When Gaelic Athletic Games Were Played at Dilboy Field in Somerville, MA

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, photo from Irish Citizen Newspaper

Before moving to its permanent home at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) New England division played its games at Dilboy Field in Somerville.

These photos were taken from the July 4, 1964 edition of the Irish Citizen, a weekly newspaper published in the Boston area. They depict some of the scenes that summer including a match between Erin's Hope and Kerry.

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, photo from Irish Citizen Newspaper

GAA Games at Dilboy Field in 1964, Irish Citizen Newspaper

The GAA had been playing at Dilboy Field since at least 1932, when matches were reported in the Boston Globe and other local press. The league played in various other fields during that decade, including Smith Field in North Brighton, Russell Field in Cambridge, and Town Field in Brookline.

Dilboy Field became the field of choice around summer 1947, and the GAA played there on Sunday afternoons. The games were considered a mainstay of the area's Irish community. The GAA used Dilboy Field regularly until the Irish Cultural Centre opened in October, 1999, and since then the ICC has been the permanent home of the GAA.

Playing fields at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton

Learn more about the history of the Boston GAA, and follow the current GAA season.

Here is complete information on the Irish Cultural Centre.

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