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UL GAA Launch first club jersey to carry LGBTQ+ Pride Colours

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UL jersey launch – Pictured at the launch were UL GAA players with President of GAA, Larry McCarthy and President of University of Limerick, Professor Kerstin Mey. Picture: Alan Place

UL GAA Launch first club jersey to carry LGBTQ+ Pride Colours

UL Jersey Launch

President of University of Limerick, Professor Kerstin Mey, President of GAA, Larry McCarthy and Dr. Marie Connolly, Director Human Rights, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, UL. Picture: Alan Place

President of GAA, Larry McCarthy and President of University of Limerick, Professor Kerstin Mey have today launched the new UL GAA Club jersey, the first ever GAA jersey to feature the LGBTQ+ pride colours.


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The LGBTQ+ colours will be a permanent feature of the UL GAA Club jersey, which also features the logo of JIGSAW, a free, non-judgemental and confidential mental health support service for young people. 

Speaking from the launch event Professor Mey said: “The UL GAA Club has been in existence since the 1970s and I am very proud that our club jersey is the first in Ireland to feature the LGBTQ+ pride colours. A university is the natural home of equality, diversity and inclusion. Students from all parts of the world, from a huge variety of different cultures, backgrounds, creeds, and orientations come together to learn, live, play sport and recreate on our campus. We work hard to ensure that the UL environment is such that our students leave us not only as successful graduates in their chosen discipline but as civic minded citizens with a global and inclusive mindset.”

UL Jersey Launch

UL GAA players, Dearbhla Egan and Fiadhna Tangney. Picture: Alan Place

The University of Limerick GAA Club was established initially in the National College of Physical Education in the 1970s. The club grew and developed through the transformations from Thomond college to the National institute of Higher Education, to the University of Limerick. The UL GAA club has gone from strength to strength, competing in hurling, football, ladies’ football and camogie. It now fields over 17 teams each year and has approximately 1,000 student members.

GAA President Larry McCarthy, former member of the UL GAA club and UL graduate said: “I am delighted to see that the mantra of the GAA, ‘Where we all Belong’ is manifested in the ethos and re-design of jersey of UL GAA Club. Sport, like a university, is a natural home of equality where neither class, nor creed, nor colour, nor orientation, nor ability, should impact on participation. Playing the game quickly eliminates barriers between teammates and teams, and the GAA is proud of its philosophy that sport is indeed for all. I commend the UL GAA Club in being to the fore in propagating the GAA mantra.”  

For more information on UL GAA Club, see HERE 

For more stories on the University of Limerick see HERE 

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.