Press release: Cincinnati Gaelic Athletic Association to host inaugural Shanley Cup Championship, celebrate 10-year anniversary

2024 is a special year for the Cincinnati Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It marks the 10th year since our founding in 2014. To commemorate this milestone, we are proud to host the first-ever “Shanley Cup” Gaelic Football Championship this coming Saturday, July 20th.

The Shanley Cup is named in gratitude for our club’s biggest supporter over the years: Paul Shanley, owner of Molly Malone’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Covington, KY, just across the river from downtown Cincinnati. Paul, Cincinnati GAA’s Vice Chairman, hails from Rooskey, County Leitrim, Ireland. He played club football with Bornacoola, school football with St. Mel’s College in Co. Longford (winning a Leinster title), and represented Leitrim (winning the Fr. Manning Cup in 1987), all at the underage level. At 17, Paul left Ireland for London, where he played for the local Robert Emmets club for a few years.

Paul arrived in the States in 1994 and made his way to Cincinnati in August 2007 to open up Molly’s with his business partners. He became involved with Cincinnati GAA in the early days and has been integral to our growth as a GAA club and Irish organization here in town – though you’d never know it because of his humility!

And so, the Shanley Cup promises an exciting day of men’s and women’s Gaelic football, camaraderie, and community spirit. Our Cincinnati teams will be competing against teams from Nashville and Indianapolis. We invite you to join us at the Xavier University Rugby Pitch (just south of the Brockhoff Family Tennis Facility) this Saturday, July 20th to witness our club in action as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our founding. Games will be played from 11am until 4pm. We hope to see you there!

The Cincinnati GAA will also be hosting watch party for the All-Ireland Gaelic Football Final at Molly Malone’s in Covington on Sunday, July 28 at 10:30 a.m. It promises to be an exciting match-up between Armagh and Galway. All are welcome!

https://www.cincinnatigaa.com/shanley-cup

Covington

About the Cincinnati Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)
Cincinnati Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) was founded in 2014 with the mission of developing Gaelic Games throughout the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky region. As a 501c3 non-profit, Cincinnati GAA is dedicated to promoting Irish culture through the playing of Gaelic Football and Hurling. Our club is affiliated with the USGAA and members of the Midwest Division, competing against clubs from Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Buffalo. We are also active off the pitch with social events planned throughout the year, such as our annual Night at the Races and Golf Outing fundraisers.