Minister Richmond to attend Northern Community Gaelic Games in Manchester

The Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, will attend the Northern Community Gaelic Games in Manchester today. One of the highlights of the Britain GAA calendar, the Northern Community Gaelic Games brings together over 1,000 children for a weekend of football, hurling and camogie matches. This year’s tournament will take place from 13 - 14 June at Hough End playing fields. Minister Richmond will attend the schools’ competition where some 20 schools from across Britain will participate.

Speaking ahead of the Games, Minister Richmond said: “I am looking forward to visiting Manchester on Friday. Gaelic games provide a wonderful opportunity for many across the world to engage with Irish heritage and culture. It is really positive to see such a large gathering of teams and schools from across England and Scotland from under 7 to 18s, highlighting how the GAA in Britain is going from strength to strength.”

While in Manchester, Minister Richmond will also meet with Irish business leaders to discuss opportunities to strengthen trade and commercial ties between Ireland and the North of England. He will also meet with representatives of Irish community organisations as part of a series of consultations being undertaken around the world to help shape the Government’s next Diaspora Strategy.

Speaking on the importance of building ties, Minister Richmond said: “Ireland’s relationship with the North of England is built on exceptionally deep and historic ties rooted, in particular, in our diaspora. I am committed to developing a future relationship that offers mutually beneficial opportunities for trade, investment, culture and education, with a region that shares the same outward looking objectives as we do.”

ENDS

Press Office

13 June 2025

The Consulate General of Ireland for the North of England officially opened on 1 July 2021. The opening of the Consulate General was a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to strengthening the British-Irish relationship following the UK’s departure from the European Union. It forms part of a wider programme of investment in Ireland’s footprint in Great Britain in recent years.