GAA Palestine says that it is “profoundly disappointed and outraged” at the Department of Justice’s “refusal” to facilitate a planned team trip to Ireland scheduled for Friday.
Last week, it emerged that the Department had refused to grant visas for 47 Palestinians, 33 of whom are children, who were due to come to Ireland for a GAA tour organised by the group. In an update tonight, the organisation said that the Department had “dismissed” concerns, and that the trip cannot proceed within the timeframe provided due to the appeals process.
The Department of Justice says that the applications were refused due to non-compliance with visa criteria.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said that the applications had been given “very careful consideration,” adding that the Government Department would “continue to apply rules in relation to migration and the issuing of visas […] particularly when it involves minors, and particularly when it involves minors travelling without their parents and accompanied by other adults.”
GAA Palestine have, however, insisted that all required documentation was provided.
In a statement issued on Monday, it said that the visas have not been processed: “GAA Palestine is profoundly disappointed and outraged by the Department of Justice’s refusal to facilitate our upcoming team trip to Ireland scheduled for 18th July. Despite our numerous appeals and attempts to engage, the department has dismissed our concerns and provided an appeals process that guarantees the trip cannot proceed within the timeframe required.
“All necessary visas were denied, with some refusals citing a lack of information—yet we have supplied all required documentation, including parental consent forms. We requested the Department of Justice to engage directly with us to verify and provide assurance that all documentation was in order, but our efforts were met with silence.
“Today, the GAA Palestine Executive travelled to Dublin to seek clarity and resolution. We met with a secretary from the Department of Justice who initially assured us that a senior officer would meet with us this afternoon. However, at 4:38 p.m., we received an email dismissing our concerns and directing us to an appeals process. This process, we are told, will take an indefinite amount of time and effectively prevent the team from traveling on 18th July.”
GAA Palestine also said that €38,000 has been spent on non-refundable tickets, adding it was “bewildered” as to why visas had been refused.
“The Irish Embassy in Tel Aviv’s insistence that flights be purchased prior to visa approval has resulted in a loss of €38,000 on non-refundable tickets. This reckless requirement, combined with the visa refusals—despite some members having previously travelled to Ireland this year without issue—raises serious questions about transparency and fairness.
“GAA Palestine is bewildered as to why visas have been refused when all evidence suggests no grounds for rejection. The dismissive attitude and lack of meaningful engagement from the Department of Justice have left us with no choice but to reconsider our plans.
“In response, we are actively exploring alternative locations for a Summer Camp to ensure our players can participate in meaningful sporting activities. We have received overwhelming support from Inter county GAA players eager to join and participate.
“It is deeply disappointing that common sense and fairness have been ignored. Our government’s decision to hinder our players’ travel is unjust and unacceptable. We call on the Irish authorities to reconsider their stance and facilitate the safe and fair travel of our team.”
The organisation’s founder and Chairman said: “We are deeply disheartened and outraged by the Department of Justice’s outright refusal to allow our team to travel to Ireland. Despite providing all necessary documentation and engaging in good faith, we have been met with dismissiveness and an appeals process that, in reality, guarantees our trip will not happen. This is not just a logistical setback; it’s a blatant disregard for fairness, transparency, and the spirit of sport that unites us all.”
The statement comes after protests took place at Croke Park, with children from across GAA clubs calling for 33 Palestinian children to be granted visas for the planned tour. Tonight, however, the organisation accepted that the trip would not proceed.
“Unfortunately, despite these efforts and the support we’ve received, we are only sorry that it did not convince the Department of Justice to allow this trip to proceed. Our players deserve better, and we will continue to fight for their right to participate and showcase their talent. We remain committed to finding alternative solutions and will not be deterred by this unjust treatment.”
Mary-Lou McDonald tonight called on the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to intervene.
“This decision should be changed,” she said. “The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have the power to sort this out.”
Speaking last week, Simon Harris pointed out that the children would not be travelling in the company of their parents.
“There was a request for 47 people to travel to Ireland from Palestine; 33 of these were children who were not travelling in the company of their parents. And these applications were given very careful consideration, and like I say, a visa officer has to be satisfied that children who are not travelling in the company of their parents are with an appropriate guardian. Additional documents such as birth certs or consent letters are regularly requested to establish the relationship. There is an appeals process underway,” Mr Harris said in the Dáil.