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As with other sports, the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
caused disruption to
Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
, primarily in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
but also elsewhere in the world. Competitions were cancelled, postponed or restructured, while some teams were withdrawn or were unable to participate in those competitions that went ahead. The sports (
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
,
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
, and ladies' football) saw all competitions suspended from 12 March 2020. The
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
,
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
,
National Camogie League The National Camogie League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Very Ireland Camogie Leagues, is a competition in the Irish team sport of camogie, played exclusively by women. The competition is held in three divisions graded by ability. It wa ...
and
Ladies' National Football League The Ladies' National Football League is an annual inter-county ladies' Gaelic football tournament, secondary to the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship. It is competed for annually by the county teams of Ireland. National League rol ...
, which were all running at the time, were suspended, with competitions not intended to resume until 29 March at the earliest. This proved to be an optimistic assumption. The 2020 Football and Hurling Leagues, as well as a revised
2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 133rd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. The public health measures introduced to combat the CO ...
and 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship were completed rapidly (and behind closed doors) between October and December of that year, in the period corresponding roughly to the gap between the second and third waves of the pandemic.
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
were forced out of the football by the pandemic, the English-based teams missed the hurling. The
Sligo county football team The Sligo county football team ( ) represents Sligo in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Sligo GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ir ...
missed the 2020 championship due to an outbreak. The 2020 Camogie and Ladies' Leagues were cancelled. The
2021 National Hurling League The 2021 National Hurling League was the 90th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. The English county teams (London, Warwickshire and Lancashire) did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. In February 2 ...
and 2021 National Football League were delayed when a third wave of the pandemic struck Ireland, infecting more people in the month of January 2021 than in the entirety of 2020.


Timeline


2020


March

*12 March – following
Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
's 12 March announcement from Washington, the
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
(GAA), alongside the
Irish Rugby Football Union The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...
(IRFU) and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) all immediately announced the two-week suspension of games. * 13 March – Ireland's
Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...
Simon Harris Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024. A TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and f ...
said people returning from Spain or Italy would have to "not quite self-isolate" but "restrict their movements" upon returning to Ireland; this affected the
Tipperary county hurling team The Tipperary county hurling team represents Tipperary in hurling and is governed by Tipperary GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Seni ...
, the reigning All-Ireland Champions, who had flown in advance to the
Costa Blanca The Costa Blanca (, , literally meaning "White Coast") is over of Mediterranean coastline in the Alicante province, on the southeastern coast of Spain. It extends from the town of Dénia in the north, beyond which lies the Costa del Azahar (or C ...
in Spain for a training camp. Tim Floyd, Secretary of the Tipperary County Board, also contracted the virus but recovered. * 17 March ** The GAA confirmed that the opening fixture of the
2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 133rd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. The public health measures introduced to combat the CO ...
, due to have taken place at
Gaelic Park Gaelic Park ( ga, Páirc na nGael) is a multi-purpose outdoor athletics facility, located at West 240th Street and Broadway in Riverdale, Bronx, in New York City in the U.S. state of New York. Since 1926 the grounds has been used as the venue for ...
in
The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
on 3 May, had been postponed. **
Michael Carton Mick Carton (born 4 September 1984) is an Irish hurler who played as a left wing-back with the Dublin senior team. Biography Born in Dublin, Carton first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St Declan's College. He arrived on the ...
, the former Dublin hurler who won the 2013 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship, revealed he had been in hospital since the previous weekend after testing positive for COVID-19. * Four-time All-Ireland football winning manager
Seán Boylan Seán Boylan (born 12 December 1949) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath. He retired from his position as manager of the senior Meath county team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in ch ...
also contracted COVID-19 at around this time and was in hospital until 31 March, according to an interview he gave on
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the following January. * 18 March – the GAA confirmed that its Féile na Gael 2020
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
and
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
event (jointly to have been hosted by
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...
and Meath in early June), Féile na nÓg National football tournaments (jointly to have been hosted by
Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
,
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, and Tyrone in late June), the Celtic Challenge under-17 hurling development competition and every event intended to have involved academy squads, would be cancelled in 2020 as a result of the damage done by the virus to its other competitions. * 30 March – the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' reported that Ard Stiúrthóir Tom Ryan had told employees through a
conference call A conference call is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into ...
that their wages would be reduced by between 10 and 20% for the month of April; the GAA confirmed the following day that the report was accurate.


April–May

* 7 April ** That morning, the former
Offaly county football team The Offaly county football team represents Offaly in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland ...
manager, Fr Tom Scully, who led the team to the 1969 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, died in Dublin of COVID-19. ** Other GAA figures reported to have been infected by the virus around this time included Club Aontroma Chairman Niall Murphy (who narrowly survived) and Ulster Camogie Chairman Jennifer Cultra. * 29 April – the administrator
Noel Walsh Noel Walsh (29 December 1935 – 29 April 2020) was an Irish Gaelic footballer, administrator, Selector (sport), selector, Manager (Gaelic games), manager and member of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces. As a selector and manager, he ...
(i.e. "Mr Clare Football") died of
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
resulting from COVID-19. * 13 April – the All-Ireland winning hurler Jonathan Glynn announced that himself and his
fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
had tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States, where he was working as a coach with the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
team, but both had isolated for two weeks and recovered. *14 April (the day after the
Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...
public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, ...
) – the GAA announced that—following the government's
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
three-week extension of restrictions—the
2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 133rd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. The public health measures introduced to combat the CO ...
and 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship would be postponed "until further clarity on the current situation is available. However, it is the Association's view that it is highly unlikely these will be rescheduled any time before the beginning of July, at the earliest". The
Ulster GAA The Ulster Council ( ga, Comhairle Uladh) is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city o ...
also announced the immediate cancellation of the Ulster Club football leagues, the Buncrana Cup (under-16 Football League) and the Ulster Minor Football League. The
Ulster Minor Football Championship The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is Th ...
was changed to mirror the fixtures of the 2020 Ulster Senior Football Championship, so that both competitions could be played together if a suitable date arose. The
Leinster GAA The Leinster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County ...
announced that both the
Leinster Minor Football Championship The Leinster Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in gaelic football played in the province of Leinster. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it were replaced by an under 17 ...
and
Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...
would be run as knock-out competitions if they were to occur at all. * 17 April – a remote Special Congress occurred, the outcome of which granted the GAA emergency powers to change competition structures to respond to the pandemic (such rule changes would normally be decided at an Annual Congress). * 30 April – the GAA confirmed wage cuts for staff would continue into May and June. * 6 May – the GAA announced that it expected no inter-county matches would take place until October at the earliest and asked all counties to cease preparations until 20 July, while unveiling a COVID-19 Advisory Group whose members included
Pat O'Neill Pat O'Neill may refer to: Sportspeople * Pat O'Neill (American football) (born 1971), American football player *Pat O'Neill (Dublin footballer) (born 1950), Dublin Gaelic footballer and manager *Pat O'Neill (Galway footballer) (born 1956), Galway G ...
. * 11 May – that night, the COVID-19 Advisory Group had its first meeting (online). * Antrim football captain
Declan Lynch Declan Lynch (born 1961) is an Irish journalist, writer and playwright. Lynch was born in Athlone, Ireland, and now works for the ''Sunday Independent (Ireland), Sunday Independent''. Lynch graduated from Marist College secondary school in 1978. ...
told a newspaper in late May that he had experienced a mild form of COVID-19, from which the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
said he had recovered by June.


