ZUT alors! French is not the usual language heard on GAA sidelines, but for one team taking part in Féile na nGael, the U14 football festival in Tipperary this weekend, it could be their secret weapon!
For the second year running, the tournament includes a team from the burgeoning Brussels Gaelic Club, which truly represents the increasingly cosmopolitan nature and spread of Ireland's native games.
Corner-forward Christopher Fernandes has an Irish mum and a French/Portuguese dad. Centre-back Kristian Dunn, and brother Laurie at top of the right, are the grandchildren of George Irvine who played soccer for Scotland.
Most are the off-spring of parents working for the European Commission. Many have French or Flemish birth certs and the Brussels Club, which has senior men's and women's teams and 40 to 50 boys and girls out training every Sunday morning, is increasingly attracting non-Irish recruits.
Naturally their Féile team, hosted by the Killenaule club this weekend, also includes youngsters steeped in GAA tradition. Paul and Thomas McGovern, staying with their grand-dad John Bergin in Moycarkey-Borris for the tournament, couldn't ask for better role models.
Their famous first cousins and inter-county stars Joe Bergin (Galway) and Paul Shankey (Meath) have contributed pieces to their match programme and their uncle Jack is a Tipperary senior hurling selector with Nicky English.
Their father Gerry McGovern, joint team-manager with Liam Breslin (whose Brussels-born son Sean is also included in the squad), says these kiddie 'Muscles from Brussels' will be using anything they can to their advantage.
"We reckon they won't have heard too much French around Killenaule so we've talked about using it from the sidelines. Instead of shouting 'left', we could roar 'a gauche!"' he quipped.
And to those who oppose the opening of Croke Park to non-Gaelic sports, the Brussels team show how co-operation between codes can work to the GAA's advantage.
These youngsters usually train on the soccer pitch of the British School Tervuren which is now being used for cricket so they switched their pre-Féile preparations onto its rugby pitch. For these kids, their Gaelic season never stops!
FEILE Na nGAEL by Cliona Foley
