Armagh’s Rory Grugan has spoken of his excitement as he jets off to coach Gaelic football in a host of French schools.

The secondary school teacher – on a career break from St Macartan’s College in Monaghan town – will be abroad for a ten week period with Gaelic Games Europe.

“Different” but “challenging and enjoyable” is how the Orchard forward summated the task, with his club involvement over given Ballymacnab’s third place finish in the Intermediate Group D, while the Allstar nominee is also due for a minor surgical procedure prior to his travels.

Chris Collins Gaelic Games Europe has also spoke of his anticipation, with launch videos gaining almost 180,000 views on social media to date.

Read More: ‘There’s so much in my game I would like to be better at…’ Armagh’s Rory Grugan on his pursuit of perfection

Grugan, who starts the process in mid October across Bordeaux, Brittany, Lille, Lyon, Paris, Strasbourg and Toulouse, said:

“I’m really excited by it. I love the GAA and I love teaching French and now I get the chance to coach kids in schools and also help coach development.

“The idea of integrating in the community on that level, but also the linguistic challenge that, you know, like as a French teacher, it’s exciting to think that you’re going to deliver sessions, maybe, like a bit of a coaching seminar or a tactical session with a senior team through the French language.”

France’s growing GAA community now encompasses 34 clubs, with over 1000 native French people now playing Gaelic games in their homeland.

Breaking new ground: Eight of Paris-Burdi's starting XV in London were French-born and had never played a 15-a-side match before.Breaking new ground: Eight of Paris-Burdi’s starting XV in London were French-born and had never played a 15-a-side match before.

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The ladies’ amalgamated side of Paris-Bordeaux won the European tournament in 2024 that qualified them for the Junior All-Ireland series, beating English representatives Wandsworth Gaels in the All-Ireland quarter-final before bowing out to Coolera-Strandhill.

France’s national men’s side are also set for a trip to Derry later this month, having previously captured the Irish media’s attention in playing Portobello and Na Fianna amongst others in 2024.

Most training is currently carried out on soccer or rugby pitches, with Rennes the only city that has a full-sized GAA pitch in the country.