Who We Are
Irish You a Merry Christmas is an annual charitable initiative with the purpose of bringing festive cheer to children in need in the San Diego community. The event is a partnership between The Irish Outreach Center and the four Irish sporting organizations in San Diego;
- Setanta Men’s Gaelic Football Club
- Na Fianna Ladies Gaelic Football Club
- St. Peters Men’s Hurling Club
- San Diego Youths GAA Club
San Diego has been a welcoming place and one of great opportunity for Irish immigrants for many years. Our event allows the Irish community to return this hospitality and to show their gratitude to America’s Finest City by spreading some festive cheer and treating San Diego’s disadvantaged members in the community to the magic of an Irish Christmas. We’d love you to join us in helping to make this a very special Christmas for local San Diego families in need, many of whom are living in the city’s shelters.
Our Goal:
To create a wonderful Irish Christmas for families at schools in the San Diego area. Christmas dinner will be served and our Irish Santa will be on hand deliver to gifts to the children while an array of performers will entertain the crowd with Irish music, dance, sporting demonstrations, and crafts.
How you can help:
In order to make the day a success and as memorable an occasion as last year, we are seeking assistance in the form of volunteers, corporate sponsorship, financial donations and in-kind donations.
Our primary funding is from private donations and this event is a volunteer led initiative with 100% of the funds raised going directly to assisting the families in need.
Find out how you can help by emailing us at [email protected]
or by calling The Irish Outreach Center at (619) 291 1630.
The Irish Outreach Center is a vibrant, multi-service center serving the Irish community and recently arrived Irish immigrants in Southern California. We are committed to promoting the interests of our community while also providing opportunities to give something back in our adopted home through charitable projects. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Contact: irishoutreachcenter.org / [email protected] / Facebook
Setanta Gaelic Football and Surf Club was founded in 2001. The Club ethos, in traditional Irish fashion, uses sport as the cornerstone of the community, where family and friends are brought together through sport. Our main objective is to maintain a club-based community that provides fun and friendship for the entire family through sports and social events incorporating cultural and community service aspects.
Contact: www.setantasandiegogfc.com / Facebook
Na Fianna LGFC was founded at the end of 1997 and competed in the Southern California Division for the first time in 1998. The term Na Fianna translates from Gaeilge, the national language of Ireland, to mean “The Warriors” Since its inception Na Fianna has grown to a club of over thirty playing members. The strength of the club comes in part from it’s diverse membership. Our players come from all over the globe: Ireland, America, Japan, Australia and even Mexico! The club has a very strong team spirit and is all about women playing sport in a fun and competitive environment. We are San Diego’s only womens gaelic football team and represent SD in the Southern California League.
Contact: www.nafianna.com / Facebook
St. Peter’s Hurling Club of San Diego was established in May 2010. We are founded by volunteers, and are dedicated to the promotion of the sport of hurling and its cultural heritage. Our mission is to provide opportunities to learn and play hurling for our members of all ages, skill levels, and gender. We also seek to promote greater awareness of the Irish culture and San Diego Irish community.Hurling is the national sport of Ireland, and by some estimates is over 3,000 years old. It incorporate elements of lacrosse, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, soccer, rugby, football, and many other sports, although it predates them all. The action is fast and aggressive, with players using their hurls (sticks) to knock the sliotar (ball) into the goal for 3 points or through a pair of uprights for 1 point.
Contact: www.sandiegohurling.com / Facebook
Founded in 2007, San Diego Youth Gaelic Athletic Association (SDYGAA) promotes and organizes Gaelic Football for ages 5 through 15 in San Diego and Orange Counties. We are a non-profit corporation focused on offering youths the opportunity to gain a sense of community, camaraderie and develop physically and personally. SDYGAA affords players the opportunity to experience a new sport, travel nationally and internationally and learn the history and beauty of the national sport of Ireland
Contact: www.sdygaa.com / Facebook