Donegal man finds ‘the heart of the GAA’ in Los Angeles

‘It is a home from home for a lot of lads, you can just feel the energy’

From Co Donegal to Orange County in California, Ballybofey man Damien O’Brien has found “the whole heart of the GAA” with the Wild Geese Gaelic Football team.
Final whistle celebrations saw the Wild Geese go wild after defeating the Austin Celtic Cowboys to win the Junior title at the West Coast Sevens in San Diego.
“It shows how powerful the GAA is, how it brings people together… It is a home from home for a lot of lads. You can just feel the energy,” says Damien.

Most of the team are Irish, from Donegal, Tyrone, Dublin and Kerry, living all around Orange County and working in sales and construction.
“It is a mixed bag of lads… we all have different backgrounds, different day jobs, but when we come together it is just great, we can share our experiences.”

Check out the full story here in the Irish Times.

Video by Jerome Quinn.