The local man behind the Galway sporting network thriving in Australia

Because one of the Sydney Galway Gaels, David Henry hails from a strong sporting background, having played, coached and served on the committee with St James’ GAA Club in Galway.

He also worked with the High Performance Sports Unit at the University of Galway as one of the lead social media coordinators from 2015 to 2020 – and he worked with a number of clubs outside St James’ GAA, including West United FC and Castlegar GAA, before emigrating to Australia in 2025.

Now residing in Sydney, he has uncovered a fascinating network of Galway people involved in sport across their adopted city, from AFLW and GAA to camogie and soccer.

This journey began with a conversation between Henry and Kieran Donohue, a lead coach with the Sydney Swans AFL Academy.

During the conversation, Kieran revealed that his grandfather was Jim Donoghue, a renowned figure in Galway hurling circles with Castlegar GAA Club.

Indeed Jim Donoghue was an integral part of the Castlegar senior hurling team that won back-to-back the Galway Senior Hurling Championships in 1936 and 1937.

The 1936 victory was Castlegar’s first senior county championship title and marked the beginning of a remarkable period of success for the club.

David Henry then visited the Donohue family home in Sydney, where he heard so many stories about their great Galway ancestor.

“It was great listening to them sharing their stories from the past about Jim’s life and his life in Castlegar," he says.

"I remember ringing Joe Connolly shortly afterwards, and he told me that the team’s Jim played on had really laid the foundations for the club’s future success.

"He said that they got their toughness from a generation that had been shaped by the War of Independence”.

Castlegar went on to win 17 senior county titles, as well as a club All-Ireland title, highlighting the remarkable legacy that followed those early generations.

The visit sparked Henry’s curiosity about the wider Galway connections within Sydney’s sporting community.

Intrigued by the Donohue family visit triggered Henry to carry out further research.

He soon discovered there were many people from Galway living in Sydney and playing with various clubs across a variety of sporting codes”.

Being a photographer, coupled with a passionate love of sport, has allowed him to capture some incredible sporting moments.

He had the honour of photographing the first-ever AFLW international game between Ireland and Australia.

“It was incredible to see how many Irish players are now involved in the professional game,” he says.

One of those players, former Galway star Áine McDonagh is from Moycullen, who is currently the AFLW’s leading Irish goalkicker.

Henry met Áine after the Ireland and Australia game pitch-side.

“It was great to talk to her after so many years … She is an inspiration to all sporting people and is one of the leading players for Hawthorn AFLW. Áine is certainly someone to watch for the future,” he says.

One of the first major events Henry covered was the NSW GAA Championship Finals.

This was while producing videos documenting the Cormac McAnallen’s GAA Club teams, players and activities.

Cormac McAnallen’s is one of Sydney’s successful GAA clubs, fielding adult teams across several codes.

The club was founded in Sydney in January 2005 and was named after the late Tyrone footballer Cormac McAnallen, whose legacy continues to resonate throughout Gaelic football.

The Galway connection with Cormac McAnallen’s stretches back to 2012, when the club’s hurling team was established.

A number of Galway hurlers joined the club at the time, helping to establish the connection that has continued to grow over the years.

Since then, Galway clubs have provided a steady flow of talented players to Sydney across the various codes.

Among the Galway players involved in men’s football with the Mac’s have been Pádraig Neenan (Cortoon Shamrocks), Gerry Comer (Williamstown) and Niall Cox (Barna GAA).

All enjoyed successful seasons, helping to secure league and championship titles.

Another Galwegian who left his mark in Sydney was former Galway inter-county footballer Dessie Connelly from Moycullen.

He played with Penrith Gaels before returning home and to again become a key figure with the Moycullen senior team as evidenced by his superlative display in the recent county senior football semi-final.

The Cormac McAnallen camogie team also benefits from a strong Galway presence. In 2026, several Galway women were on the Mac’s panel indicating the strength of the connection with the West.

The club enjoyed considerable success in recent years.

In 2017, they won its first NSW League Final before completing a clean sweep of titles in 2018, including the coveted Melbourne 7s.

The team is managed by Jonathan Rooney from Craughwell and under his guidance reached the 2026 NSW Senior Camogie Championship Final, only to be narrowly defeated by Naomh Pádraig.

The Galway contingent included Cianna Reidy (Craughwell), Muirne Kilcommins (Mountbellew), Caoimhe Reidy (Craughwell), Andrea Tobin (Craughwell), Sarah Breheny (Davitts), Jessica Donohue (Turloughmore) and Ciara Fahy (Kilimor).

Other Galway players connected with Sydney GAA include Dara Mac Dubhghaill (Micheál Breathnach), Ciarán Conroy, Liam Conroy and Tomás Conroy (Na Piarsaigh Rosmuc), Seán Raftery (Corofin) and Tomás Farthing (An Spidéal).

Michael Cusack’s also have a strong Galway presence with players such as Brian Steede (Corofin), Mark Mannion (Mountbellew-Moylough), Ryan O’Shaughnessy (Athenry) and Ruairí Greene (Kilannin). Bondi Gaels boast of having Seán Miland from Mountbellew-Moylough.

The connection extends beyond Gaelic games, with a number of Galway City players also making their mark on Sydney’s soccer scene.

During the season, several Galway players were involved with the Heffron Hawks.

The team was captained by Robert Carroll, a former Mervue United player, who was joined by former Mervue teammates Gary Bailey and Eric Neary; all making their presence felt in the land Down Under.

David Knight, a former Knocknacarra FC player, was also part of the squad, alongside Kevin Cahalan from Salthill Devon.

The Hawks went on to win the Eastern Suburbs Grand Final, with Knight scoring the decisive goal late in the second half to secure victory.

For David Henry, discovering these connections has added another dimension to the experience of living and working in Australia.

And what started out with a conversation about a former Castlegar “hurling great” has since developed into a much wider journey through Sydney’s sporting community — uncovering links across AFL, AFLW, GAA, camogie and soccer world.

David Henry has not only been able to document sporting occasions, but he has also recorded the stories of the people who continue to make an impact in Australian sports.

And he hopes to continue documenting their stories into the future.

“Getting the opportunity to work with so many clubs on the other side of the world is a great experience for me, particularly with the Sydney Swans. I am looking forward to the new season ahead,” he says.

He continues to work with DH Sports Media and can be followed on social media at @davehenrysportsmedia with further information available through dhsportsmedia.ie.