Irish Ambassador & Mohawk Grand Chief: how the Iroquois & the Irish connected through Lacrosse

In 2020, having qualified for the 2021 World Games, in a remarkable sporting gesture, the Irish Lacrosse team withdrew from the competition. They did so in order to enable the Haudenosaunee / Iroquois national team to partake.
Lacrosse is a First Nations game, a sacred medicine game, given to them by the Creator. In making their decision, Lacrosse Ireland were recognising this, and also highlighting the injustice that the Iroquois Nation were excluded from competing with the other nations of the world, in a sport which they had gifted to the world.
This sporting gesture drew international attention, and has led to the development of strong connections between the people of the Iroquois nation and Ireland.
In this excerpt from a larger discussion, Irish Ambassador to Canada Dr. Eamonn McKee spoke on this subject with Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell, Mohawk Grand Chief of Akwesasne (1984-2015) and leading figure in First Nations lacrosse.
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This is an excerpt from a panel discussion on the subject of "Sport, community, identity, and nationhood" was was part of the Landspeak Gathering (17-20 March 2021). Other speakers on this panel were Dr. Paul Rouse of University College Dublin, and Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Famer, Bruce Roundpoint.
The full panel discussion can be viewed here: • Sport, Community, iden...
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Landspeak is a series of free online talks, workshops, events, and activities, seeking to build connections through explorations in culture, sport, creativity, language, and the environment.
Landspeak is presented by the Ireland Canada University Foundation, in partnership with the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture in the University of Manitoba, the Centre for Canadian Studies in University College Dublin, and the Craig Dobbin Visiting Professor, University College Dublin.
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Landspeak was organised with the assistance of the Government of Canada/ Landspeak a été organisé avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada. ICUF is supported by the government of Ireland through the Emigrant Support Programme.