June–September

* 5 June – the GAA's COVID-19 Advisory Group unveiled details of a four-phase "Return to Play" roadmap. * 12 June – the various sporting organisations unveiled details of a COVID-19 education programme for clubs. As part of this a "COVID supervisor" would monitor every team at each club. * 26 June – that morning, the GAA announced that all inter-county competitions would commence in October 2020, with the football championship to feature a knock-out format for the first time since
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, while the hurling championship reverted to an open draw (made later that evening) and retained the possibility of a second chance for losing teams. The GAA opted not to reschedule the
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
Connacht championship game and postponed its proposed new
Tailteann Cup The Tailteann Cup is a second tier Gaelic football championship competition held annually since 2022 and organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is contested by those county teams who do not qualify for the All-Ireland Senior Foo ...
competition until 2021. * 9 July – that night, the GAA's management committee updated match regulations ahead of the resumption of club games, restricting the number of substitutes and officials and introducing water breaks (one in each half). * By late July, small numbers of spectators were permitted into games on both sides of the border. * 23 August –
Wexford GAA The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexf ...
club Shelmaliers defeated Naomh Éanna to win the first County Championship to be completed since the discovery of COVID-19. * 12 September ** The GAA announced that the emergency administrative powers agreed in April had been extended until 4 December. ** London withdrew from playing in the remaining league and championship fixtures. * 19 September –
Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Dhún na nGall) or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Don ...
announced that one of its county footballers had tested positive for an
asymptomatic In medicine, any disease is classified asymptomatic if a patient tests as carrier for a disease or infection but experiences no symptoms. Whenever a medical condition fails to show noticeable symptoms after a diagnosis it might be considered asy ...
case of COVID-19. The players were tested just before the squad began training for the resumption of inter-county play, with one positive result returned. The rest of the squad entered isolation. Among those to praise the decision to make public the result was Monaghan player
Darren Hughes Darren Colyn Hughes (born 3 April 1978) is a New Zealand former Member of Parliament between 2002 and 2011, first elected at the age of 24. He represented the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party and was a Minister outside Cabinet in the Fift ...
. Two months later, Conor Morrison spoke of receiving a COVID-19 test in advance of surgery on a long-term leg injury in
Santry Santry () is a suburb on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Coolock, Glasnevin, Kilmore and Ballymun. It straddles the boundary of Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council jurisdictions. The character of the area has changed ...
on a Monday morning in September, with a positive result received that night (matching descriptions in reports at that time, he was also asymptomatic); Morrison, however, said he had not been in contact with other members of the county team (the injury having occurred during a game for his club St Eunan's the previous month) but his surgery had to be postponed until October and he had had to isolate.


October–December

* 2 October – the
Armagh county football team The Armagh county football team ( ) represents Armagh GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Footb ...
suspended training after several COVID-19 positive tests within the squad. * 5 October ** The
PSNI The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ') is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...
launched an investigation after receiving reports of inadequate
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...
between spectators at the
Derry Senior Football Championship The Derry Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top sixteen Derry GAA clubs. The winners receive the John McLaughlin Cup and qualify to represent Derry in the Ulster Senior Club Football Champi ...
final, held on 4 October after being moved to an alternative ground due to a rise in COVID-19 cases close to the original venue.
Cork GAA The Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Chorcaí) or Cork GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cork and the C ...
also addressed an absence of social distancing on streets in South Cork after
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won the Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 2002. ** The GAA, in a decision endorsed by the
Ladies' Gaelic Football Association The Ladies' Gaelic Football Association ( ga, Cumann Peil Gael na mBan) is the main governing body for ladies' Gaelic football. It organises competitions such as the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship and the Ladies' National Foot ...
(LGFA), suspended all club fixtures with immediate effect on 5 October, stating: "In particular, post-match celebrations and a lack of social distancing at certain events have proved disappointing and problematic. This directive applies to all ages and all grades across the island". Later that day, the
Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The governm ...
excluded spectators from all games under new restrictions that applied those then in effect in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and
Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
to the rest of the country (this did not affect counties north of the border where limited numbers were still permitted to attend). Any remaining club fixtures were postponed until the respective county's inter-county season had finished. * 7 October – the
Fermanagh county football team The Fermanagh county football team ( ) represents Fermanagh GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior ...
suspended training after several COVID-19 positive tests within the squad, and the decision was also taken to suspend the activity of the county hurlers and minor footballers, as well as the training of club players which was still permitted following the GAA directive of two days previously. * 15 October –
Wexford GAA The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexf ...
confirmed four of its senior footballers and two of its senior hurlers had tested positive for COVID-19. * 17 October – league and championship resumed (see that section for further details). * 24 October – In an article published in the ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'' on this date, Clare footballer
David Tubridy David Tubridy (born 1987) is a Gaelic footballer. He plays senior football for Doonbeg and the Clare county team. Tubridy plays as a forward. The '' Irish Independent'' has described him as "the floating butterfly lurking on the Clare '45". ...
confirmed that he and his father
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...
had recently tested positive for COVID-19. * 3 November -
Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
withdraw from the Connacht championship. *15 November – in his '' Sunday Independent'' column published on this date,
Colm O'Rourke Colm O'Rourke (born 31 August 1957) is a Gaelic football manager, former player, retired secondary school principal, sports broadcaster and columnist. He has been manager of the Meath county team since 2022. O'Rourke's league and championship ...
wrote that the former Cork player and manager Billy Morgan had recently been seriously ill after contracting COVID-19. *30 November – Deputy Chief Medical Officer
Ronan Glynn Ronan Glynn is an Irish public health physician and physiotherapist who served as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from October 2018 to May 2022. He previously served as Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ireland from July to October 202 ...
told a press briefing that evening that the GAA was not at fault for the virus's resurgence in Ireland. *13 December – 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final *19 December –
2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 133rd final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Reigning All-Ireland SFC and Leinster champions ...


