Club History

St. Joseph's OCB was formed in 1989 following the amalgamation of St. Joseph's of East Wall and O’Connell Boys of North Wall. It is currently the only GAA club in the north inner city of Dublin, drawing members from East Wall, North Wall, Ballybough, Fairview, and Marino. The club has adult men’s teams in both hurling and Gaelic football.

St Joseph’s / O’Connell Boys motion on cutting GAA ties with Allianz

St Joseph’s O’Connell Boys is seeking support for a motion calling on the GAA to cut ties with Allianz due to the documented links between the parent global entity of Allianz and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The following communication has been sent to all our fellow clubs in the Dublin GAA and outlines our position:

Dear Club Secretary / Chairperson,

I am writing to you on behalf of St Joseph’s / O'Connell Boys GAA Club to respectfully request your club’s consideration and support for a motion that we are bringing forward at the upcoming Dublin County Committee meeting.

Our motion calls upon the GAA at a national level to review and ultimately terminate its commercial partnership with Allianz, in light of the documented financial links between their parent global entity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territories.

As an association rooted in community, identity, and social responsibility, the GAA has historically stood for values that transcend the playing field. While we fully recognize the financial complexities of sports sponsorship and the role corporate funding plays in our games, we believe there is a line where commercial interests conflicts fundamentally with our core ethics.

The concern regarding this specific sponsorship is no longer a peripheral issue; it has been raised by close to 800 active and former inter-county players and numerous County Committees across the country.

As grassroots clubs, we are the bedrock of the association, and we believe it is our responsibility to ensure the GAA’s leadership reflects the moral stance of its members.

We are reaching out to our fellow Dublin clubs in this spirit of solidarity. We ask that your club executive discusses this matter ahead of the next County Committee meeting and considers instructing your delegates to vote in favour of our motion.

The motion will be circulated shortly by the County Secretary in advance of the next meeting. Should you or any members of your executive wish to discuss the specific wording of the motion or the background details we are presenting, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Thank you for your time, leadership, and consideration of this important matter.

Is mise, le meas,
Tom Morris.
Chairperson,
St. Joseph's / O'Connell Boys GAA Club

What will happen next?

The motion will be debated and voted on at an upcoming meeting of the County Committee. It is vital that the motion is voted on in line with standing orders.

What can you do?

If you are a member of a club in Dublin, make your views on the motion known to fellow members and to your Committee. You can also express your support for the motion on your own social media channels and, if you wish, by linking to this page.

Press Coverage:

Fresh pressure on GAA as Dublin club revives Allianz issue
GAA players protest over organisation’s sponsorship deal with Allianz