A Mayo heart beating in a Cleveland chest

It has been a hectic few weeks for Cleveland native David Gallagher. Two weeks ago he got married to his sweetheart Jaclyn in a castle wedding in Dublin but the new bride will have to take a back seat for a while with Gallagher’s full focus now firmly on helping Ireland qualify for the European Men's Baseball Tournament next year.

The son of Achill emigrants, David is one of seven US-based players who were put on the green jersey this week as they take part in the qualifying tournament in Ashbourne, County Meath from Thursday to Sunday.

“It has been non-stop,” the 32-year-old told The Mayo News. “We got married at Luttrellstown Castle and then I was down in Achill for the last week and now I'm getting ready to play. Getting married was the first win so now we have to get another one.”

The Irish baseball team are hosting the qualifying tournament in Ashbourne and will play Austria, Bulgaria and Norway with the top two contesting the final next Sunday. The winner will progress to the finals of the European Baseball Championships next year.

David's father also called David is from The Valley on Achill Island while his mother Theresa, nee Warde, is from the neighbouring village of Bunnacurry. They emigrated to Cleveland in 1990 and David explained that playing for Ireland is a natural feeling for him.

“Growing up in the US, obviously I'm proud to be from there, but I didn't have roots there. All my aunts and uncles were over here, so growing up you were American but deep down you were Irish. As far as pride goes it has been as enjoyable as any experience I ever had in my career. Growing up you have pride in your school and playing professionally is a career, but with this it's about where you come from and where your family come from so there is definitely a different sense of pride that comes from playing for Ireland. You get a different energy playing for your country and playing with Ireland across your chest,” he said.

CLEVELAND

The family lived in Westport for a year where David went to Rice College and played Gaelic football in first year but baseball was always his number one sport growing up in the sports mad city of Cleveland.

While he did not make it to the Major League Baseball, David played professionally in the Independent Baseball League for three seasons before the league was suspended due to Covid. It was around this time that David got involved with the Irish national side.

“There was baseball in the [Tokyo] Olympics so a lot of countries were getting teams together and I saw something on the internet for Irish baseball. The President of Baseball Ireland at the time was Tom Kelly and he went to the same High School as I did in Cleveland. We had a work out and he said they'd take me on the team,” David explained.

This is the third international tournament David has played in and he hopes that 'home field' advantage can lead the Ireland team to victory.

“We have a couple of ex-pro guys similar to myself who played low level professional baseball and we have guys who played in the major league as well.

“I think the national team has some quality players for sure and the people from Ireland are doing a good job with trying to grow the game. The beauty of the American influence is we grew up playing it so we have some experience and talents on the US side we can add to what Ireland is doing,” he said.

While baseball may not get the same media coverage on this side of the Atlantic compared to Basketball and American Football, David says it is more a 'thinking man's game' with no place to hide when you are on the field.

STEPPING STONES

The baseball authorities in Ireland are looking to attract more US-based players who are Irish qualified to represent the country. David is currently involved in a team called the Irish Wolfhounds who are made up of Irish citizens with the aim of keeping them sharp and focussed before joining up with the national team.

He hopes that qualifying for the European Championships will be a stepping stone to building exposure to baseball in Ireland with the goal of one day competing in the World Baseball Classic and playing against the likes of USA, Japan and other baseball heavyweights.

“We have to look after the business this week but the goal is 100 percent to make it to the World Baseball Classic. If we get there you get more coverage and people will start to notice that Ireland have a baseball team and are playing against the US. That would be a very high stage. We are a couple of wins away from that for sure but we are not that far off.

“There has been a lot of good support in the US where people want to get involved in playing and coaching and the people here are doing a good job growing it at grass roots.

“If we get to the next level there will be an influx of US players who would want to represent Ireland on the biggest stage which would be great. It would be a dream to represent Ireland at the highest level and that's what we're looking to do.”