2021


January–March

* 1 January – the GAA gave advice on which activities were permitted under the restrictions which had been imposed following increased COVID-19 transmission over the
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
period, i.e. individual training but no collective training, no club games and no access to club grounds. * 5 January – GAA director general (''Ard Stiúrthóir'') Tom Ryan issued a letter to county secretaries barring county teams from collective training for at least the rest of the month and also stating that club and county gyms should be shut until further notice. Collective training had originally been scheduled to resume on 15 January. However,
Ronan McCarthy Ronan McCarthy (born 1973) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. At club level he played with Douglas and was a member of and later managed the Cork senior football team. McCarthy usually lined out as a defender. Playing caree ...
's
Cork county football team The Cork county football team represents Cork in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Cork GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Sen ...
were filmed earlier that month training on a beach in
Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...
, "crawling on their elbows and lumping logs above their heads", as described in ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
''. McCarthy was later given a twelve-week ban and Cork lost a home league fixture, while
Down county football team The Down county football team represents Down GAA, the County board (Gaelic games), county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic games, Gaelic sport of Gaelic football, football. The team competes in three major annual inter-c ...
manager
Paddy Tally Paddy Tally (born 1970s) is a Gaelic football Manager (Gaelic games), manager and coach. A member of the Galbally Pearses GAC, Galbally Parses club, Tally was a squad member when Tyrone county football team, Tyrone played in the 1995 All-Irelan ...
and his team received the same punishment for a similar breach of the collective training ban. Tally's ban was reduced to eight weeks on appeal, effective immediately and meaning it would expire on 5 April before any games were expected to occur. Tally later explained that this was the first such session, intended to introduce new players to the team's running programme, and that managers of other teams had been asking about the possibility of challenge matches. McCarthy also appealed his twelve-week ban but was unsuccessful. He then appealed it again in March and was also unsuccessful. He appealed it in April too and, again, was unsuccessful. * 22 January – the GAA denied reports it intended go ahead with intentions to redevelop the Cusack Stand at
Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
, citing the pandemic as the cause. * 1 February ** The GAA postponed its draws to determine the opening fixtures of the
2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 134th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty one of the thirty two Irish counties took part ...
and 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. ** Following a meeting the previous evening, the GAA further delayed its decision on when to allow county teams to resume collective training. * 10 February – the GAA announced that there would be no county team activity (i.e. training or games) until
Easter Day Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel P ...
(4 April) at the earliest. * 16 February – the GAA announced a record loss of €34.1 million for the financial year ending 31 October 2020, contrasting with 2019 profits of €8 million, with half of its 2020 funding being provided by government. * 27 February – the
2021 GAA Congress The 2021 GAA Congress was held on 27 February. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place virtually, a first in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The public could also watch it live. The conference marked the formal transition of th ...
was held online (a first in GAA history) and marked the formal transition of the
presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified by a ...
from John Horan to
Larry McCarthy Lawrence C. "Larry" McCarthy (born 1952) is an American political consultant and media advisor to Republican Party (GOP) campaigns. He is best known as a master of the attack ad, having produced the infamous Willie Horton TV spot during the 1988 ...
. Horan issued a message in the last monthly GAA Newsletter of his presidency for the organisation's membership to assist if they could with the
deployment of COVID-19 vaccines , 12.7billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 67.9 percent of the global population having received at least one dose. While 4.19million vaccines were then being administered daily, only 22.3 percent of people i ...
. * 12 March – one year since the GAA first suspended its activities due to the pandemic. * Weekend of 18/19 March – a Central Council meeting approved a GAA management committee decision to extend its special emergency powers until 21 May and the GAA cancelled its customary membership deadline of 31 March for the year 2021 due to the pandemic. * 22 March – that evening, a 5pm meeting of the GAA's COVID-19 Advisory Group endorsed a request by
Ulster GAA The Ulster Council ( ga, Comhairle Uladh) is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city o ...
officials for young and adult players north of the border to return to training from 12 April as would be permitted for sports there. The GAA later clarified that county teams would not be permitted to train collectively there, only clubs. * 26 March – the ''
Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country. ...
'' published the results of a
Freedom of Information request Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatisfa ...
which revealed that Government informed the GAA on 24 December that senior inter-county games were permitted but then brought forth legislation taking away the "Level 5 exempted sports" entitlement of senior inter-county games on 31 December, a decision which the
National Public Health Emergency Team A National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is a group within Ireland's Department of Health (Ireland), Department of Health. It is in the power of the Minister for Health (Ireland), Minister for Health to convene such a group when a publi ...
(NPHET) had no part in. The GAA was not informed of this decision and only discovered it when its then president John Horan asked Jack Chambers during a video conference call on 8 February. The timing of the 24 December assurance also appeared to contradict public comments by Chambers that the senior inter-county game exemption expired after the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which had by then taken place.


