The Boston Friends of the Gaelic Players Association will host their second annual dinner event on Fri., April 6, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston. The event seeks to build on the incredibly successful inaugural event last spring that drew a packed crowd to meet and hear from an all-star line-up of Ireland’s sports heroes past and present.

This year’s gala is expected to require an even bigger room— with an array of current and former GAA players on hand direct from Ireland to promote the games and the GPA, which represents more than 2,200 current Gaelic footballers and hurlers in Ireland.

The dinner will also feature remarks from DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, about the importance of supporting amateur athletes.

The event is chaired by Aidan Browne, a partner at event sponsor Sullivan & Worcester and chairman of Boston Friends of the GPA. The Irish American Partnership is the key local organization in support of the dinner. Details on tickets and sponsorship opportunities may be found on its website, irishap.org/gpadinner.

The Boston Friends of the GPA was established in 2016 to support the athletes and to increase the profile of the Gaelic Games in the United States, a cause that has been mightily advanced after two very successful exhibition events held at Fenway Park in 2015 and 2017.

The AIG Fenway Hurling Classic and Irish Festival drew nearly 30,000 fans to Fenway to watch a 2015 match between Galway and Dublin. Last year, the crowd size grew even more to watch a tournament play featuring a Dublin-Galway rematch and Tipperary facing Clare, which ended up flying home with the championship trophy.