Townsville Wolfhounds: Australia’s latest Irish corner

Earlier this year Antrim man Christy Agnew helped found Australian Gaelic football club Townsville Wolfhounds. Here is their story…

By Michael McMullan

WHAT do you get when you mix Antrim, Westmeath and Limerick blood together in Townsville? If it is March 2024, then the result it’s Townsville Wolfhounds, the latest addition to the GAA family.

On the luscious eastern coastal route towards Cairns, Townsville is tucked in behind Magnetic Island. A paradise.

Three heads started a club that hopes to have roots to stand the test of time. Stephen ‘Sid’ Byrne from Westmeath was the first President. Darren Curry, a Limerick man via Liverpool, takes charge of the accounts while Antrim man Christy Agnew is secretary.

The Wolfhounds are the first GAA club in Townsville. For now, it’s about football. Hurling hugs the inner thoughts too. The uniqueness of the small ball game always attracts attention. In Townsville, the Australian born playerss want to dig deeper in the game.

The motivation for a new club? The answer is more than about sport. Like all GAA pockets away from Irish shores, it provides an identity Irish exiles have left behind.

A home from home gives them a chance to back something. In the case of the Wolfhounds, it’s a leg up for the Irish backpackers passing through.

“We use Gaelic games as a way for them to network and socialise with Townsville’s resident Irish,” Agnew outlines.

Travel tips are swapped. Accommodation and employment help is another olive branch. It dissolves homesickness. And there is a game of football.

“Backpackers must accrue 88 days of regional work as part of their working visas,” Agnew points out. “Townsville, with all-year round sunshine, unspoilt beaches, tropical rainforests, numerous and varied wildlife is an attractive destination.”

It’s a two-way street. With growing numbers and the footballing knowledge of those passing through, it elevates the club. A rising tide lifts all boats.

A city of approximately 202,000 is one of the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef, which sits just off the coast. Between Brisbane and Cairns, with the sun, it’s the perfect location.

“There is an Irish presence like so many cities in Queensland but we felt they lacked cohesion,” Agnew added of their reason to form the new club.

“Many of our members have Australian-born children and the desire for them to play Gaelic games was another strong incentive.”

The register boasts over 40 players with another 200 non-playing members. And it’s only the beginning. The diaspora have responded. They like what they see. This all ties in with the ambitious plans.

“It is difficult to put a percentage of non-Irish born members, but we average 12 to 15 youngsters at our pup-program,” Agnew outlines of their newest recruits under the age of 13 with at least one Irish parent.

Four of the recent masters’ team are native of Australia or New Zealand. Aside from a US native, the senior team were born in Ireland. All of the ladies’ squad are Irish.

The club competed competitively in August, the seven-a-side Carpenter Cup. The men won three of their group games, drawing the other, all against established Queensland teams.

They lost the final with Masters coming up short in their decider after a penalty shootout.

Just last month the Wolfhounds took over 30 players on the four-hour drive to Cairns for the North Queensland Championship.

“Again, our senior men’s panel were three games unbeaten in the group stage but fell in the final,” Agnew added. “Both our masters and ladies’ panels won their respectives section for our first silverware.”

For a club just formed in March, it’s considerable progress despite not having the same population centres like Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne. There isn’t the same array of games.

A reliance on backpackers leads to a “fluctuating” membership with a rebuild needed every few months.

They hope to lean on social media, the word of mouth. So far, it’s working.

With a more affordable cost of living is an attraction but the four hours to Cairns of a 15-hour spin to Brisbane for games is a hurdle.

“Our immediate aims are to build a youngsters’ (pups) hurling program so that even without any competitive teams nearby, we can have enough young players to play in-club games and progress the sport locally,” Agnew sums up.

“We will also continue to provide a home away from home to the Irish visiting Townsville.”

They hope to host the next North Queensland Championship and travel south to get involved in competitions there.

Where there is a will, there is a way and where are Irish people there will be a need for GAA. Townsville now has an outlet. It’s Australia’s latest Irish corner.