April

* 1 April – the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' published photographs of a coach-led group of
Dublin county football team The Dublin county football team represents Dublin in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Dublin GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Irela ...
members, including
All Stars Footballer of the Year The Gaelic Athletic Association & Gaelic Player's Association All Stars Footballer of the Year — known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodafone Footballer of the Year — is a Gaelic football award. It is presented annually to the footballer wh ...
Brian Fenton Brian Fenton (born 2 March 1994) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Raheny club and for the Dublin county team. He was the 2018 and 2020 All Stars Footballer of the Year. Education and family His father (Brian senior), is from Spa, out ...
, whom it reported had gathered at
Innisfails GAA Innisfails GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in based in Balgriffin, Fingal. The club fields teams at adult men's football level and has a free nursery for children aged 4–7 years of age along with an under 8s & 9s team. During the ...
club before 7am on the previous morning. The session occurred around 12 hours after the GAA sent a note to each club and county, warning that any club or county team ignoring the collective training ban could risk putting the GAA's intentions to return to action "in serious jeopardy". The GAA immediately appealed to other counties not to behave as the Dublin football team had, i.e. breaking a GAA rule but, more seriously, breaching the Government's Level 5 restrictions then in place to counter the public health crisis. Apart from minister Jack Chambers, other politicians to criticise the transgression included
Alan Dillon Alan Dillon (born 28 September 1982) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency since the 2020 general election. Prior to entering politics, he was a two-time All Star winning Gaelic football ...
, the MEP (and former GAA president) Seán Kelly and former
Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
. Former Meath football manager
Seán Boylan Seán Boylan (born 12 December 1949) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath. He retired from his position as manager of the senior Meath county team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in ch ...
, who had been seriously ill with COVID-19 the previous year, also said he "baffled and shocked". The date of the publication (
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
) and the seriousness of the transgression in contrast to the Dublin team's previous reputation led to much confusion about whether it could really have occurred. However, that evening, after investigating the accuracy of the report,
Dublin GAA The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Átha Cliath) or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the Dublin Regi ...
suspended its own football team manager
Dessie Farrell Dessie Farrell is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He has been manager of the Dublin county team since 2019. A former All Star Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for Dublin county team for nearly 15 years, he retire ...
for 12 weeks with immediate effect, matching the earlier ban that the GAA had issued to Cork football team manager
Ronan McCarthy Ronan McCarthy (born 1973) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. At club level he played with Douglas and was a member of and later managed the Cork senior football team. McCarthy usually lined out as a defender. Playing caree ...
, with the GAA earlier announcing an investigation that would lead to further possible punishment. ''Irish Independent'' journalist Colm Keys noted that Dublin's transgression "has happened against the backdrop of public health advice. Such a scenario wasn't clear back in early January he time of the McCarthy incidentwhen it wasn't clear that GAA teams had lost that elite status. The assumption was still there that an elite group could train". * 4 April – former Dublin
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
team manager Frank Browne called for
Dessie Farrell Dessie Farrell is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He has been manager of the Dublin county team since 2019. A former All Star Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for Dublin county team for nearly 15 years, he retire ...
's resignation as
Dublin county football team The Dublin county football team represents Dublin in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Dublin GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Irela ...
manager for the "arrogance" of his team's behaviour, adding: "I think it's a cop out to say they're amateur players. We're all amateur players involved in the GAA, we all know right from wrong and it was wrong". * 6 April – the GAA warned in its April newsletter against any further collective training ban breaches by teams, stating that the transgression of the Dublin footballers and public attention the incident had received in recent days had "brought the spotlight on our Association". * 8 April ** The ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' reported that
Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
Helen McEntee Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Justice from June 2020 to November 2022. From April to November 2021, she became a minister without portfolio during a period of maternity leave ...
had received photographic evidence and video footage of
Monaghan county football team The Monaghan county football team ( ) represents Monaghan in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Monaghan GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the ...
players collectively training in late March and thus breaching the COVID-19 Level 5 restrictions. Minister McEntee sent the details to both the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
and Croke Park. The incident occurred at Corduff GAA club near
Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...
and members of the county's management team were implicated. The
Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
confirmed that it had received the information and passed it on to the Garda Síochána, the GAA and the
Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
. Gardaí launched an enquiry into the matter. **
Monaghan GAA The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Mhuineacháin) or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan a ...
suspended
Séamus McEnaney Séamus McEnaney (born 1967/1968) is a Gaelic football manager and businessman. He has managed his native Monaghan county team (in two spells), as well as the Meath and Wexford county teams. Business career McEnaney is in charge of Westenr ...
for 12 weeks after the team manager admitted involvement in breaching the Level 5 restrictions and said it would comply with a GAA investigation into the incident. ** Minister Jack Chambers told RTÉ: "My officials from the Department of Sport have been in touch with the GAA to reemphasise that all breaches undermine the broader public health messaging".
Tomás Ó Sé Tomás Ó Sé (; born 21 June 1978) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. He played Gaelic football with Nemo Rangers and at senior level for the Kerry county team from 1998 until he retired in 2013, playing predominantly in the half-back line. ...
said on
RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. The total budget for th ...
: "The big difference between Cork and Down earlier in the season compared to Dublin and Monaghan is that the Dublin and Monaghan issues happened on GAA grounds". Former GAA president Seán Kelly said: "It's terrible to see it happening, officially organised, in a GAA club, by a county team... Saying you can't start training until two or three weeks after other counties would be a good place to start" as an additional punishment, he said. ** GAA president
Larry McCarthy Lawrence C. "Larry" McCarthy (born 1952) is an American political consultant and media advisor to Republican Party (GOP) campaigns. He is best known as a master of the attack ad, having produced the infamous Willie Horton TV spot during the 1988 ...
said the GAA's reputation had been damaged by the recent breaches of Level 5 restrictions. ** The GAA released its revised fixtures calendar. The leagues were set to begin on 8 May. The football championship was scheduled as a straight knockout for a second consecutive year, London and New York's participation in the Connacht Senior Football Championship again deemed impossible. * 12 April – clubs north of the border were permitted to resume collective training, which had been banned since the previous October. * 13 April ** It was announced that the draws for the championship would occur on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 April. They did. **
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Down and
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
were given no home National Football League games as punishment for their training misbehaviours. * 16 April – the GAA revealed renewed guidelines ahead of the return to collective training for county teams, scheduled for the following week. * 19 April – squads involved in inter-county competition were officially allowed to train collectively for the first time in four months. * 26 April – the reopening of pitches and permission for young players to train with their clubs.


May–December

* 4 May – Minister Jack Chambers confirmed that non-playing members of county team panels would be permitted to be present at games in the upcoming National Leagues. * 8 May – the
2021 National Hurling League The 2021 National Hurling League was the 90th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. The English county teams (London, Warwickshire and Lancashire) did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. In February 2 ...
began (see that section for further details). * 15 May – the 2021 National Football League began (see that section for further details). * 25 May – the GAA announced that an attendance of 500 would be let in to National League fixtures north of the border from the following weekend, the first allowance of spectators at inter-county matches since 8 March 2020. * 21 June – the first pilot test fixture at Croke Park occurred, a league game between
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
and
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
. * 26 June – the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and
2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 134th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty one of the thirty two Irish counties took part ...
began (see that section for further details). On the same day
Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
return to the Connacht championship but easily beaten by
Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
. * 3 July – 8,000 were allowed into Croke Park for the 2021 Leinster Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals. * August – the
2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 134th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Thirty one of the thirty two Irish counties took part ...
semi-final between
Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
and Tyrone, and the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final between
Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
and Tyrone were twice delayed due to COVID-19 within the Tyrone squad. * 27 November – the draw for
2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 135th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. Tyrone entered the championship as the defending cha ...
took place, and included
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. * 31 December – the 2022 McGrath Cup opening game between
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
and
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
was postponed, with Waterford unable to field a team due to COVID-19 cases and contacts.


