The Singapore Gaelic Lions is a Gaelic football club in Singapore. It is established in 1997 and considered one of the strongest Gaelic football clubs in Southeast Asia.

The club hosted the 2017 Hurling All-Stars at the Padang

The club hosted the 2nd Southeast Asian Hurling Games in 2017, with clubs from Thailand and Hong Kong competing to be SEA champions

The club won the Bill Nikolopoulos Cup 2009.

The club participated in the 2008 Asian Gaelic Games held in Penang, Malaysia.

The club won the 2nd KL Challenge Trophy organised by Orang Eire.

The club hosted the 12th Asian Games in 2007, with clubs from across the continent competing to become Asian Champions 

Top Table over the years

2019
Chairperson: Niamh Donnelly & Petesy O' Brien; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: Stephen Whooley; Mens Captain: Stephen Swords; Ladies Captain: Eimear Mulhall; Hurling Captain: Pa O'Keeffee; Camogie Captain: Mariah Reidy

2018
Chairperson: Niamh Donnelly & Petesy O' Brien; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: Thomas Kennedy; Mens Captain: Ryan Mc Enaney; Ladies Captain: Mairéad Cushen; Hurling Captain: Pa O'Keeffee; Camogie Captain: Rachel Murphy

2017
Chairman: Michael Barry; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: Michael McCannon; Mens Captain: Liam McGinley; Ladies Captain:  Rosa Devaney; Hurling Captain: Conor Walsh; Camogie Captain:  Rachel Murphy

2016
Chairman: Michael Barry; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: Diarmuid Nolan; Mens Captain:  Petesy O’Brien; Ladies Captain:  Jennifer Norman; Hurling Captain: Padraig Dineen; Camogie Captain: Rachel Murphy

2015
Chairman: Gary Hanniffy; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: James McDonald; Mens Captain: Oisin Minagh; Ladies Captain: Niamh Drohan; Hurling Captain: Michael Barry; Camogie Captain: Rachel Maunsell.

2014
Chairman: Gary Hanniffy; Vice-Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Treasurer: Simon Beirne; Mens Captain:  Adrian Murtagh; Ladies Captain: Mags Moroney; Hurling Captain: Tom Kennedy; Camogie Captain: Rachel Maunsell.

2013
Chairman: Paraic McGrath; Vice-Chairman: Gary Hanniffy; Mens Captain: Jason O’Neill; Ladies Captain: Marie Condon.

2012
Chairman: Ruairi Hatchell; Mens Captain: Conor O'Donnvan; 

2011
Chairman: Derek Cahill

2010
Chairman: Derek Cahill

History : Where it all began

It all started in Taipei in 1995 with a bunch of lads establishing the first Asian Gaelic Games which would be held in Manila in 1996. Despite the best efforts from Taiwan, Singapore did not attend but a seed was sown in certain lads heads to get a club started.

Tyrone stalwart Brian Cummings then left Taiwan for Singapore around Sep 96 with the threat ringing in his ears of ‘Don’t bother turning up in Manila Cummings unless you have a Singapore team with you’. 

This drove Brian on and in 1997 on a balmy night in the Penny Black Pub (formerly Molly Malone’s on Boat Quay) the club that was to become known as the Singapore Gaelic Lions was formed. Led by John Lyons of Limerick and Brian Cummings and with about 5 to 6 people in attendance, the call to arms ensued and a longing to recreate past glories of yonder years in the wet fields of Ireland was started up. The group kicked on from there with a recruiting campaign putting up flyers in UK/Irish drinking holes in Singapore and pulled together a team to start training. Stragglers would turn up each Sunday and numbers grew over time as the word got around of these mad men and their antics.

Brian was the first Chairperson for 1997 and 1998 and started to build a club that year on year has expanded to where we are today, as the biggest club in South East Asia.

The men spent most of their free time in those days ‘visiting’ the usual watering holes hoping to find a few likely lads for a kick about. A certain Sean Duggan was one of the first recruits.

Sean was collared in Muddy Murphy’s upper bar and a few Kilkenny’s later John Lyons convinced him to turn up for Sunday training. 

Mr O’Neill was more easily persuaded as a bunch of his uncles were All-Ireland winners for Down. Having beaten Hong Kong in the first of the two ‘98 games, one of the best lines heard from the HK camp was ‘apparently Singapore have an Australian triathlete in their team’. That was our Donal! 

The Early Years

Our first games attendance was in the Philippines in 1997 where we lost the semi-final by just 1 point to Taiwan who subsequently lost to Hong Kong in the Final.

Beaten we may have been but at least now we knew we could compete with Asia’s best and our drive could not have been higher for the coming year.

This was regarded as a great start and certainly left all members wanting more. The celebrations although trophy-less went long into the hours in Manila and we returned to Singapore keen to start all over again at training.

 John Lyons

1998 Asian Champions

From L to R

John Lyons (Limerick), Eamon McGee (Derry), Jim Hanglow (Roscommon), Conor Doran (Antrim), 

Tristan Fusinato (Melbourne), Brian Cummings (Tyrone), Sean Duggan (Cork), Mark McLoughlin (Donegal),

Gavin Falk (Cork), Lee McLoughlin (Antrim), Donal O’Neill (Down), Sean Gatland (Wicklow)

1999 saw the first Singapore ladies team take part in the AGG’s and had a wonderful campaign

the Singapore B team. Dave was a great character from Australia, who lost his life in the 2002 Bali bombing.

The club then undertook a trip to Perth for the Australasian Games in 1999, which was a huge success in terms of recognition for the club.

Singapore was the first ‘outside’ club to participate in those games. On the field things were not as good with Singapore getting hammered in all their matches and by all accounts in the drinking stakes afterwards too.

It was a big deal for the club and the GAA President at that time, Joe McDonagh, took the team out for dinner in Perth. After 3 years building Singapore were now here to stay and everyone knew it.

1999 – The First Club Trip

Gaelic Lions have enjoyed great success both on and off the field. Along with winning trophies and

to so many people and given members the chance to travel, compete and enjoy what the rest of Asia has to offer. Indeed we still have members here that arrived in the late nineties and now call Singapore their new home.

We now boast members from 9 countries and from all 32 counties in Ireland in our club and each relation to the cubs and the schools in promoting GAA here and will continue to do this so one day we can see all these young people represent the Singapore GAA teams at the AGGs.

We have been fortunate to have great coaches throughout our 20 years and people that constantly give up all their free time to help the world, don’t be one bit surprised to see someone wearing a Singapore jersey and a smile on their face. We are very proud of where we all come from but we are also extremely proud of this club and what it has meant to us.

Neart Trí Iarracht

Once a Lion, Always A Lion.