Invaders to US prove a costly PR exercise

In the continuing series of articles from the GAA Museum, we look at the 1888 Invasion Tour to America which won hearts and minds but failed to raise some necessary cash

ONE OF the ideas considered by the founders of the GAA was the revival of the ancient Tailteann Games. In 1888 the idea of hosting this Celtic Festival was again raised and plans were put in place to hold the festival in Dublin in the summer of 1889. The festival would include field games, athletic contests, an industrial exhibition and literary and musical competitions. It would cost about £5,000.

To raise the capital, it was planned that a group of Irish athletes would embark on a fundraising tour of Irish centres in America staging displays of hurling and athletics and contests against America. Some £1,000 would be needed for the tour and a nationwide fundraising campaign began, the idea being that each of the 800 or so affiliated clubs would contribute a small amount. In the meantime, the process of selecting hurlers and athletes to accompany the tour began.

Counties with properly constituted boards were asked to nominate a number of hurlers, but the fall-out from the 1887 split and the renewed influence of the IRB meant some counties (most notably Cork, Limerick and Galway) did not nominate any hurlers. In the end, 25 hurlers were chosen, with Tipperary and Dublin contributing five each.

The All-Ireland athletic contest was held in Limerick in August 1888 and Maurice Davin and Daniel Frewen (treasurer) attended with a view of selecting the best competitors. The selection of the 18 athletes to travel was straightforward.

When the Central Council examined the details of the fund it was discovered that, despite all the public appeals, the amount fell far short of the target. Cancelling the tour was not feasible, so departure was postponed from August until September.

To help raise funds Davin decided to bring the party together a week before departure and hold exhibition games in Dublin, Wexford, Dundalk, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Cork.

On September 16th, 1888, the “Invaders” boarded the Wisconsin and nine days later they arrived in New York to a heroes’ welcome.

The tour visited New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark, Patterson, Providence and Lowell. The press were generous in their coverage of the games, with hurling getting great reviews. From a social viewpoint, the tour was a success and helped establish the GAA in America.

However, influences outside of their control ultimately lead to the trip being considered a failure. The Invaders arrived in America to a bitter dispute between the rival athletic bodies: the National American Athletic Association (NAAA) and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The larger AAU refused to participate in the tour unless the GAA denounced the NAAA. When the GAA took a neutral position the AAU refused to compete against them. So the tour lost the attraction of the international contests between the Irish and the best athletes of America. Gate receipts suffered.

When Davin and the other officials sat down during the last days of the tour to examine the financial position their worst fears were confirmed. A further £450 was needed just to meet expenses. Michael Davitt advanced the party the money and all debts were cleared.

When the party left America on October 31st its numbers had fallen and, of the 51 that arrived, 17 (and possibly more) chose to stay in America permanently.

The aim of the tour was to raise £5,000 for staging the Tailteann Games in 1889. In this aspect the tour must be considered a failure. It would be 34 years before the idea of staging the Tailteann Games was raised again.