2022

* 5 January – the
2022 O'Byrne Cup The 2022 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football tournament played by eleven county teams of Leinster GAA in January 2022; Kilkenny did not take part. Longford were the holders. A new rule limits the number of substitutions a team can make; playe ...
opening round game between Meath and
Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...
was called off, with Wicklow infected by COVID-19. ** London played a first inter-county game since March 2020. * May – both
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
returned to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the first since 2019. * 2020's
Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
and
Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...
round-robin games were rescheduled for the season. * 6 July – the GAA confirmed a change of referee to Barry Cassidy for the inaugural Tailteann Cup final. The original referee
Maurice Deegan Maurice Deegan (born 1972) is a former inter-county referee from County Laois. A member of the Stradbally club, he refereed three finals of the All-Ireland SFC. Career Deegan began refereeing when the Stradbally club secretary asked if he would ...
was absent for what would have been his final inter-county game after contracting COVID-19. As of October 2022 no plans to bring back Ireland vs Australia, Ireland vs Scotland or
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
. In 2025
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
Connacht Quarter finals of 2020 between
Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...
vs
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
vs
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
will be rescheduled. While in 2026 cancelled Connacht championship games in 2021 between
Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
vs
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...
vs
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
will be expected to finally take place. It's uncertain when
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
will play
Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
again but next fixture will blame on calling off their Connacht semi-final in 2020.


Impact on competitions


Club

On 26 June, the GAA announced its decision to cancel the 2020 Provincial and All-Ireland Club Championships, which had taken place annually since 1971, due to the need to "build in a rest period for people". On 4 July, shortly after clubs resumed contact training,
Kilkenny GAA The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Kilkenny GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Cill Chainnigh) is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kilkenny. The cou ...
club James Stephens announced it had ceased all activity for one week after one of its hurlers tested positive for COVID-19; he had by then recovered. In mid-July, three GAA clubs in
West Cork West Cork ( ga, Iarthar Chorcaí) is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownbe ...
( Argideen Rangers,
Ballinascarthy Ballinascarty (), also known as Ballinascarthy, is a village in County Cork, Ireland. Location Ballinascarty lies in West Cork, approximately north-northeast of Clonakilty and 15km south-west of Bandon, on the main N71 road from Clonakilty t ...
and Oliver Plunketts) suspended their activities due to uncertainty whether its members had had contact with someone found to have COVID-19. The Agrideen Rangers chairman later informed
RTÉ Sport RTÉ Sport is a department of Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. The department provides sporting coverage through a number of platforms including RTÉ Radio, RTÉ Television, RTÉ.ie, RTÉ Player Sport and RTÉ Mobile. RTÉ holds the television ...
that each of the club's players had subsequently tested negative. On 12 July, a member of
Dublin GAA The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Átha Cliath) or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the Dublin Regi ...
club Man-O-War tested positive for COVID-19 and
Cork GAA The Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Chorcaí) or Cork GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cork and the C ...
club
Glanworth Glanworth () is a village on the R512 regional road in County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately northwest of the town of Fermoy and northeast of Cork city. As of 2016, Glanworth's population was 603. Glanworth has a Roman Catholic church, ...
confirmed that a player had tested positive; both clubs suspended activities. On 14 July,
Down GAA The Down County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae An Dún) or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Down ...
club Atticall became the first GAA club based in
Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
to confirm a member had tested positive for COVID-19; the club suspended activities until 19 July at the earliest even though the GAA said it could continue. On 16 July, two
Derry GAA The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Dhoire) or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Londonderry ...
clubs (
Banagher Banagher ( or ''Beannchar na Sionna'') is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands, on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. It had a population of 3,000 at the height of its econ ...
and Craigbane) suspended all activities as a precautionary measure; they were joined by eight others ( Ardmore,
Claudy Claudy () is a village and townland (of 1,154 acres) in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the Faughan Valley, southeast of Derry, where the River Glenrandal joins the River Faughan. It is situated in the civil parish of Cumber U ...
,
Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
,
Drumsurn Drumsurn () is a small village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is southeast of Limavady and northeast of Dungiven. It lies in the Roe Valley, at the foot of Donald's Hill and at the edge of the Sperrins. Drumsurn ha ...
,
Foreglen Foreglen ( ga, An Forghleann, "The Outer Glenn") is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Around 1900 it was known as Ballymoney (not to be confused with the County Antrim town of Ballymoney). Education *St Peter's and St Paul's P ...
,
Glack Glack ()Placenames NI
is a hamlet and
Limavady Limavady (; ) is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. Lying east of Derry and southwest of Coleraine, Limavady had a population of 12,032 people at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census ...
and
Magilligan Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part n ...
) the following day after a cluster of COVID-19 emerged in the Limavady area, in the north of the county. The nearby
Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Dhún na nGall) or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Don ...
club Naomh Colmcille followed suit on 18 July, having played Glack in a challenge match the previous weekend. Donegal GAA later clarified that it had not asked Naomh Colmcille to suspend activities, though it respected the club's decision. On 21 July, two
Tyrone GAA The Tyrone County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae Tír Eoghain), or Tyrone GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games i ...
clubs (
Aghaloo O'Neills Aghaloo O'Neills ( ga, Achadh Lú Uí Néill) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club. The club is based in Aughnacloy and Caledon which encompasses the parish after which the club is named, Aghaloo, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The club c ...
and Eglish St Patrick's) suspended their activities after an Eglish player, who had played in a league game between the clubs the previous weekend, tested positive for COVID-19; the entire Eglish squad then required testing to determine the presence or absence of the virus. Eglish's other players were permitted to resume activities on 24 July. On 23 July,
Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in Cou ...
club
Killeavy Killeen"Killeen" is the official name of the townland. or Killean () is a small village and townland in the civil parish of Killeavy, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about four miles (6.5 km) south of Newry, near the border with Co ...
and Down GAA club
Longstone Longstone or Long Stone may refer to Places *Longstone, Edinburgh, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland * Longstone, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland *Longstone, Cornwall, a hamlet in Cornwall, England *Longstone, Isles of Sc ...
suspended activities with one player from each club having tested positive for COVID-19. By 24 July, four other Killeavy players had tested positive for COVID-19. On 28 July, Donegal GAA club Naomh Conaill suspended activities while it awaited the outcome of a test result. On 18 August,
Sligo GAA Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban cent ...
club Eastern Harps suspended activities as a precaution due to possible contact with a COVID-19 case. Dublin GAA club Clanna Gael Fontenoy
forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next'' * ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers L ...
ed a
Dublin Junior Hurling Championship The Dublin Junior Hurling championship is the Junior Gaelic Athletic Association hurling competition of Dublin. The winners of the Junior championship go on to qualify for the Dublin Intermediate Hurling Championship in the following year. The win ...
quarter-final against Ballyboden St Enda's due to be played on the morning of 23 August after the denial of an attempt at postponement following a COVID-19 positive test in the Ballyboden team. On 22 September,
Donegal GAA The Donegal County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Dhún na nGall) or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Don ...
postponed the
Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been known ...
final until 7 October after a player tested COVID-19 positive. The game had initially been set to proceed but was then postponed. On 26 September,
Longford GAA The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae an Longfort) or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Lo ...
postponed the
Longford Senior Football Championship The Longford Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Longford GAA among the Senior grade Gaelic football clubs in County Longford, Ireland. The winning club qualifies to represent its coun ...
semi-finals and the Longford Intermediate Football Championship final due to the detection of COVID-19 cases. On 26 September,
Leitrim GAA The Leitrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Liatroma) or Leitrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Leitrim. ...
postponed the
Leitrim Intermediate Football Championship The Leitrim Intermediate Football Championship is an annual football competition contested by mid-tier Leitrim GAA clubs. The Leitrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthc ...
final due to COVID-19 issues. A
Galway Intermediate Football Championship The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na Gaillimhe) or Galway GAA are one of the 32 county boards in Ireland; they are responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway, and ...
semi-final was rescheduled at short notice when a player was informed that he had been a close contact of a COVID-19 case. On 1 October,
South Kerry GAA South Kerry is a division of Kerry GAA. The South Kerry consists of club teams. It is primarily known for Gaelic football, though some hurling is also played. The division fields teams in the Kerry Senior Football Championship, Kerry Minor Foot ...
postponed 4 October's
South Kerry Senior Football Championship South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
final due to a COVID-19 issue. On 2 October,
Armagh GAA The Armagh County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Ard Mhacha) or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in Cou ...
suspended all club activity due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the area. The
Waterford Intermediate Football Championship Waterford Intermediate Football Championship is a second tier Gaelic Athletic Association competition between Gaelic football clubs organised by Waterford GAA. The winning club is eligible to play in the senior grade the following year for the W ...
final on 4 October featured a
Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre of ...
player who later tested COVID-19 positive and appeared for his club while awaiting the result of his test. After club games were suspended on 5 October, and the switch made to inter-county, many counties had not completed their competitions - the following senior finals went unplayed in 2020: the
Cork Senior Football Championship The Cork Premier Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSFC) is an annual club Gaelic football competition organised by the Cork Count ...
,
Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been known ...
and
Waterford Senior Football Championship Waterford Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition between the top Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_ca ...
, the
Kildare Senior Hurling Championship The Kildare Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised since 1888 by Kildare GAA among the top hurling clubs in County Kildare, Ireland. Up until 2012, the winner received the Seán Carey Cup but a new trophy in honou ...
,
Laois Senior Hurling Championship The Laois Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois GAA, Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Clough–Ballacolla GAA, Clough–Bal ...
,
Meath Senior Hurling Championship The Meath Senior Hurling Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Meath GAA among the top hurling clubs in County Meath, Ireland. The winner qualifies to represent the county in the Leinster Intermediate Clu ...
and
Offaly Senior Hurling Championship The Offaly Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Molloy Environmental Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Offaly GAA clubs. The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athlet ...
, while the following senior semi-finals went unplayed in 2020: the
Carlow Senior Football Championship The Carlow Senior Football Championship (currently also known for sponsorship reasons as the ''Michael Lyng Motors Carlow SFC''), is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Carlow GAA clubs. The Carlow County Board of the ...
,
Laois Senior Football Championship The Laois Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Portarlington are the title holders ...
and
Longford Senior Football Championship The Longford Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Longford GAA among the Senior grade Gaelic football clubs in County Longford, Ireland. The winning club qualifies to represent its coun ...
, as well as other competitions at intermediate and junior levels. By the first anniversary (12 March 2021) of the GAA's first suspension of activities, club players had been permitted to play for only around three of the previous twelve months. In May 2021,
Wexford GAA The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexf ...
clubs Shelmaliers and
Faythe Harriers Faythe Harriers is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Wexford town, Ireland. History The history of the Faythe Harriers stretches back to the early 1940s, although the hurling club wasn't formed until 1949. In the late 1930s, the ...
suspended all club activity due to the possibility of infection with COVID-19, with the St Martin's club later doing likewise after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19.


