quickly got a feeling for their love of Gaelic Football as Wenceslao told me how he went to Croke Park last summer to see a Leinster Championship game and returned determined to start Galicia's first football club. We talked about Nemo Rangers, where two of his friends play on the Junior 3 team. With the bags dropped in the hotel, we headed out the coast road to Hercules tower, a lighthouse which welcomes visiting boats into the harbour. Having grown up by the sea, but now living in a concrete jungle, I very much appreciated the sea breeze and fresh air. We were joined along the way by Rob, a native of Miami, who would manage the roles of host, translator and footballer for the weekend.

Next stop was Matthew's Irish Bar where I met Finbarr, a Drogheda man who opened the pub 15 years ago having spent time teaching English in the city. Alongside him was Seanie from Wexford. Seanie met and married a Galician girl called Rose, when he was living in London. He first visited in 1968 and now spends more time there than his wife, who has grown attached to Wexford ways. He was a right character, softly spoken but very knowledgeable on all things G.A.A.

Of course, there was also Peter Vard, a Dub who has found a liking for Spain's North-West coast. He openly admits he would have been more into Soccer, Rugby and Boxing before this revolution kicked off last October. Now he spends his spare time researching drills on the internet and harassing his buddies at home for more. He leads his fair share of the training with Seanie fulfilling that all important role in the background, advising and supporting. As is the way in this part of the world, we didn't sit down to eat until nearly midnight but it was worth the wait. The hunger and beer lowered by culinary inhibitions to such an extent that I pretty much had a go at everything. And it was worth it.

Nothing like a walk on the beach to shake off a hangover so myself and Denis set out Saturday morning to do just so. You don't have to go far as just like in Barcelona, the city has one of its own. Fortunately, Denis and I are both out of the Eamonn Ryan school of coaching so planning the session was not too difficult.

The lad’s home pitch (pictured at the top) is scenically located, right on the coast. On the last day of every month, Wenceslao rises early to queue up to book the following months training. They tog twice midweek, training at 11pm!! He apologised for only having 18 players as they normally work off 30. I told him not to worry; most clubs in Europe (and at home!) would be delighted with that number.

We had two hours for the session and we rattled through a fair bit. The language barrier wasn't all it was made out to be and with the lads' English and Rob's translation we got on like a house on fire. I even delved into it a bit myself and mastered a few words of my own. 'Bueno' (good) was the one most utilised, reflecting the good concentration of application of the lads. It wasn't all perfect of course, so I had to roll out the 'no bueno' (with disapproving wagging of the finger) from time to time. People in this part of the world are friendly and they like to chat so between drills we had to encourage more 'rapido' movement. And of course the time to talk, 'ablas' (spelling may be wrong), is during the drills.

I wouldn't say I was surprised by the guys because I've coached teams in this part of the world before and am aware of how well they take to the game. A lot of them look very natural on the ball which is impressive considering they have been playing for such a short period of time. I was most impressed with their application. When we showed them something they really concentrated on getting the technique down and were very keen to learn.

The only disappointment was that we only had two hours as there was a lot more myself and Denis would have liked to have got through. Still, the rain had started to come down and the cold had gotten into us so we hopped in the back of Peter's jeep and headed for the shower. Having learned the lessons of the night before, we headed for 'lunch' at five o'clock soon after.

Then it was down to Matthew's again where the team assembled and we played a twenty minute dvd on Gaelic Games. It was too short though as the lads craved more. Still, it gave us more time to chat over a beer and befriend the bar's not unattractive staff. I commented to Finbarr that I work in HR and would be happy to sit on any recruitment panel in the future. The lads were bang on in fairness and everyone made an effort to chat and talk about the session. The feedback was good and I hope what we showed them will have some lasting effect.

I was fairly bait going home on Sunday and the trip back via Madrid took eight hours, door to door. It was worth it though. When you go to places like this and see what is going on, you marvel at what the G.A.A. can bring to a place. Even after only a few months, they have cultivated a strong club and sense of spirit. They've improved their skills and told me that the performance on a recent trip to Madrid was a massive improvement on their first outing in Seville. I'd expect further improvement in the coming months and I hope at some stage I will get to see it first hand.