The contribution of the Irish American Football Association (IAFA) to The Gathering has been rewarded by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, who has awarded the IAFA a certificate recognising it’s valuable contribution The contributions of Maurice Cosgrave, Alan Orr and Cillian Smith were also individually recognised in a similar manner.
The IAFA hosted visiting teams from UK, Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands during 2013 as part of its programme of The Gathering Dublin events including The Gathering Bowl and the EFAF Atlantic Cup. Each of these events attracted 100’s of participants and supporters from overseas, generating 1,000s of bednights for the tourism industry thus contributing to the Irish economy.
A spokesman for the IAFA said: ” We are delighted that the President has chosen to recognise our contribution to The Gathering. This is award pays tribute to all the IAFA members who volunteered their time and effort and without whom these events could not take place.”