FROM the mills of the 19th century to the playing fields of today’s Gaelic games, Dundee’s Irish story is one of resilience, cultural exchange, and enduring community spirit. Far from being a relic of the past, Irish influence in the city is not only remembered—it is being actively revived.

A GREAT day’s play of handball was had recently at Broughton High School in Edinburgh, with some brilliant skills on display too. The fifth code of the GAA is fast-paced, fun and strategic and the event buzzed with excitement. There was immense enjoyment on the day for those playing for the first time as youngsters or as more experienced novices with the skill challenges. In the Men’s Open, Willie Quaile of Coolboy Handball Club defeated Thomas McCurtains’ Fionn Ó Súilleabhái

IT'S BEEN 12 years since Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 23rd iteration of the event—the 2026 Glasgow games—has now kicked off again in the city, far sooner than anyone would have predicted back in 2014.

IN 2007, I skipped the afterparty celebrations of a wedding in Gweedore, Donegal and hitched a lift to Derry to watch the Senior County Football Final at Celtic Park, where the success starved club of my birth, Glenullin, was facing Bellaghy, the record title holders.

DUNEDIN Connollys and Tír Conaill Harps will be looking to make it two-in-a-row in their respective Senior and Intermediate League Finals, with both teams having been the stand-out performers in their competitions.

THIS columnist’s weekend centred around a trip to Manchester for the Northern Games youth tournament with hundreds of young footballers to play in competitions across two days hosted by Lancashire GAA.

THE Gaelic Football season is now well underway in Scotland and there are some familiar patterns beginning to emerge even in these early stages.

AT 37 years old and having just won a second La Liga title in Spain, Robert Lewandowski, the Barcelona and Poland striker, attributes his playing longevity —at least in part—to following what’s known as the ‘reverse diet.’ Basically it means that he consumes his dessert first, before turning to his main course.

MARCH 2026 at Soccerworld, Old Glamis Road, Dundee will live long in the memory of those who are associated with the GAA on the East Coast of Scotland with a celebration of the most significant milestones since the founding of the Dalriada GFC on January 28 1990—a milestone on a par with the enthusiasm of the 58 children who participated and registered with the newest youth GAA Club in Scotland.

DUNEDIN Connollys recently welcomed Dublin side Naomh Mearnóg to Edinburgh for a valuable challenge match, as preparations began ahead of the league campaign.

THE German language is full of single words expressing feelings and emotions that are only describable in English by using half-sentences. For example, there’s Schadenfreude—delighting at the misfortune experienced by others.

SCOTLAND once again turned green for St Patrick’s Day, with events up and down the country bringing Irish communities across Scotland together as they shared their culture with wider Scottish society, but it was the second annual parade through the streets of Glasgow which once again provided the most high profile spectacle.

AS CEANN Creige enters its seventh year as Scotland’s only hurling and camogie club, there is lots to look forward to and lots to reflect on.

AS PAUL Brady once sang: “It’s nothing but the same old story.” And lately that line feels painfully accurate.

THE Men’s National Football League can be seen—from the outside at least—like the weigh-in before a heavyweight title fight. The pugilists get close, look each other square in the eye with maybe some shadow-boxing or actual pushing, before stepping off the stage knowing that the real deal is just around the corner.

FOR those involved with Men’s Gaelic football at the University of Glasgow, the 2026 season will live long in the memory.

FOR those of involved with Tír Conaill Harps GAA Club, it has always been about more than football. Since the club’s foundation in 1994, its members have worked to build something that reflects the very best of community sport—a club where young people thrive, families feel welcome and culture, wellbeing and connection sit alongside competition. Three decades on, the Harps remain a living, growing expression of that original vision.

AS I STEP into the shoes of the fabulous former columnist, Colly Clerkin, allow me to introduce—and indulge—myself by recollecting a Sunday afternoon in Croke Park recently when my home club, Glenullin (above), featured in the All-Ireland Intermediate Football Final.

All your questions about the Glasgow St Patrick’s Festival Parade answered here!

ON MARCH 14, 2026, the Glasgow St Patrick’s Festival Parade will once again bring colour, music and life to the heart of the city. This year’s theme ‘A Celebration of Irish Immigration to Glasgow’ is more than a commemoration. It is a declaration of who we are, where we come from, and the immeasurable contribution our community has made to Glasgow for almost two centuries.