A 10-year-old boy from County Tyrone travelled to Vatican City wearing his GAA colours in August, meeting Pope Leo XIV during one of the pontiff's weekly public audiences. Eoghan Quinn hoped the encounter would bring good fortune to his beloved Tyrone football team, and the Pope acknowledged the jersey during their brief conversation at St Peter's Basilica.
Sports fans have long relied on superstitions and rituals to support their teams—wearing lucky jerseys on match days, sitting in the same seat repeatedly, or donning fortunate undergarments. But Eoghan decided to pursue a more ambitious strategy: securing a papal blessing while displaying his Tyrone GAA colours.
I was wearing the jersey because I thought it would make Tyrone special.
Eoghan travelled with his older sister Áine and their mother Edel Quinn after a friend arranged tickets to one of the Pope's regular Wednesday audiences. The family from Castlederg were unprepared for how close they would be positioned to the pontiff.
They led us up to the very front, we were gobsmacked.
When the opportunity arose to speak directly with Pope Leo, the family seized the moment. Eoghan shook the Pope's hand first, followed by Áine and then their mother. The pontiff's attention was drawn to the distinctive jersey.
He was looking at the jersey wondering where it was from.
Áine recalled that the Pope acknowledged the considerable distance the family had travelled to reach Vatican City. Eoghan believes the pontiff may have recognised the Tyrone colours from a previous encounter with GAA memorabilia.
The connection between Tyrone GAA and Pope Leo XIV had been established months earlier. According to reports from November 2025, Aidan Gallagher threw a Tyrone jersey bearing 'Leo 14' on the back toward the Pope outside the Vatican, and the pontiff caught it. Gallagher explained that the No. 14 shirt holds revered status within Tyrone, having been worn by iconic players Frank McGuigan and Peter Canavan. The moment was captured in a video report showing the Pope's catch and the jersey being displayed to the crowd.
Following their audience with the Pope, the family received a blessing and rosary beads from one of the Vatican guards. They were then escorted down an aisle lined with hundreds of spectators separated by barricades. In an unexpected moment, someone in the crowd called out in support of Tyrone.
I could not believe it walking down seeing all those different faces and then someone says up Tyrone.
The Vatican visit held profound significance beyond the excitement of meeting the Pope. Edel Quinn lives with Multiple Sclerosis, and the journey carried deep emotional weight for the family.
Our faith is important to us, we always went to mass every Saturday or Sunday and my mum has MS, so the trip was very special for her.
The experience has left a lasting impression on both siblings. Eoghan's schoolmates have repeatedly asked him to recount the experience of shaking the Pope's hand. Áine remains astonished by the surreal nature of the encounter.
Being just two ordinary people from Castlederg, sitting inches from the Pope and meeting him, it was surreal.
The family continues to process the reality of what occurred. What began as a superstitious gesture—wearing a Tyrone jersey to meet the Pope—became a transformative family moment that blended faith, sport, and an unexpected connection to the Vatican.
