GAA Palestine 'beyond devastated' as trip to Ireland is cancelled

GAA PALESTINE HAS confirmed that it has cancelled its planned trip to Ireland to this month.

A group of 14 mentors and 33 children from the West Bank were scheduled to begin a two-week summer tour in Ireland this Friday but were ultimately denied entry by the Department of Justice.

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, GAA Palestine said that the touring party had been due to depart from the West Bank earlier on Wednesday morning but that there was now insufficient time to change travel plans while an appeal against the denial of their visa applications remains ongoing.

GAA Palestine said that it was “beyond devastated” that the trip to Ireland could not take place as planned, and that it would explore alternative destinations where the children “will be welcomed and celebrated”.

A statement from the group read: “It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that the planned trip to Ireland can no longer proceed. The delay stemming from issues with the Department of Justice has ultimately resulted in this difficult decision, as time has run out to make alternative arrangements.

“The touring party was scheduled to depart from the West Bank this morning. We initially postponed departure for today, as the Department of Justice had informed us they were reviewing the appeal.

“However, the embassy in Tel Aviv is now closed — we had a driver pick up the passports to allow us explore other options for the touring party to travel elsewhere, allowing us to provide these young athletes with the respite and opportunity they deserve.

“Even if visas are issued at this late stage, delays at checkpoints and borders are likely to cause severe disruptions and extended delays. Giving the children hope again, only for that hope to be dashed once more, would be too cruel.”

Earlier, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan rejected criticism from GAA Palestine regarding his department’s handling of the group’s visa applications.

Minister O’Callaghan was speaking ahead of an Institute of International and European Affairs event and insisted that the applications had been assessed “fairly and accurately”.

“No matter who you are, you have to comply with the immigration rules,” he said. “I’m not going to change those rules simply because there is media pressure put on me,” he added.

Minister O’Callaghan added: “There is a requirement to provide documentation if you are coming into Ireland seeking a short-stay visa. In particular for children coming in, there are very specific rules in terms of consent of parents and guardians.

“No matter how sympathetic the applicants are, we have to make sure the rules are applied.”

The justice minister said that his department had received an appeal against the denial of GAA Palestine’s visa applications yesterday afternoon at around 2:40pm, and that this appeal had been rejected. He confirmed that the situation was now being assessed by the immigration unit.

Minister O’Callaghan said that he was “very anxious” that the issue would be dealt with “as quick as possible” due to the travel timelines involved.

GAA Palestine said on Tuesday that it was due to suffer a loss of €38,000 on non-refundable arrangements, but explained that the Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv had insisted on the purchase of flights before visas were approved, describing this requirement as “reckless”.

The group, which contains 33 children aged between nine and 16, were due to stay with 152 host families in Ireland.

While it’s understood that GAA Palestine is currently in the process of gaining official recognition from the GAA in Ireland, it currently receives no central funding and is reliant solely on donations.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in the Dáil on Tuesday that he was “perplexed” by GAA Palestine’s approach to seeking visas for its travelling party of 48, questioning why no appeal had been made at the time of his speaking, a week after the visas had been initially refused.

The Taoiseach said “the whole thing seems haphazardly organised”.

In its statement on Wednesday, GAA Palestine rejected this interpretation of events and criticised the Department of Justice for its lack of engagement on the matter over the past week.

“We are deeply disappointed by the narrative that has circulated suggesting that necessary documentation was not provided or that we were late in the submission of our appeal,” GAA Palestine said.

“We have been working diligently for months with the embassy in Israel. Despite numerous appeals over the past week requesting engagement, we have received no response from the Department of Justice. Our legal team has also attempted to communicate directly with the Department, but we have once again been ignored.

“We are profoundly upset for all our GAA Palestine members, for the clubs that went to great lengths to organise this meaningful trip, and for the families who generously volunteered to host our touring party — transforming their homes with bunk beds and painting walls to welcome these young GAA players from the West Bank to Ireland. To our sponsors for their generosity, we do hope we can work together again in the future.

“While we are beyond devastated, we remain committed to our mission and will now proceed with Plan B, exploring other destinations where our children will be welcomed and celebrated.

“We thank everyone for their continued support and understanding during this challenging time.”