Idah one or the other!

“No matter what Adam decided he wanted to do, he'd have excelled at it!”

That’s according to Celtic FC and Ireland star Adam Idah’s childhood GAA coach ahead of next week’s Cork Super Cup which will see the Scottish champions take on Cork City FC.

Leeside native Idah’s return to his home town for the match at Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Tuesday has sparked huge excitement in Cork.

Speaking ahead of the match, Idah’s former hurling and football coach at Douglas GAA club, John O’Driscoll, said that from a young age it was clear he was a special talent.

“Adam Idah was as good a hurler and footballer as he was a soccer player,” he told the Cork Independent.

“If he had decided that he wanted to play hurling or football, he'd have been a Cork senior hurler or footballer,” added Mr O’Driscoll.

Idah, who scored 20 goals in all competitions for Celtic last season, played both hurling and Gaelic football for Douglas GAA until around the age of 15 when his full attention turned towards football (soccer).

During his time at the Cork club, Idah showed remarkable dedication and never missed a training session, said Mr O’Driscoll.

He continued: “He was a great young fella. It's not an easy road.”

He continued: “Lots of lads can be very talented but it's such a difficult road when you get over there because the competition is so great. You need a lot of dedication to get to that level, and Adam had it in abundance.

“I've trained young fellas all my life; you don't get to that level without having all of that,” added Mr O’Driscoll.

As a youth, Idah played his football (soccer) with Douglas-based club College Corinthians before being signed to English side Norwich City in 2017. He signed for Celtic FC in 2024. College Corinthian’s club spokesperson, Steve Grainger said: “We are all at College Corinthians delighted to be welcoming our former player Adam Idah back to Cork for the Super Cup.

“Everyone at Corinthians has been cheering on his career and in recent times Adam has been scoring goals for both Celtic FC and Ireland.

“Adam is an inspiration for all the young boys and girls here of all ages,” he added.

Kick off next Tuesday is at 6pm at Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with tickets still available via ticketmaster.ie and corksupercup.com.

The highly anticipated inaugural Cork Super Cup is expected to bring a boost of up to €6 million to the local economy in Cork as football fans flock to Leeside for the spectacle.

As part of the event, Celtic FC has pledged to donate €10,000 to local charity Feed Cork which works to fight food poverty in Cork city.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, Celtic FC Captain Callum McGregor said he and his team mates are excited to come to Cork and “put on a show”.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been in that part of Ireland as well, so it’s nice to come over and see the fans and let everybody see us in the flesh and hopefully give the best version of ourselves while we prepare for another long season.”

Speaking about his teammate Adam Idah, McGreggor was full of praise for the impact the Corkman has had since joining.

“He’s someone I’ve been hugely impressed with and actually has the world at his feet with the ability and talent he’s got,” said the Scottish international.

He added: “He’s been excellent and still a young player as well who’s developing and learning all the time.”