If you have paid attention to the GAA’s social media over the last year, there’s a strong chance that you have come across a video shot by Mark Forde.
The Offaly native, a final-year Multimedia student at DCU, has quickly become one of the most exciting young creatives in the GAA, and beyond.
Now in December, Mark is happy to reflect on what has been a remarkable year. He has taken a step back from work commitments for the time being, giving him ample time to continue working on his dissertation.
This summer though, it seemed Mark never left the hallowed turf of Croke Park. As a Communications Intern with the GAA, his budding career in videography has brought him to new heights.
He is responsible for a multitude of GAA videos across the algorithm over the past year. That viral clip of Kerry star David Clifford at the beginning of the All-Ireland Final this year? The impressive work of Mark, who revealed that video in itself, was a couple of weeks in the making.
“Particularly when Kerry were playing, I’d be in the ‘Clifford Corner’. It wasn’t just me saying, I’ll keep the camera on him”, Mark explained. “It started off in the quarter-final against Armagh, and I got really good clips there. The semi-final, from the start, he had done a similar thing to the Tyrone defender, so for the All-Ireland Final, you’re thinking this is going to be the best of both worlds. So I kept the camera on him, and got the brilliant clip of the grab, Gavin’s run, and into the score.”
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That video alone attracted 1.5 million views on Instagram, and a further 679,000 across Facebook and X. In fact, seven of the 10 most-viewed clips on the GAA’s Instagram are Mark’s creation. All seven were filmed within a month of each other.
Like the Clifford clip, Mark’s career, while in its infancy, has all been part of a process. Mark is a showcase of trusting that process. This all started with @UneducatedEdits2 on TikTok, a page he created at the beginning of 2022 while a 5th Year student at St Mary’s in Edenderry.
“During COVID, I kind of went American sports-mad, mostly basketball. I was just literally screen-recording any nice videos I found, and that’s where you get the eye for sports media, but you don’t even realise it.”
@uneducatededits2
“It did well, it got nearly 60 thousand followers, a couple of trending audios, and I was on Overtime a couple of times, which was unreal.”
Sitting at home around this time three years ago, watching the Leinster Club Senior Hurling Final, Mark noticed a gap in the GAA. Unlike American sports, sideline footage, alternate angles, and behind-the-scenes content was scarce. It gave him an idea.
A proposition was made to then-secretary of Offaly GAA Colm Cummins. “Could I just try do something with a camera I have at home?”.
He got the go-ahead. Offaly’s National League tie against Cavan presented Mark with his first day out shooting.
“It was my first time with the camera, and it was horrible! Though in the end, the edit wasn’t half bad. I remember looking back on it only a couple of weeks ago and thinking, you half knew what you were at.”
It was the U20 hurlers where Mark began to really hone his craft. 2023 and 2024 proved to be monumental years for the group, who ended a 23-year gap to achieve Leinster glory, while they won just their first ever All-Ireland title in 2024. Mark was there every step of the way, and he never looked back.
Our resident videographer @mark_forde95 has compiled this video from the U-20’s first game in Parnell Park through to the winning dressing room in Nowlan Park. He told me back in March that he had a little project on the side and was fully… pic.twitter.com/Pey1Udfb8a
— Official Offaly GAA (@Offaly_GAA) June 3, 2024
His coverage of the county’s recent underage success resulted in Offaly GAA receiving the McNamee Digital Impact Award earlier this year.
“Being up there at that ceremony, it felt like closing a chapter. It was crazy, like you started off down here, and literally a year later, you’re looking back, and seeing other counties starting to do it.”
“It just went so well, and I was even on the phone to Leo O’Connor (Offaly U20 manager) the other day, and I was saying thanks. The access we had was crazy, it’s often that a management team and players wouldn’t turn an eye to you.”
Even with all the plaudits he was receiving, Mark was always looking to improve. That summer, he invested in a Sony camera to take his content to another level.
“At that point, you’re doing it to a level, but you want to do better, so I bought the camera and said this is it. It’s all open from here.”
Opportunities certainly did arise, and while on holiday in Turkey, he received a phone call that a filming vacancy had popped up for both All-Ireland Finals in the coming weeks. The big leagues were officially calling. Having impressed with his content at the 2024 finals, the GAA took notice of the young videographer.
Croke Park became Mark’s office in 2025, and he can now confidently navigate from pitch side to Level 7 seamlessly. However, he admits that double-headers take their toll.
A Sunday kinda love 🏐🤌 pic.twitter.com/65ZxqYa8vB
— The GAA (@officialgaa) June 29, 2025
“I used to think arriving an hour before games was good. I don’t know why I ever thought that. In Croke Park, you were there first thing in the morning, and you were the last one to leave then.”
“The double-headers, they nearly instilled a trauma in me,” he laughed. “Teams would arrive around two hours before the game, and you have to record both of them. You’ll probably have to get a reel for them arriving, and then halfway through the first half of that game, the second of the double-header teams are arriving.”
“So, you’re running out to get more reels, and you might have missed some action. All of a sudden, the first game is over but the next one is starting. You have to just take it as it comes because they are pretty unpredictable days.”
Mark’s technique relies on the venue and its individual quirks. “I’ve come to realise that they’re all different. It’s really about testing stuff out at the smaller games at the start of the year. When I was in Croker this summer, the place was familiar, and you know your spots.”
“It’s trial and error, and access is the main thing. It’s about knowing what is happening in the game as well. If you don’t have a good gauge of what the sport actually is, it’s a lot more difficult.”
Save a seat for Liam on the bus he’s heading to @TipperaryGAA pic.twitter.com/9ccUpAStbN
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 20, 2025
The summer was winding down, and Mark’s internship in Croke Park was likewise, when another exciting proposition came across his feed. Leader Kicking (an Irish-based American Football coaching program) were on the hunt for a videographer.
“I saw the Instagram story, and one of my friends, Sean O’Haire, who I went to school with, is kicking over in Maryland. So, I sent them a message, and within half an hour, I was on a call with Darragh and Tadhg [Leader], and we met later to book the flights!”
The trip saw Mark visit some of the biggest campuses and stadiums in the world, and he witnessed first-hand the level that the GAA can aspire to in its content.
“They have teams of 10-15 people covering their programmes, and you really had none of that going on here for the last while. The smallest bit of effort, and you could see what effect it had this year.”
“We probably are a small bit behind in terms of that, and I reviewed it at the end of my contract, what we did wrong, and what we can improve on. There are so many little things that are so simple, but you do have to realise that it is only the start, and it will get better.”
Life goes on for Mark as we enter the heart of the silly season. He recently celebrated his 21st birthday, and a friend’s 21st awaits him in Galway on the evening of the interview. A deserved detox, with the sense that this is just the beginning.
The Kingdom’s crown #PwCAllStars @gaelicplayers pic.twitter.com/TJfyTWOjaQ
— The GAA (@officialgaa) November 7, 2025