The "temporary diaspora" at play: The development of Gaelic games in British universities

In the second half of the twentieth century, a new significant grouping emerged in the pattern of migration from Ireland. During this period the numbers of Irish students attending universities and colleges of higher education in Britain rose steadily. Many of these students returned to Ireland as soon as their course of study ended, and so they could be said to comprise a 'temporary diaspora'. [1] Corresponding with their growth in numbers, these Irish students have increasingly played Gaelic games at their respective universities in Britain. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and its sports have thus become the primary vehicles for the expression of Irishness among Irish students in the British higher education environment, and have become one of the links binding a new generation of Irish migrs to their native land.