Conor Eighan, Rochfortbridge: ‘It's a good outlet to meet people'

Conor Eighan, Rochfortbridge: ‘It’s a good outlet to meet people’

Rochfortbridge’s Conor Eighan might have “retired from the GAA at home at U12 or U14”, but the Qatar GAA Club was one of his first ports of call when he emigrated to the middle eastern state in July 2012.

“I spent a year abroad in New Zealand a few years ago and got involved in the GAA when I lived in Wellington. It’s a good outlet to meet people, especially when you are on your own.” More of a “social player” than anything, Conor says the GAA club, whose men’s A team won this year’s Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, is an invaluable resource for Qatar’s Irish community.

“We train at the local rugby club and at weekends that’s where the social hub is. There are tournaments all over the middle east four or five times a year and then there’s the Asian games, which are held once a year. When I was working in Mergon we had a big banquet and Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was the guest of honour but I didn’t get to meet him. When I was in Kuala Lumpur last year at the Asian Games he was there and I went up and said hello to him.” This year’s tournament was also held in the Malaysian capital and the guest of honour was paralympian and former Westmeath footballer Mark Rohan, a man fellow Lakesider Conor was happy to see.

“At home my primary activity is cycling with the Wheelers and Triathlon club. Mark Rohan was auctioned off during the tournament as a celebrity bainisteoir.” Currently working in sales, marketing and office administration, business postgrad Conor, who is at home for a Christmas break, says he intends to stay in Qatar (which has only 100,000 Qatari nationals out of a population of 2m) for the foreseeable future and the GAA club will continue to play a central role in his life.

“There is a massive boom going on here and there is a ridiculous number of construction sites. A lot of the guys here would be engineers or work in construction and the ladies would be teachers. In many ways, you live for the weekend and the tournaments are a good social outlet.”