The
Gaelic Athletic Association was founded in
Thurles in 1884, with the main goal of the preservation and cultivation of Irish national sport. The late 19th century was a period in which the
Home Rule movement was gaining traction in Ireland, and Gaelic games were seen as a outward expression of Irish cultural and
national pride, and a rejection of ‘English’ games, such as
association football and
rugby.
Irish migration in the late 19th and early 20th century brought the Gaelic games over to Britain for the first time. Britain’s first formal club was founded in
Wallsend in 1885, and by 1901, clubs had been established in
London,
Glasgow,
Manchester, and
Liverpool.
County boards were founded in
London and
Glasgow in 1896 and 1903 respectively, aligning themselves directly with the GAA in Ireland, and in
1901, London won the
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the only team outside of Ireland to do so. Many significant figures in both GAA and Irish history played in London during this early period, including
Sam Maguire,
Michael Collins, and
Liam MacCarthy. London and
Liverpool were the 2 initial areas taking their places on the Council in 1927, with the Liverpool County Board changing its name to Lancashire and District in 1934. By 1957, the county boards of Derby,
Gloucester, Lancashire, London,
Warwickshire, and
Yorkshire were active in England, with Wales and Scotland also continuing to develop.
Hertfordshire became affiliated in 1960, and the Derby teams moved under the auspices of Warwickshire in 1970. == Counties ==