Barcelona Gaels' Bríd Murphy ready for landmark day

It will be all hands on deck for the Barcelona Gaels club later on today as they take part in historic events at both home and abroad.

In UPMC Nowlan Park at 12pm, the men's team will take on Kilkenny champions Conahy Shamrocks in round one of the Leinster junior club football championship and will, as a result, become the first side from Iberia to feature in the competition.

It is also set to be a big day for them on the LGFA front with over 200 women making the journey over to the Spanish city to participate in a Gaelic4Mothers&Others festival that is being hosted by Barcelona Gaels.

In addition to being the first of its kind to be organised by an Iberian club, this Mothers & Others extravaganza is also predicted to be the biggest in Europe owing to the sheer amount of people that will be in attendance.

A member of Barcelona Gaels since arriving in the city last November, Mayo woman Bríd Murphy is one of a number of players from the ladies section who will be helping to ensure today’s festival runs as smoothly as possible.

"It’s actually amazing to think that there is a team in Spain and we’re competing in the Leinster championship. Then we’re hosting clubs from nine different counties here also. Gaelic football is well and truly on the map here in Spain, for sure," Murphy remarked.

"With the organising (for the Gaelic4Mothers&Others festival), it’s all broken up. Obviously the men are away, so it’s all the ladies teams. I think there are maybe 30 or 40 of us volunteering for the day and obviously we’ll look after them for the weekend as well.

"There was 30 girls there. I couldn't believe it."

"We have broken it up into referees and then we have people with the jerseys. We have linesmen, we have umpires and then we have