Galway footballing hero Damien Comer joined more than fifty male and female GAA players from all four codes for the game of a lifetime last weekend – the first ever Plant the Planet Games in Nairobi, Kenya.

The All-Star full forward joined other big names including Limerick’s Sean Finn, Wexford’s Matthew O’Hanlon, Kilkenny’s Grace Walsh, Niamh O’Sullivan from Meath, Kerry footballer Stefan Okunbor – all thanks to former Galway dual star Alan Kerins, founder and CEO of Warriors for Humanity.

“An unbelievable moment for the GAA and a dream come true after years of planning,” was how he described it after Sunday’s unique event – the first ever inter-county game to be played in Kenya.

Comer wasn’t the only Galway representative, because the travelling party also included Darren Morrissey, Ollie Fahy, Mark Hoolihan and Paul Hoolihan who took to the field for a series of exhibition games at Nairobi Rugby Club on Sunday, and were the guests of honour at a reception hosted by the Irish Ambassador to Kenya, that night.

The aim of the trip is to highlight the impact of climate change and raise sufficient funds to plant one million trees in Africa. The GAA players in Kenya this week staged a number of fundraising events across Ireland in recent months and also received support from national and local businesses.

“The funds raised from this historic trip will go to Self Help Africa to support the planting of trees, essential not only to combating the increasing impact of climate change but also as a way of providing sustainable income for local communities. I can’t thank the players enough who worked tirelessly over the past few months raising money for this trip,” said Alan.

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