Luxembourg, Carlow Gaelic Football Clubs Meet for Inaugural Willibrord-Lazerian Cup

On Saturday 26 September 2026, Gaelic Sports Club Luxembourg (GSCL) welcomed Old Leighlin GFC from County Carlow to Stade Gust Jacquemart in Luxembourg-Kirchberg for the inaugural Willibrord-Lazerian Cup, a Gaelic football match between the clubs’ U-15 girls’ teams.

The idea for the initiative came from Club na nÓg founder Lizzy Murphy Dunne, who saw an opportunity to bring the sporting connection between Luxembourg and Carlow to life as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Originally from Carlow and a member of the Old Leighlin community, she worked with GSCL and the Embassy of Ireland in Luxembourg to develop the initiative. “I really thought it would be good to bring the Gaelic sports into the whole Carlow-Luxembourg pairing,” she told Chronicle.lu, adding that the event also offered the visiting players an opportunity to discover Luxembourg and potentially build new connections beyond the pitch.

On Friday 25 September, the Old Leighlin team and their coaches visited the Embassy of Ireland in Luxembourg, where Ambassador Jean McDonald welcomed them and witnessed the signing of a Friendship Charter between the two clubs.

Speaking at the match on Saturday, Ambassador McDonald highlighted the wider significance of the initiative, noting that Luxembourg was paired with County Carlow as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency celebrations. “Sport and friendship. I think that’s really what this is about. Girls will make friendships here today that hopefully will last, and that’s a huge part of what being a member state of the European Union is all about — forging those connections between our two countries,” she said.

The match brought together around 40 young players, with 22 girls representing Luxembourg and 18-19 travelling from Old Leighlin. The Luxembourg side was also joined by six players from Eintracht Frankfurt, helping the team reach the required numbers for the match. The game was played over three 20-minute periods, with the visiting Old Leighlin side eventually claiming victory.

“It’s just a lovely way of being inclusive and bringing more people to play,” added Tadhg Dunne, GSCL youth chairperson.

Former presidents of Gaelic Sports Club Luxembourg were also present at the match and shared memories of the club’s early years, including its first Gaelic football match in Luxembourg in the 1970s and the development of Gaelic games across Europe. One of the former presidents recalled that the club had always welcomed players from outside the Irish community, while another noted how the sport has grown both in Luxembourg and across Europe.

Following the match, the Old Leighlin team received the inaugural Willibrord-Lazerian Cup during a presentation ceremony. The ceremony also included the presentation of Friendship Charters to both clubs, following their signing at the Embassy of Ireland the previous evening.

The teams, coaches and accompanying guests then had an opportunity to network, while the visitors also spent time exploring Luxembourg City before the programme concluded with a dinner. Representatives of Old Leighlin expressed the hope of welcoming the Luxembourg club to County Carlow in the future, building on the new friendship between the two clubs.