A handful of recessions later, the GAA is still going strong

What a remarkable creature the GAA is. Created at a time when Gaelic games were considered to be nothing short of seditious, the Association has survived everything which has been thrown at it over its 125 of existence.Founded in the midst of the Irish cultural revival, the GAA came into being between two rebellions (1867 and 1916), and played an integral role in enhancing appreciation for Irishness and national independence, garnering much nationwide support for the Irish Revolution (1916-21).For that reason, by the powers that prevailed at the time, the GAA was hated - hated to the extent that in 1920, during the Tan War, it became a kernel of British policy in Ireland to crack down on our national games.But the games survived.Even though most if not all of us living today do not remember Bloody Sunday of 1920 - an assault by Black and Tans and Auxiliaries on players and civilians in Croke Park, in retribution for the targeted killing of British intelligence agents - this symbolic attack on our national pastimes still rings in our ears any time we sit in the Hogan Stand.Fourteen civilians died that day, including Tipperary"s football captain, Michael Hogan. But the games survived.British rule disappeared, and in the 1930s, the country felt the vibrations of the Depression era, while at the same time fighting an economic war with the British. The Irish economy was significantly damaged. But as this economic tragedy played out, Cusack Park opened in Mullingar, and both hurling and football thrived in Westmeath.In the 1950s, emigration was the buzzword in Ireland. Young men and women left the country in their thousands, seeking employment in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. Club rosters were decimated, but at the same time, hope sprang eternal. This era produced hurling legends like Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard, and featured footballers such as the Team of the Millennium duo, Mick O"Connell and Tommy Langan. What"s more, where the many emigrants settled in the United States, Australia and Britain, the exiles brought their homegrown sporting customs with them, and to this day, there is a strong GAA movement among ex-pats.In the 1980s, another recession hit the country, with similar economic circumstances driving young men and women out of the country in their thousands. But the 1950s repeated itself, and GAA became stronger than ever. The games survived again, and despite the amount of players leaving the country, Gaelic sports enjoyed a golden era.During the same period, who can forget watching GAA matches in towns like Crossmaglen, Omagh and Derry, as the footballers of counties like Tyrone and Armagh played through the stifling atmosphere of the Troubles. In Crossmaglen in particular, the atmosphere was made all the more intimidating by low-flying British helicopters, and the strictest of border checks. But the games survived these times, and over the past ten years, Northern teams have dominated Gaelic football, and look set to play a leading role well into the future.This week, clubs across the country will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the GAA. The festivity created by such an event is perfectly timed, and richly deserved by a people who are enduring what promises to be the toughest period since the foundation of the State.Once again, as was the case in the 1950s and the 1980s, clubs face the prospect of losing their best and their brightest to worrying patterns of emigration, amid what is turning out to be the most dire financial situation since the foundation of the State. But as the past 125 years has proven, the GAA is made of tougher stuff than, for instance, banks or political parties, which may well be washed away by the ebbing tide of our current economic woes.Although the GAA has become a business over the past few decades - and quite a successful one at that - should the books one day fail to balance, the Association will always endure, because its foundations are built on an unbreakable spirit; a vision with landscape; an ethos.And as Ireland bids farewell to an era where vote management, pie charts and stock markets set the agenda, a heightened appreciation for our timeless national traditions will surely take the GAA long into the future.Here"s to another 125 years!