Inter-county


2020 league and championship

The pandemic's arrival coincided with the playing of the National Leagues. Play was suspended from 12 March 2020. Ahead lay the 133rd All-Ireland Championships in football and hurling, annual competitions with an unbroken run stretching back to 1887. Though often delayed due to such incidents as outbreaks of
polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
and
foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...
, the All-Ireland Championships had never previously been cancelled, even during the two World Wars. Following an interview given by GAA president John Horan on ''
The Sunday Game ''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...
'' on 10 May, RTÉ described "the prospect of a fallow GAA year" as "very possible". On 12 September, the GAA announced it would formally go ahead with the year's All-Ireland Football and Hurling Championships at senior, under-20 and minor levels from October after receiving a promise of government funding to help stage the events.
Ulster GAA The Ulster Council ( ga, Comhairle Uladh) is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city o ...
confirmed ahead of the 2020 Ulster Senior Football Championship that the final would not be held at its traditional venue of
St Tiernach's Park St Tiernach's Park is the principal GAA stadium of Ulster GAA located in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is used mainly for Gaelic football. Such is its association with the town of Clones ( ), which is located to the south, the venue itself is of ...
due to the absence of floodlights. The
Athletic Grounds The Athletic Grounds ( ga, Páirc Lúthchleasaíochta) is a GAA stadium in Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the county ground and administrative headquarters of Armagh GAA and is used for both Gaelic football and hurling. Uses The stadium i ...
in
Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
was chosen instead. On 25 September, the GAA announced details of its rescheduled remaining fixtures in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
and
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
, to resume on the weekend of 17–18 October. Ahead of the resumption, the GAA denied suggestions it would cancel the competitions, though it had cancelled the League finals. Donegal's footballers travelled the round-trip of 900 kilometres to
Tralee Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in County ...
in their own cars to play Kerry, a feat described in the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' as the "most eye-catching example of GAA expeditions in the Covid era". 17 Fermanagh footballers were out for the resumption, ten COVID-19 positive and seven others self-isolating. One of those who tested positive, Aidan Breen, spoke publicly about his experience as Fermanagh unsuccessfully attempted to have their first league game postponed. With a "number of players... awaiting test results", Leitrim were unable to field a football team and conceded their opening fixture to Down, the first team forced to do so. On 13 October, the
Moycullen Moycullen ( ga, Maigh Cuilinn) is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway, Ireland, about 10 km (7 mi) northwest of Galway city. It is near Lough Corrib, on the N59 road to Oughterard and Clifden, in Connemara. Moycullen is now a satel ...
club withdrew its panel members on the
Galway county football team The Galway county football team ( ) represents Galway in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Galway GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ir ...
after a COVID-19 outbreak there shortly after that club won its first
Galway Senior Football Championship The Galway Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition between the top Gaelic football clubs in Galway. The winners of the Galway Championship qualify to represent their county in the Connacht Senior Club ...
. On 20 October,
Longford GAA The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae an Longfort) or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Lo ...
conceded their next football fixture, away to Cork, their manager
Padraic Davis Padraic Davis is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He played for the Fr Manning Gaels club and the Longford county team. He also managed the Longford county team. Playing career Davis played for the Fr Manning Gaels club, wi ...
calling it a "dead rubber" (as Cork had previously secured promotion to Division 2) and both teams were scheduled to begin their championship campaigns the following weekend. Longford's concession meant they surrendered an outside possibility of promotion and instead caused the promotion of Down. Down's promotion was also assisted by the points secured following Leitrim's concession of their previous fixture. On 21 October, it was reported that a Roscommon footballer had tested COVID-19 positive. The team vowed to fulfil their fixture against Cavan, however. On 22 October,
Waterford GAA The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Phort Láirge) or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in C ...
indicated it would concede its football fixture against Antrim due to the deteriorating health crisis north of the border. Antrim suggested it instead concede home advantage and play the fixture in
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
, an offer which Waterford accepted. Also on 22 October, the entire
Offaly county hurling team The Offaly county hurling team represents Offaly in hurling and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League. Offaly's home ground is ...
were ruled as close contacts of a COVID-19 positive player they had trained alongside, forcing the county to concede that weekend's
2020 Christy Ring Cup The 2020 Christy Ring Cup was the 16th staging of the Christy Ring Cup hurling championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2005. It is the third tier of hurling as of 2020. London were scheduled to compete in the ...
game against Kildare. On 23 October,
Sligo GAA Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban cent ...
announced that a player on the
Sligo county hurling team The Sligo county hurling team represents Sligo in hurling and is governed by Sligo GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Christy Ring Cup and the National Hurling League. It formerly competed in ...
had tested COVID-19 positive, meaning the team could not play Derry in the Christy Ring Cup that weekend. On 5 November, the
Sligo county football team The Sligo county football team ( ) represents Sligo in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Sligo GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ir ...
were forced to withdraw from the 2020 Connacht Senior Football Championship due to COVID-19, meaning their opponents Galway went straight into the final. On 8 November, Mark Keane of
Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...
(one of several players whose return to Ireland during the close of the
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
season coincided with the delayed All-Ireland and provincial competitions) was brought on as a substitute for
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
against
Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...
in the
2020 Munster Senior Football Championship The 2020 Munster Senior Football Championship was the 2020 installment of the annual Munster Senior Football Championship organised by the Munster GAA. The fixtures were announced on RTÉ Radio on 8 October 2019. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 ...
. He scored the late goal that knocked Kerry out of the competition, in what was described as "one of the biggest upsets in recent championship history... a strike so late it had eerie echoes of Tadhg Murphy's 1983 goal at the same end of the ground that similarly put Kerry out of the championship". On 22 November,
Colin O'Riordan Colin O'Riordan (born 12 October 1995) is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). Before leaving Ireland O'Riordan played Gaelic football as a midfielder for the Tip ...
(another of those who had returned to Ireland during the close of the Australian rules football season) played for
Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
against Cork in the 2020 Munster Senior Football Championship Final, winning a senior provincial medal in his first game for his county in five years.
Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
also gave O'Riordan permission to play in the All-Ireland semi-final against
Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
. Three members of the Mayo backroom team were each suspended for three months after attending the
2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 133rd final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Reigning All-Ireland SFC and Leinster champions ...
"without accreditation". Both the
Sam Maguire Cup The Sam Maguire Cup ( ga, Chorn Sam Mhic Uidhir), often referred to as Sam or The Sam , is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the main competiti ...
and the
Liam MacCarthy Cup The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...
, the premier football and hurling trophies, were withheld from 2020's winning teams to discourage crowds gathering and no homecoming celebrations were permitted. Following a sudden reintroduction of restrictions (announced on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
and taking effect after the
public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history, ...
), the inter-county minor and under-21 championships, specifically in Leinster and Ulster, came to a halt once more. Roscommon did manage to win the
Connacht Minor Football Championship The Connacht Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Connacht Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18 until 2017, now under-17) in the province of ...
on
Saint Stephen's Day Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Chri ...
though, after Kerry had won the
Munster Minor Football Championship The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...
. 12 games at minor and under-20 level went unplayed in 2020.


