Darren Rooney is a gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 and hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 player from Laois in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. His dual status makes him most unusual in the modern GAA

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

.

He currently plays for the Parnells

Parnells GAA

Parnells GAA or Parnells Gaelic Athletic Association club Gaelic football club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in davids bhs artane Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1893 and at that time was known as Parnell Volunteers. Parnells have won the Dublin senior football championship on...

 club in Dublin. He usually plays at right half back or full back for the Laois senior football team and in 2003 was part of the Laois team

Laois GAA

The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...

 that won the Leinster Senior Football Championship

Leinster Senior Football Championship

The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...

 title for the first time since 1946. Rooney was a member of the Laois minor team that retained the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship

The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...

 in 1997.

External links

• The Times interview
• http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/in-brief-rooney-new-laois-football-captain-1278531.html