Anna Marie O'Rourke, Vice President of Rennes GAA, the only Irish person permanently involved, has watched Gaelic Games grow and blossom in Brittany

Vice President of Rennes GAA, confirms that Gaelic Football is developing very well here in Brittany.

Anna Marie O'Rourke reports:

"I first became involved in 2004 and created the first womens team here in Rennes.
Rennes GAA are also committed to developing the sport within the region and regularly go to schools and participate in developing GAA.

Rennes GAA will proudly host the European Pan Championship semi finals next weekend in Rennes and
we will also be hosting two schools from Vannes and Rennes which will be the first time that schools will also particiapte within this tournament. This has been achieved by the dedication of a few who are determined to see gaelic football develop and progress within brittany. Players such as Yves Le Priol and teachers such as Jean Paul Laborde (Lycee Ile de France) and Annie Gautier ( college Cousteau Vannes) are fundamental people involved in realising the progression of GAA within Brittany.

Next weekend Rennes will participate within the shield tournament which of course Rennes won last year in Barcelona and in the pan-European championship .

There will also be a women's team competing. Rennes women's team has developed well within the last few years and what initially was a team made up of mainly Irish erasmus students has now become mainly French. This has been as a result of school development and this year a young Breton player Odile Moutounet won best player in the Paris tournament. She discovered GAA within her school by her teacher Jean Paul Laborde and I became involved with the school in 2004. Rennes can now boast several players from this school and it has been truly inspirational to watch this growth develop.

As the only Irish person permanently involved here in Rennes it gives me great pleasure to watch how it is growing and the dediciation shown by my team members who have adopted this sport with rigour and enthousiasm.

Next weekend will give Rennes GAA a chance to further show our commitment to the sport and of course celebrate in true Breton style with music danse and of course good football.

It promises to be a truly fantastic day with over 20 teams competing
As part of the development and for those interested in discovering the sport we will also be running several initiation games and all persons are welcome to particiapte. "