About - Tribe

Tribe

Tribe was established in the summer of 2016 to represent Galway on the club ultimate scene. Tribe made its debut in the Open Division at Yes But Nau and the Women’s Division at Munster Munch that year. The club’s first outing in the Mixed Division was at Windmill 2017.

Since then the club and its distinctive jellyfish kit has become a fixture at tournaments all across the country in all three divisions, outdoors, indoors and on the beach.

Tribe is one of the most active clubs in Irish Ultimate, with around 60 active members and regular trainings, pickup and non-ultimate events.

Outdoor trainings are usually held in the University of Galway’s Dangan Sportsgrounds or in Laurel Park. Indoor trainings are usually held in the Knocknacarra Community Centre or the Salerno Sportsdome. You can find an interactive map of these venues and other Tribe venues on our contact page.

Tribe prides itself on the tight knit, supportive and inclusive community it has built and welcomes anyone to join.

Our Name

Galway is well known in Ireland and further afield as the City of Tribes. This is a reference to the the fourteen merchant families who once dominated Galway as de facto rulers. Between the mid-13th and late 19th centuries Galway became an important European trading port under their influence.

The power and influence of these families took a severe blow when Cromwell’s forces laid siege to Galway for almost a year, starting in 1651. When the city surrendered in 1652, Cromwell confiscated all property belonging to the Tribes. Cromwell was the man who first called the families the Tribes of Galway as a derogatory name. The families countered this by proudly adopting it as a mark of defiance.

After the Cromwell era, the Tribes briefly enjoyed a return to power of sorts but suffered another defeat in the War of the Two Kings in 1691, where they sided with the Jacobites who wanted tolerance for Catholicism and Irish autonomy. By the 19th century, the once-great tribes were all but gone from the city.

The 14 families of the Galway tribes came from diverse backgrounds including Irish, Norse, French, English, Welsh, and various combinations of some or all of the above. We are one Tribe representing, and open to, all of Galway’s diverse modern-day tribes.

The Jellyfish

Tribe players love to trade their kit and our light kit, adorned by Tribe’s colourful jellyfish logo can be seen being worn by players all over the wold who have traded with us.

But why choose a jellyfish to represent Galway?

Ireland is not known for its fearsome wild animals. Many of the animals that one might choose; the wolf, the giant Irish deer, the brown bear or the golden eagle have all unfortunately become extinct here. However, those of us who have spent years swimming in the cold Atlantic waters of the Galway coast can attest to the persistence, endurance, and stings of our native jellyfish. Barrel, Blue, Moon, Compass and Lion’s Mane jellyfish all call our waters home while the Portuguese Man O’War has also been known to visit.

Gaillimh Iníon Breasail and the Galway Hooker

Our dark kit features an image of Gaillimh or Galvia, the mythylogical princess for whom it is said Galway is named. Gaillimh was the beautiful daughter of the mythical chief of the Fir Bolg, Breasal, who drowned near a great rock in the river according to a mid-17th century map of the town. Both the city Cathair na Gaillimhe and the river that flows through its heart Abhainn na Gaillimhe were named for her. However, the river is no longer called the Gaillimh, instead it is named Abhainn na Coirribe after the lake from which it flows.

The kit also features a Galway hooker, a tradional local fishing boat, navigating the river. The boat which features three maroon sails was designed to weather the strong seas off the west coast of Ireland. It has become a symbol of the city and is depicted on the coat of arms of Galway. Galway hookers are still being constructed to this day and the festival of Cruinniú na mBád is held each year, when boats race across Galway Bay from Connemara to Kinvara.

Giving Back

Tribe always looks to make a positive impact on the world beyond ultimate. Every year the club organises a charity Christmas tournament, which has raised thousands of euros for charities such as the Simon Community, the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, and Hometree over the years.

In 2021/2022 Tribe focused on sustainability, organising beach clean ups, reducing car use, food waste, meat consumption, and plastic consumption while donating to organisations fighting climate change and biodiversity loss.

In 2020 Tribe took part in the UK and Ireland Ultimate Black Lives Matter Fundraising Challenge, raising awareness, educating and donating to the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland and Sport Against Racism Ireland.

Building on Galway's Ultimate History

As a club, Tribe builds on a Galway’s proud ultimate history and strives to make some of its own. Ultimate first came to Galway in 2005 in the form of the university team NUI Galway Panteras. The university team was named after a similarly named team in Mexico, where Panteras founder Thomas O’Rourke was first introduced to ultimate.

In 2011 Galway’s first club team, Snatch, was formed to represent Galway and Limerick. It was from this club that Tribe was eventually born in 2016.