The Denver Gaels competed in the Gaelic Athletic Association North American County Board Championship over Labor Day weekend at Chicago's Gaelic Park. The GAA North American County Board (NACB) promotes the Irish sports of Gaelic football, hurling and camogie in the United States.

As an official club of the GAA, the Denver Gaels competed in hurling, men's, women's and youth football. Two of the teams walked away from the weekend with national championships - hurling and youth football.

This is the third year of competition in NACB finals for the Denver Gaels hurling team. Last year the club lost in the championship game against Seattle. This year, though, the Gaels triumphed all the way to the title.

With a bye in the quarter final round, the Gaels faced Milwaukee in the semis. Taking the field without captain Niall "Bingo" Byrne, the Gaels rose to the occasion, lacking their star centerback coming away with a victory in a final score of Denver 4-8(20) to Milwaukee 1-13(16).

The Gaels then faced-off against the St. Louis Hurling Club in the championship. Under hot and humid conditions, the Gaels were cooled by the late presence of their captain, Byrne. By halftime, however, the winds could have gone either way with the Gaels up by a single point. In the end Denver dug deep and prevailed on the pitch with a final score of Denver 5-12(27) to St. Louis 2-11(17).

As the Denver Gaels hoisted the glistening cup after the hard-fought match, director of the NACB awarded the MVP of the tournament to Irishman Ciaran Dwyer for his incredible contributions and leadership on the weekend.

The hurlers were one of two Denver teams victorious at the tournament. Denver's U-16 Gaelic Football squad defeated two skilled Chicago football squads to be crowned champs on the youth side.

Also competing was the Denver men's and women's Gaelic football teams. After intense matches and high levels of competition, neither team was able to advance into a final. However, the women's team did trounce the Orange County footballers in a great win for the club. The men were defeated by the eventual champions Phoenix by the narrowest of margins in the semis, but are excited to prepare for next year's competition in Boston.

Gaelic Park accommodated more than 75 teams for the weekend, representing 22 cities across America. As the popularity of Gaelic sports among Americans is on the rise, this year was the NACB's largest tournament to date, and it is expected to continue growing steadily.

The Gaels hurling squad will be touring the championship trophy around Denver's Irish pubs Saturday, Sept. 8, beginning with The Irish Rover at 7 p.m. moving to The Celtic Tavern, then rounding the night off at Scruffy Murphy's. For more information, visit www.denvergaels.com.