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.

Dublin County Committee Mandated To Drop Allianz Sponsorship

• St Joseph’s O’Connell Boys motion gets overwhelming support from Dublin Clubs.
• Grassroots support and key Dublin GAA figures help to deliver a successful vote.
• Dublin delegates must now back dropping Allianz at the next GAA Annual Congress in February 2027.

Dublin has become the latest county to be mandated by member clubs to cut ties with Allianz following a county board vote.

A motion tabled earlier this week by St Joseph’s-O’Connell Boys was supported by 46 delegates. 20 voted against the motion with 10 abstaining. Dublin clubs send either one or two delegates to the county committee.

St Joseph’s / OCB, which runs two teams in Dublin’s lower divisions, is the last remaining GAA club in the North Inner City.

The motion mandates the Dublin County Committee to lobby the GAA to terminate all relationships with Allianz, following a re-negotiation of current contracts.

It makes Dublin the tenth county to pass a motion advocating for cutting ties with Allianz.

An additional clause calls for the GAA to integrate human rights provisions into all partnerships, in line with United Nations Guiding Principles.

The campaign won extensive support from grassroots members across the county. Influential Dublin GAA figures including current senior football panel member Davy Byrne, current senior football manager Ger Brennan, former senior football manager Pat Gilroy and three-time All Ireland winner Dr. David Hickey, have also lent their support to ending the Allianz relationship.

Commenting on the motion, Campaign organiser and St Joseph’s / OCB Delegate Mike Heffernan said: “We’re delighted with the support. This was a true grassroots campaign rooted in solidarity with the people of Palestine and the unconscionable atrocities that continue to be perpetrated there on a daily basis. Taking our lead from the UN and human rights experts, we began working on this motion many months ago. We’ve been greatly heartened by the support received from so many of our fellow Dublin clubs.”

“This also shows what the GAA should be all about. That a small club like ourselves can seek to change the course of the organisation.”

Congress in February will be a vital moment and Heffernan added: “We think this is a crucial moment in the campaign but the work goes on and we need other counties to follow suit.

“The message we heard constantly during our campaign is there is more to the GAA than the bottom line. We thank the ordinary GAA people across the county for their overwhelming support, and hope to see many more counties do the same thing over the coming months.”

Press Coverage:

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