Dublin GAA heroes Hickey and Macauley leading the march for Gaza - 'when is enough, enough?'

Sporting pair's bid to raise awareness for the people of Gaza as fighting resumed with fresh Israeli air strikes

Dublin GAA heroes David Hickey and Michael Darragh Macauley are calling on other Irish sport stars to join them in marching for Gaza.

The pair will be taking part in today’s march in the capital city to raise awareness for the people of Gaza as fighting resumed yesterday with Israeli air strikes on the region.

“We have a group going into the march under the ‘Dublin Footballers Support Palestine’ banner,” says Hickey. “Myself and Michael Darragh Macauley formed this group. We feel that the Dublin team have a significant profile in the city and we can reach out to people who mightn’t be all that interested or aware of what is going on in Gaza.

“We hope that we can start something among sports people in Ireland and that the other counties and rugby and soccer people will get involved and force a change of attitudes towards what is going on there. We want to lend our voice in support of the Palestinian people and try and increase the numbers turning up at protest marches to force our Government to take a stronger stance on Israel.”

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On October 7 more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel in an attack by Hamas militants. Since then more than 14,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces and whole cities reduced to rubble.

This has led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with a severe lack of food, water and medical supplies in Gaza and hundreds of thousands displaced and without homes. Refugee camps have been hit and hospitals have run out of power as the death toll in Gaza increased day by day before the recent seven-day truce.

Yesterday, fighting resumed and Macauley — who won eight All-Irelands in the blue jersey — hopes the former Dublin players can lend some support to the people of the region with today’s march. It’s one of a number of marches being held around the country and follows a series of concerts and literary events in recent days.

“Sporting organisations have a huge role to play within social justice issues in general,” says Macauley. “I think it’s important because they’re such community leaders, particularly within the GAA, to stand up for what’s right. No matter what that is, no matter what that looks like.

“In this circumstance, we’re all sitting here from the comforts of our own nicely warmed homes watching the atrocity that is happening in Gaza at the moment. It’s very important for us, as a community, to make a stand on this. And to lead from the front.

“Those kind of community values are so important in the GAA. It is so important to stand up for what’s right. David Hickey’s been doing this for a long time. He will always back what’s right, come what may. He’s dead right on this. And to anyone out there thinking: ‘What do the Dublin lads have to do with Palestine or Gaza, why don’t they mind their own lot?’

“I’ve never believed in that. There’s a huge power in one and there’s a huge power in one group as well. And you never know who you might influence and the power that has. The very least we can do is come together as a group and let the people of Dublin know where we stand on this issue.

“If there was one young fella who gets interested in the topic from this, who knows where that can go. And who knows who that person might go on to be.”

Hickey has long been active in raising awareness on political and social issues. In 1999 he used the Dublin Jubilee team presentation before the All-Ireland final at Croke Park to protest against the Cuban blockade. Hickey has been one of the country’s most respected surgeons for many years and he’s horrified at what has unfolded over the last few weeks.

“I’m consistently against human rights abuses everywhere,” says Hickey. “This is so glaringly necessary that we should have a million people on the streets in Dublin on Saturday.”

A three-time All-Ireland winner as a player, Hickey was also part of the Dublin backroom staff under Pat Gilroy and Jim Gavin when Macauley was starring in blue. And the former Dublin team doctor and selector has remained an inspiration to Macauley.

“Dave has been by far probably the biggest influence to me within Dublin GAA of anyone. From the moment I met Dave his values shone out of him so strong,” says former player of the year Macauley. “No matter what effort it takes, he’ll always stand up for what’s right. What’s happening is horrendous. It’s important to stand up for what’s right.”

More than 100 Israeli hostages were released over the last seven days in exchange for 240 Palestinians and both Hickey and Macauley were relieved to hear of the safe return of Dublin girl Emily Hand, who had been held captive by Hamas.

But Hickey is calling for Ireland and the international community to take a stronger stance on Israel for the way civilians in Gaza have suffered since the conflict began with reports of that over 6,000 Palestinian children have been killed.

“That is why we are standing up,” says Hickey. “To quote Martin Luther King: ‘In times of turmoil and transition, it was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people that allowed it happen’.”

Several former members of the Dublin men’s and women’s teams will be at today’s march in an unofficial capacity and Macauley is in agreement with Hickey about the need to show solidarity with the people of Gaza. The protest will start at the Garden of Rememberance at 1pm this afternon and will march to the Dáil.

“We all witnessed what happened with Hamas and Hamas doesn’t represent Palestine,” he says. “It’s hard to us to comprehend what Emily Hand and the family went through and of course, it’s horrendous, we all know that. But when is enough, enough? It’s important that we show where we stand and lead from the from the front on this.”

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