Local Irish Sports Club to Honor Its First President

Fairfield's St. Patrick's Gaelic Football Club will honor Jude Fitzgerald during its Annual Dinner Dance on Saturday, December 15th, at the Gaelic American Club (GAC) in Fairfield.  Jude is a previous President of St. Patrick's—its first President—and one of its founding members.

This award launches a year-long celebration of St. Patrick's founding that will culminate in its 10th anniversary celebration in 2013. Jim Feeney, the current Club President, said, "Jude has dedicated her life to promoting and preserving authentic Irish culture and sport in Fairfield County. We recognize that it was the hard work and dedication of Jude and the other founding members that paved the way for our success today."

Jude and her husband Sean emigrated to Fairfield from County Tipperary in 1988 and quickly became leaders in local Irish cultural and athletic activities.  In addition to founding St. Patrick's Gaelic football club and serving as the Club's President for five years, Jude is a past President of Fairfield's Gaelic American Club where she served for many years on its Board as well as on numerous social and athletic committees.  She was recently elected, once again, as President of the GAC.

"Jude's passion for Gaelic sports, both football and hurling, inspired her to pass on Irish culture to the children of Fairfield," said Feeney.  He added, "St. Patrick's is a vibrant, growing organization today and we honor Jude's commitment and determination to bring the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) to Fairfield."  The Fitzgeralds also passed on their love of Irish culture to their daughter Cassie, a sophomore at the University of Scranton, former St. Patrick's player and member of the Lenihan School of Irish Dance, who qualified for the World Championships in Irish Step Dancing.

Reflecting on the Club's founding, Jude said, "Of course there were many challenges and obstacles in the beginning.  But we all shared a common passion for Gaelic football and hurling and a strong desire to give American children the opportunity to learn, and play competitively, the same sports that we loved when growing up in Ireland."  After initial planning meetings, Jude and the other founders began the hard work of recruiting players, obtaining an official charter from the GAA, fundraising, purchasing equipment and team uniforms, and securing legal status as a nonprofit organization.

From those humble beginnings, St. Patrick's has progressed each year since its founding in 2003. This past year, St. Patrick's captured the U8 National Championship in Chicago by defeating Gaelic football teams from New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Buffalo, and, the adult team competed for the Junior Division title in New York.  The Club, with one of the largest youth summer Gaelic football camps in North America, introduced hurling to the training schedule in 2012 and has plans to field youth hurling teams in 2013.  Looking to the Club's future, Jude said, "At the end of the day, it's not about titles and cups, St. Patrick's is really about good families who are interested in keeping Irish culture and sport going in Fairfield County."

For more information on the dinner dance, including tickets and the commemorative journal, please see the Club's website at www.stpatricksgfc.org.