Gaelic Football Athletes Gift Pope Leo a Jubilee Jersey

Vatican City, June 16, 2025: Three members of the Rome Hibernia Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) — Niamh Ryan, Catherine Hallinan, and Katie Molloy — presented Pope Leo XIV with a specially designed Jubilee jersey during a papal audience held on June 14 at St. Peter’s Basilica. The audience was held as part of the two-day Jubilee of Sport celebration. 

Founded twelve years ago by a man from Northern Ireland, the Rome Hibernia GAA was established as a community where people could come together and play the sport. Niamh Ryan and Catherine Hallinan from the Republic of Ireland and Katie Molloy from New York joined the GAA a couple of years ago and have been playing ever since. 

Just for the Pope

The three women managed to find seats close to the Pope during the papal audience. During his greetings, the Pope mentioned Ireland, and Niamh described how surprised they were to hear it. 

“To have him call out my country in particular was just incredible, unforgettable,” she said.

Proudly waving the Irish flag, Katie recounted how they were able to share a special moment with Pope Leo. 

“We were able to give our special Jubilee of Sport edition Rome Hibernia jersey to the Pope. We got the Jubilee logo printed on the sleeve, written in Gaelic,”’ she said.

Catherine joked that now that Pope Leo has the jersey, they consider him an honorary member of the GAA.

A Jubilee for All

For the three women, having this Jubilee weekend dedicated to sport was special because, as Catherine explained, the GAA is a prime example of the theme of the Jubilee weekend: sport bringing people together from all walks of life. “Having a Jubilee that represents us, our community, and the community around the world of Gaelic games and sport at large is super important and [encourages] a moment of reflection as to its meaning and how it connects us all,” she shared.

Faith and Sport at the Heart of Irish History

For these three athletes living in Rome, at the centre of the Catholic Church, there is a tight-knit tie between faith and sport. This is even more the case for the Irish members of the GAA. 

“I think in Ireland, there are as many Gaelic Athletic Association pitches as there are churches,” Catherine joked, “So it’s like we grew up playing sports with our faith.”

To honour this bond between faith and sport that is so important in Irish culture, the team's jerseys have a special image: St. Michael the Archangel on top of Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. 

According to tradition, Catherine recalled, "This angel appeared to Saint Patrick in a dream when he was banishing the snakes from Ireland. So it's very much ingrained in the history of the club."

By Kielce Gussie

Courtesy: Vatican News