Normal coaching/match sessions: On Sun 11 March the Brux kids went back training, thus taking their first step en route to representing Europe for the second successive year in the GAA's Feile Peil na nOg from 6-8 July next in Thurles (as they did in Dublin last year). They were also out again on Sunday 1 April. On both occasions, we had over 30 kids including several girls playing. The mix of ages now allows us to split them into younger & older groups for parallel skills coaching and match playing. Parents/players, please note that, because of the Easter Holidays, the next session will not be until Sunday 22 April.

St Patrick's Weekend; On Sunday 18 March, the Brux kids braved very wet weather conditions to play in the EC Sports Centre in Overijse as part of the main family occasion of the Brux-Irish community's annual marking of St Patrick's Day. This year's event was especially notable for the attendance & first-time playing of Gaelic football by a large number of kids from Nossegem, North East of Brussels. Our sincere thanks go to:-

- the Nossegem organisers Jean Marie Maekelberghe & Frank Bleyen;

- the Nossegem kids* (& their families);

our own Brux GAA kids (& their families - especially those who helped with the catering);&

the Irish Dairy Board, John Martins & the Kenlis Irish Shop for their kind sponsorship .

[* The Nossegem kids who played were Jean Baing, Bram Bleyen, Sigi Bleyen, Wouter Bleyen, Pieter Bosmans, Bart Delpierro, Kenny Devogelaere, Jess Devreese, Maarten Flamen, Jonathan Lazar, Yannick Maekelberghe, Anthony Shirinzi, Jelte Smout, Robin Smout, Cedric Tuypens, Robin Van Eycken & Wim Wauters]

The Brux Ladies plus several of their friends from K.V. Willbroek, also NE of Brussels, also braved the elements to play a match on Sunday 18 March in Overijse. The Brux Ladies also kindly helped out by organising the music provided by Roger O’Keeffe, Gerry Tighe & Co (a big thanks to them too !).

Round 1 of the Euro League: On Sat 3 March, the Ar Gwazi Gouez (Breton for "The Wild Geese") GAA Club hosted the First round of the Euro League at the Le Rheu Rugby Club in Rennes. Our thanks to Reamann, Thomas & Co for all their hard work. In a 5-team round-robin, Brux GAA won 2 & lost 2 including a 1-point defeat by the Paris/Hague amalgamation which effectively saw them qualify for the final at our expense and they actually went on to win it out. The Brussels panel all of whom played was Keith Creedon (based in Leuven), Eoghan O'Sullivan, Ronan Dowd & Caolan O’Neill (based in Ghent) and Patrick Coughlan, Evan Dwane, Mark Kieran, Cathal Lynch, Ian McAllister, David McAvinchey, Niall Quinn & Ritchie Young (all Brussels). Full set of results was:-

Round 2 of the Euro League: On Sat 3 March, the Paris Gaels GAA Club hosted Round 2 of the Euro League at A.S.P.T.T Rugby Grounds beside Fort d'Aubervilliers. Our thanks to Mark, Dave Sinead, Peter & Co for their organisation etc. Because the Easter hols had robbed us of our entire ULB University contingent, we joined up with similarly-short neighbours Luxembourg for the day. Though finishing 4^th in a 4-team round-robin (!), the games with the eventual finalists were actually very close (we led The Hague most of the way & conceded 2 second-half goals to Paris) but then completely threw in the towel in the 3^rd-4^th place playoff with Rennes. The Brux players were Michel Arets, Pat Ahern, Mark Kieran, Cathal Lynch and Ryan McGloin. Our thanks to Luxembourg's Eamon O'Brien and the others (George, Brendan etc - whose names we forgot to scribble down, sadly). Results:

Euro GAA League Table after Rounds 1 & 2: The Euro Board AGM last January decided on a league reflecting the best 5 performances over 6 Rounds (unlikely that every team will make every Round given distances), with a points system (max of 10) based on results & splitting of points in cases of need to amalgamate (min of 2 points for all Clubs represented). Based on this system, the current Euro League standings are as follows (next Round, Guernsey in early May):-

In November 1999, the European GAA Board was formed but couldn’t be ratified until the next Annual GAA Congress held in Galway in April 2000. Accordingly, the first formal attendance of the Euro Board at Congress was delayed until the 2001 Congress held in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin on 6-7 April last. There, the Euro Board was represented by Ann Donnelly (Paris Gaels & Euro Board Assistant Secretary), John Ludden (Brux GAA & Euro Board Youth Officer) and Cathal Lynch, (Brux GAA & Euro Board Secretary).

Our big contribution came when strongly urging delegates to support the controversial motion to open GAA HQ in Croke Park to other sports. Our logic was that, if the other sports helping us get off the ground here in Europe by giving us pitches to play on were to adopt the same negative attitude of those opposed to opening Croker to other sports, we would have to close up shop ie.:

Rounds 1 & 2 of the Euro League have already been played on rugby pitches in Rennes & Paris as will Round 6 in The Hague later on;

Rounds 3 & 5 of the Euro League will be played on cricket fields in Guernsey & the British School of Brussels; and

Round 4 of the Euro League will be played on the Cessange soccer grounds in Luxembourg.

To succeed, the motion needed a two-thirds majority of the 265 voting (176.666 votes or better) – incredibly, the final count of 176 for and 89 against meant it failed by two-thirds of one vote !!! Not to worry, there's always next year & the end seems nigh for the anti.s. In addition, given the novelty & topical relevance of the Euro Board’s first ever contribution to a GAA Congress, our three-ha'pence worth was reported in every Irish Sunday paper on 8 April & has been referred to many times since as the controversy deepened & moved from the sports pages to the front & political pages at home.

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