The Steelers made a little bit of history on Saturday, returning to the ancestral homeland of the Rooney family - Newry, County Down - to hold a youth American Flag Football clinic at Páirc Esler.
The clinic was run in association with American Football Ireland and approximately 60 young male and female GAA players took part in the first-ever clinic to take place in Newry. From Camlough to Mayobridge, the county was well represented, with Steelers legends Willie Parker and James Farrior assisting on the day.
On the day, the Steelers were joined by numerous members of Down GAA, which included Pat Havern from the Senior Football Team, Caolan Taggart from the Senior Hurling Team, Meghan Doherty from the Senior Ladies Football Team and Dearbhla Magee from the Senior Camogie Team. The Tailteann Cup, the first senior men's trophy won by Down since the 1990s, was presented to both Willie Parker and James Farrior on the day also.
For Willie Parker, the opportunity to visit Ireland for the first time is an exciting opportunity.
"It's my first time in Ireland and I'm having a blast", he said. "There are some great people out here. I've had the chance to stroll around Dublin and check out the sights and sounds and I love it."
Mayobridge native Charlie Smyth, who recently signed with the New Orleans Saints is held in high regard by the young athletes attending the clinic and the opportunity to see someone sign with an NFL team a mere five miles from Newry has given added motivation to the next generation.
For Parker, he would like to see more Irish players make it to the NFL, in addition to Smyth and Dan Whelan of the Green Bay Packers.
"I think it would be cool to see some Irish players continue to make it in the league", he said.
John Devaney, chairman of Down GAA, was in attendance at Páirc Esler. For Devaney, it is a key moment for the county and continuing to build the connection with Down and the Steelers.
"It's a unique thing to happen, with the connection of sport and also the link between the Rooney family and the county of Down", he said. "What happened today did not just happen out of the blue. There is a genuine connection between the Steelers and the GAA, as well as Croke Park. I think this is perhaps only the beginning of the journey - and that's great to see."
Steelers Director of Business Development & Strategy Dan Rooney was also present for the camp and spoke of his pride on returning to his family's ancestral homeland.
"It's really special to be in Newry," Rooney said. "Any time the Steelers come to the island of Ireland is special, but it's even more special today to be in County Down, where the Rooney family hails from. Having the opportunity to bring out James Farrior and Willie Parker, who are multiple Super Bowl Champions and some guys who have played some of the best football our team has ever seen, teaching the game to the youth here is really exciting to see."
