Originally in Belfast on a Fulbright fellowship, author Rus Bradburd is completing the manuscript of Almost Like Belonging for what will be his sixth book. All over Northern Ireland, and particularly in Belfast, refugees from Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, and Ukraine have changed the face of the community. Author Rus Bradburd found that the GAA has honored it’s motto, ‘Where We All Belong,’ and welcomed these immigrants and asylum seekers into their clubs – particularly the youth level. Sport as an agent for social change has been a theme in all of Bradburd’s book, and he was struck by not only the dramatic stories of the immigrants, but by the compassion of GAA coaches, players, and neighbors – who were often tied directly or indirectly to the Troubles.
Rus Bradburd is the author of five books and is completing Almost Like Belonging, which began in 2022 as a Fulbright Fellowship.
Ahmed Soda, now 20, is a refugee of the Syrian Civil War – and probably the first Syrian child to play Gaelic sports. A resident of Andersontown, three of his sisters have also been welcomed by Sarsfield GAA.
Ciarán Doherty began coaching Ahmed Soda before the boy could speak English. Their relationship is at the heart of the book project Almost Like Belonging.a
The panel will examine, through photos and personal testimony, how war refugee children in Belfast are assimilating through Gaelic sports. In the wake of anti-immigrant Brexit, riots the previous two summers, and the world teetering towards world war, Belfast and the GAA have provided a beacon for the rest of the world. While most discussions about the Troubles focus on the past, this story illuminates a path forward for the rest of the world. The panel will examine immigration, assimilation, Brexit, and how refugees from Syria, Ukraine, and Sudan have found acceptance through sport, which is always at the forefront of social progress.
Although Gaelic sports provide a backdrop, this is not a discussion for sports fans. Rather, the panel will unravel the irony of war refugees finding a home in what was once Europe’s most violent city. The unassuming and modest coach Ciarán Doherty went above and beyond the call of duty in mentoring Ahmed. Author (and Irish trad fiddler) Rus Bradburd has lived in Belfast for a total of four years. He arrived just two years before the Trump administration announced plans to kill the Fulbright program, in particular projects that promote diversity and inclusion – such as Almost Like Belonging.
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