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Altoona native connects with Irish heritage through Gaelic football

Mills stays in touch with Irish roots by playing amateur Gaelic football

City native Aaron Mills said playing amateur Gaelic football keeps him connected to his Irish roots.

"Being on the club's board and playing an ancient game that goes back hundreds of years that's linked to my heritage ... this is different," he said.

Since late winter 2025, Mills has played more than 20 matches with his team and participated in the World Gaelic Athletic Association games in Waterford, Ireland, from July 13-17.

Mills said he was grateful to be selected by his team to attend the games this summer.

"That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience," he said. "It was an honor to play where the games were from and where my ancestors were from."

Mills was always interested in playing sports growing up in Altoona, switching between baseball and lacrosse in grade school.

As his father's retail job moved his family around western Pennsylvania, he attended McAuliffe Heights Elementary School until sixth grade before they moved to Erie and he attended McDowell High School.

Mills tackled Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner in a junior high football game, according to stepmother Rhonda Mills.

"He (Mills) was dragged several yards, but he eventually tackled James Conner," she said.

In 11th grade, his family moved again to Boardman, Ohio, where he finished high school. However, he stepped away from sports when he attended the University of South Carolina for a bachelor's degree in political science and government, shifting to working out on his own time.

"I was always curious," he said, mentioning that he still kept up with major league sports teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Penn State football.

After moving to Alexandria, Virginia, Mills' college roommate, Alex, introduced him to Dan McCormick, secretary of Michael Collins Gaelic Football Club, their local men's recreational group.

Soon enough, Mills was regularly playing with the team while serving as the board's public relations officer.

"I showed up and enjoyed it," Mills said. "I had no idea what I was doing at the first practice. It's a different sport than anything in the States."

The name of the game

Mills said Gaelic football is more similar to the world's definition of football, or American soccer, but also has rugby influences.

Distinctly Irish, Gaelic football uses a slightly smaller soccer ball that players can carry by hand for four steps before kicking it or "hand-passing." The ball must either be bounced or "solo-ed," when a ball is dropped onto the foot and kicked back into the player's hand, according to the game description provided by the Gaelic Athletic Association, known as GAA.

Each season kicks off in late winter and finishes in mid-summer, Mills said.

"Coming into my first match, I was like, 'What have I got myself into,'" he said. "But I picked up the game and found my groove with it."

McCormick knew Mills was an Irish American from the start and thought he'd enjoy the sport.

"He's been on the team since then, and he's been a huge asset," he said.

Mills' team plays in the United States Gaelic Athletic Association, known as USGAA, the national governing body for Gaelic games, including men's and women's Gaelic football, hurling and camogie.

His position on the team is called the "full-back," the person who organizes the defense by attacking other players and protecting the goal. On the field, he wears the number three.

Mills said amateur Gaelic football teams are all over the country.

"Which makes the GAA so special," he said. "Everyone is in it for the love of the game."

He gained a new perspective on the sport when his team traveled to Waterford, Ireland, this summer to compete in the World Gaelic Athletic Association games July 13-17. During the games, he and his teammates competed against Irish teams.

Even Ireland has their own amateur teams, he said, but they must play for the counties they were born in. And rivalries are friendlier in Gaelic football than in other countries with their respective games.

"It's one of those games that town rivals can still have a drink together after the game. Everyone has a good nature about it," he said.

After playing more than 20 regular season games, Mills' team went to the USGAA finals Aug. 14-16 and won one game but lost the other. However, they took home "The Plate," the prize won by the top team in the secondary bracket.

Positive impacts

On awards, McCormick said Mills also took home the club's spirit award in 2025, recognizing his attitude on the field while he contributed to the team's social media page.

"He won the club spirit award mainly because of his actions on and off the field, and the club unanimously voted for him," McCormick said.

Rhonda said her stepson has impacted the team greatly with his positive outlook on life and willingness to support his teammates.

Looking specifically at the latter quality, she said, "I think that's an amazing quality you don't see in a lot of people."

With the official Gaelic football season already wrapped up, Mills and his group continue to play in select scrimmages, including a recent match against the Penn State University team on Oct. 17.

In the mid-Atlantic division with Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, McCormick said four or five clubs are within two hours of each other.

"The sport is growing substantially in the U.S.," he said. "It's cool to see it continue to grow."

Mills also said he's looking forward to participating in the next season for the competition but also for the camaraderie.

"At the end of the day, knowing all the guys are friends and we make this happen, it's different in a way," he said.

Rhonda said her husband is proud that their son is embracing the Irish culture inherited from his ancestors.

"He's growing and becoming the man he was meant to be," she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

The Mills file

Name: Aaron Mills

Age: 30

Education: McAuliffe Heights Elementary School, McDowell High School, Boardman High School (2014), bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government at the University of South Carolina (2018)

Family: father, Charles Mills; mother, Brenda DeHaas; stepmother, Rhona Mills; siblings: Nathanial Carter,

McKenna Harris and Devon Harris

Pet: Rooney, one-year-old Boxer