Simply James

This week I caught up with an old buddy of mine, Carlos Lebron. Carlos is a Catalan native, but over the past seven years he has been adopted as a Barcelona Gael. When I started paying with the Gaels two years ago, Carlos was a stalwart at the events, training, and anything involving the club, which was founded by Finbar Barrett in 2001. Although he wouldn’t be your stereotypical club man, Carlos epitomises one, and I chatted to him just after he returned representing Catalonia and Iberia in the GAA World Games 2023, hosted in Derry. What a way to spend your first trip to Ireland! Sitting by a palm tree in Parc de la Ciutadella (a far cry from Derry let me tell you) Carlos walked me through the GAA World Games, how he got involved in the GAA, and the fascinating similarities he sees between Irish and Catalan culture. Enjoy!