While the GAA was not an official participant in the 1916 Rising, some of its members helped organise the rebellion, with many more GAA men participating in the fighting.
In preparation for the Rising, Austin Stack, the Kerry GAA chairman, used the 1915 All-Ireland football final as cover to smuggle guns from Dublin to Kerry to arm the Kerry Volunteers.
During the Rising itself, some 300 members of the GAA took part in the fighting in Dublin, while in Galway the majority of the 500 men who carried out limited attacks on the local police barracks on Easter Monday were hurlers.
In the aftermath of the Rising, hundreds of GAA members, including the GAA president Alderman Nowlan, were arrested with many sent to Frongoch internment camp, where Gaelic games were played as an expression of Irish identity.
As with the rest of public opinion in Ireland, the outlook of the GAA changed after the executions of the 1916 leaders, five of whom had GAA connections. Following the Rising, the GAA adopted a more republican outlook than before, which brought it into direct conflict with the British authorities on several occasions.
The mainstay of the GAA’s annual plan focuses on April 24 when the Allianz League football finals will be staged at Croke Park. Afterwards ‘Laochra’, a specially commissioned production charting the story of Ireland and the GAA will be performed encompassing the best in song, dance and music.
Many of the Association’s clubs are also organising events in addition to other central-level activity including a digital archive or content from that period.
Cé nach raibh an CLG rannpháirteach go hoifigiúil in Éirí Amach 1916, chuidigh roinnt de na baill chun an tÉirí Amach a eagrú, agus bhí go leor leor eile d’fhir CLG rannpháirteach sa troid.
Agus é ag ullmhú don Éirí Amach, bhain Austin Stack, cathaoirleach CLG as Ciarraí, leas as craobhchomórtas peile Uile-Éireann 1915 mar bhealach chun gunnaí a smuigleáil i ngan fhios ó Bhaile Átha Cliath go Ciarraí mar armlón do na hÓglaigh i gCiarraí.
I rith an Éirí Amach féin, bhí thart ar 300 ball de CLG páirteach sa troid i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus i nGaillimh b’iománaithe formhór an 500 fear a rinne ionsaithe teoranta ar bheairic áitiúil na bpóilíní ar Luan Cásca.
Tar éis an Éirí Amach, gabhadh na céadta ball de CLG, lena n-áirítear uachtarán CLG Alderman Nowlan, agus cuireadh go leor acu chuig campa imtheorannaithe Frongoch, áit ar imríodh cluichí CLG mar léiriú ar fhéiniúlacht na hÉireann.
Mar a tharla i gcás cuid mhaith de phobal in Éirinn, d’athraigh dearcadh CLG tar éis do na Briotanaigh ceannairí 1916, a raibh nasc ag cúigear acu le CLG, a chur chun báis. I ndiaidh an Éirí Amach, ghlac CLG cur chuige níos poblachtaigh ná mar a bhí acu roimhe sin, rud a d’fhág go raibh an eagraíocht i gcoimhlint dhíreach le húdaráis na Breataine roinnt uaireanta.
Díríonn plean bliantúil CLG thar aon rud eile ar an 24 Aibreán, tráth a mbeidh craobhchomórtais peile Shraith Allianz ar bun i bPáirc an Chrócaigh. Ina dhiaidh sin, léireofar ‘Laochra’, léiriú atá coimisiúnaithe go speisialta ina n-insítear scéal na hÉireann agus CLG agus beidh scoth na n-amhrán, an damhsa agus an cheoil ann.
Tá go leor de chlubanna an Chumainn ag eagrú imeachtaí freisin anuas ar ghníomhaíochtaí eile na heagraíochta a bheidh ar bun lena n-áirítear cartlann nó ábhar digiteach ón tréimhse sin.
An téacs i nGaeilge le teacht.