While county championships in Ireland have all come to a close, there was still one more title to be decided in the Dutch city of Maastricht recently.

Leitirmacaward duo Michael Breslin and Declan Bonner were part of the Den Haag side that captured the ‘European’ club championship following thousands of miles clocked up throughout the continent.

Speaking to the Donegal Post this Week Michael (28) explained exactly what that pursuit of glory entailed, and further elaborated on importance of the GAA to young Irish people around the globe.

“The final took place at Halloween and we were delighted to have been able to get the victory, and it’s nice to be able to say that you have a European championship medal,” said Michael.

“The competition itself involved twenty-four sides from all over Europe, so there was a lot of travelling to get through but it was also a great experience. It’s called the ‘Euros’ but it is in fact now recognised as a county championship and we even have our own county board.

“There were four rounds of championship in total. The Euros started in July, but before that we had the local rounds which included ourselves and teams from Luxemburg and Belgium.

“If you can get through the locals rounds then that’s when the competition really takes off. We actually had to travel up to Copenhagen and over to Germany, so you can imagine the travel involved- I’ll never be giving out about travelling again when I get back to Na Rossa that’s for sure!”

Michael departed for the Netherlands back in 2002, and admits that the GAA played a significant part in helping him find his feet in the country. He now plans to visit Australia and intends to once again use the GAA as the common bond when he eventually arrives.

“At home the GAA has always been about Gaelic football and winning on the pitch. Its only when you live abroad that you get a sense of what it’s really about. We have such a strong vibrant GAA community out here and it really made all the difference when I first arrived seven years ago.

“There are actually youth officers going around the schools in France teaching youngsters so it’s really taking off all over. The second tier of this competition was won by Rennes last year. But what was unique about that was that the whole side was made up exclusively of French players, and that’s amazing when you think of it.

“Myself and my partner are thinking of heading Down Under in the near future and the first thing I’ll be doing when I arrive is joining the nearest side where ever I settle. It’s the best way of integrating yourself and meeting news friends and of course finding employment.”