2021 league and championship

The 2021 National Football League was regionalised to facilitate limited travel, with (for instance) Division 1 North consisting of Donegal, Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh. This plan had been hinted at as early as September 2020. However, all games were indefinitely delayed due to the deteriorating health crisis south of the border in early 2021. It was decided in December 2020 that
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
would return to the
Connacht Senior Football Championship The Connacht Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition for the senior county teams of Connacht GAA. All of the counties of Connacht participate in the championship, as well as counties London and New York. The winning ...
in 2022, rather than 2021, and decided on
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's delayed return on 8 April 2021. In 2022
Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
hosted
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, Leitrim hosted
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
the opposite way in 2023. The 2019 fixtures will be repeated in 2024. While in 2025 games cancelled in 2020 will be rescheduled, meaning for the first time since 2015 they will take place. In 2026 London and New York games will be the first fixtures between teams last played in 2016. On the 19 and 20 April 2021 the draws for 2021 championships took place all fresh. Instead of usual October or November draws over the years. The delayed
2021 National Hurling League The 2021 National Hurling League was the 90th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. The English county teams (London, Warwickshire and Lancashire) did not compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. In February 2 ...
began on 8 May, while the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
began on 15 May. On 19 May,
Wexford GAA The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae Loch Garman) or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexf ...
's chairman told
South East Radio South East Radio is an Irish radio station based in County Wexford, broadcasting at 95.6; 96.2, and 96.4 MHz., The station also broadcasts on the same frequencies into adjoining counties - including Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford. South ...
that two members of the
Wexford county hurling team The Wexford county hurling team represents Wexford in hurling and is governed by Wexford GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Hurl ...
, who had played in the league win over
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
at Cusack Park a few days earlier, had separately tested positive for COVID-19. This came ahead of the scheduled league fixture against
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
that weekend, with betting suspended in some cases due to uncertainty over whether the game would occur and all the other Wexford hurlers being tested for COVID-19. The Kilkenny game was postponed on 22 May after a third Wexford hurler tested positive for COVID-19 on 21 May, with public health advice referring to the possibility of the virus circulating among the other players. The game was later rescheduled. There were then doubts over the rescheduled fixture when a Kilkenny hurler tested positive for COVID-19 but the game went ahead. Two of the Clare hurlers became involved in the original Wexford incident when identified as
close contact Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...
s of the first two Wexford hurlers who had contracted COVID-19, leading to them being deemed ineligible for the team's next league match away to
Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
at
O'Moore Park , image = , location = Portlaoise, County Laois, R32 CRF3, Ireland , coordinates = , opened = , renovated = 2002 , owner = Laois GAA , cost = , capaci ...
. As a result a dispute arose between Wexford GAA and the Clare hurling manager,
Brian Lohan Brian Lohan (born 14 November 1971) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the manager of the Clare senior hurling team. As a player, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest full-backs of all time. Born and raised in ...
. Clare GAA supported their manager. On 27 May, Wexford GAA confirmed that none of its other players had since tested positive for COVID-19 and that training would recommence. On 30 May, immediately after a four-point loss to
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
in the last round of the 2021 National Football League in
Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...
resulted in
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
having to contest a relegation play-off to stay in Division 1, Galway manager
Pádraic Joyce Pádraic Joyce (born 1 April 1977) is a Gaelic football manager and former player who played as a forward. He has been manager of the senior Galway county team since 2019. Joyce won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship twice with Galw ...
expressed his annoyance upon learning that their opponent
Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...
would receive home advantage. "I'm just after being told it is away because they had no home games and we had two home games — so they are being rewarded for breaking a curfew and I find that unbelievable", Joyce said, in reference to the
Séamus McEnaney Séamus McEnaney (born 1967/1968) is a Gaelic football manager and businessman. He has managed his native Monaghan county team (in two spells), as well as the Meath and Wexford county teams. Business career McEnaney is in charge of Westenr ...
-sanctioned COVID-19 breach which both the
Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
Helen McEntee Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Justice from June 2020 to November 2022. From April to November 2021, she became a minister without portfolio during a period of maternity leave ...
and the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...
had been alerted to the previous month. He added: "It's a joke, if you ask me, and I don't know how Croke Park came up with that solution to play in Monaghan... I think it disrespects the whole system and the whole Allianz League if you are going rewarding a county to get a home vital game when you broke the rules". Monaghan won by a single point (scored in the 94th minute of the game) and Galway were relegated. In July, meetings were held to move both the Connacht SFC Final from
Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...
and the Ulster SFC Final from
Clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...
to
Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
.


College

The 2020 Sigerson Cup and 2020 Fitzgibbon Cup were both played to completion, two of the few competitions unaffected that year as they had been played in January and February. On 13 January 2021, the GAA confirmed that the year's Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups had been cancelled due to pandemic restrictions.


School

The final of the 2020
MacRory Cup The MacRory Cup is an inter-college (school) Gaelic football tournament in Ulster at senior "A" grade. The MacLarnon Cup is the competition for schools at senior 'B' grade. Players must be under nineteen at the start of the tournament. The win ...
, due to have been played between
St Colman's College, Newry St Colman's College is a Roman Catholic English-medium grammar school for boys, situated in Newry, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The college was founded in 1823 as the Dromore Diocesan Seminary by Father J. S. Keenan and placed under the ...
and
St Patrick's College, Maghera St. Patrick's College, also known as St. Patrick's Co-Ed Comprehensive College, is a co-educational 11–18 secondary school in Maghera, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It teaches within the Roman Catholic ethos. St Patrick’s’ Maghe ...
on 17 March, was postponed. After an unsuccessful effort to play the match on 7 October, the game was cancelled and the trophy shared between the finalists. The 2020 Corn Uí Mhuirí was ? The 2020
Connacht Colleges Senior Football Championship Connacht colleges senior football "A" championship, is the top level Gaelic football competition for secondary schools in Connacht. They compete for the Aonghus Murphy Memorial Cup. The winners advance to the Hogan Cup, the All-Ireland colleg ...
was also abandoned. The 2020
Leinster Colleges Senior Football Championship The Leinster colleges senior football "A" championship, is the top level Gaelic football competition for secondary schools in Leinster. The winners receive the Brother Bosco (Mulhare) Cup and advance to the All-Ireland colleges "A" senior footba ...
was completed. The pandemic also affected the 2020–21 season, with (for instance) no schools or college games occurring during November 2020. 14 January 2021 brought confirmation that the
Hogan Cup The Hogan Cup ( ga, Corn Uí Ógáin), also known as the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A Football Championship, is the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools (sometimes referred to as colleges) in Ireland. The com ...
and the
Dr Croke Cup The Dr Croke Cup is the trophy presented to the winner of the All Ireland Secondary Schools Senior "A" hurling championship. Before that it was an inter-county GAA competition in hurling. The first Croke Cups (which included hurling and Gaelic f ...
would not be played for in 2021, though the possibility of competitions at provincial level was retained. The morning of 25 February 2021 brought confirmation that Munster post-primary school competitions would not occur in 2021. Later that day, the other three provinces followed suit.


International

The UK government did not permit
London GAA The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Londain) or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London. The county board is also r ...
clubs to resume contact training until the evening of 25 August. London, Warwickshire and Lancashire were excluded from the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Championships. They were also excluded from the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Championships. Irish players based in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL), including Conor McKenna, returned home following the suspension of play there. In addition, the AFL announced on 5 April that they would not be travelling to Ireland for the planned
International Rules Series The International Rules Series is a senior men's international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (s ...
in November 2020 due to the disruption that the virus had caused to their season. Conor McKenna returned to Melbourne when the
2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...
resumed. On 20 June, McKenna became the sport's first COVID-19 case when he returned a low-level positive result. After a particularly negative reaction from the local media, and a failure to replicate the initial result, McKenna returned home and resumed his football career with Tyrone. He made an immediate impact on his debut against
Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
and in his second game scored two goals that helped relegate
Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
, in what was that county's first time to be knocked out of the top flight in 23 years. On 11 May, the
Camanachd Association The Camanachd Association (in Scottish Gaelic, ''Comann na Camanachd'') is the world governing body of the Scottish sport of shinty. The body is based in Inverness, Highland, and is in charge of the rules of the game. Its main competitions ...
issued a statement that it had agreed in consultation with the GAA to cancel the 2020 Shinty-Hurling International Series between
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, scheduled for October. By May 2020, Gaelic games administrators in France (where most players—particularly in
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
—are French natives and the French language is common) had concluded that, with the stricter lockdown in force there and the government's announcement that mass gatherings would not be permitted before September, their 2020 championship could not occur. The French finals had been scheduled for
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
. After the disruption of early 2021, clubs in England resumed full contact training in late March 2021 but clubs in Scotland and Wales had not joined them by then.


References


Further reading

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games
Pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
Pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...
Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
Pandemic, COVID-19