BIG GAMES: Click the image for a full-size version of this poster promoting the 2012 North American gaelic championships

Gaelic Athletic Association players from around the country are getting ready for their big year-end event this weekend as Philadelphia hosts the North American County Board championship games.

The three-day event will include games of hurling, camogie and gaelic football.

If you’re wondering when your local team is playing, check out the schedule here.

Right now, I’m planning to attend games on Friday, although I doubt I will play. I’ll try to post some blogs and photos from the site if at all possible, so keep an eye out for additional posts on Friday.

Initially, the Philadelphia club planned to have its new facility ready in time for the 2012 event, but that just didn’t come to fruition. You can see the future Limerick complex here.

Limerick Township, Pa., welcome to your heritage.

The named-after-an-Irish-county township on the outskirts of Philadelphia is going to soon be the home of a field dedicated to gaelic sports. The field is being constructed by the Philadelphia Gaelic Athletic Association, which fields several hurling teams, and you can get an idea of what it will look like in this video, which includes a drive-through animation of the future park.

The U2-fueled video also prominently shows the Limerick nuclear power plant in the background. I bet that’s an odd site to many Irish players.

TWO FIELDS: The Irish Sports Complex in Limerick Township, Pa., will house two playing pitches, locker rooms and spectator stands for hurling and gaelic football games.

You can learn more about the site plans and see some pictures from the construction here. Donate to the site fund here. Find the site on this map. Finally, check out this page for more photos of Philly GAA’s on-site sign announcing the field here.

One can only hope that once the field is completed that the North American finals can be played there.

I actually discovered the video while on YouTube, where a subscription reminder told me that the North American GAA had a few videos on it. The GAA definitely needs to add more. Lots more.

In fact, a while back, I suggested that the North American GAA, the organization that oversees hurling and gaelic football in the U.S. and Canada, get with the times and embrace new media platforms. I only discovered later that they were already on Facebook and also on YouTube at the time, but only for a few months.

I just hope that the organization continues to add videos and Facebook updates. It will be one of the keys to raising awareness gaelic sports here in America.