GAELIC GAMES ALL STARS TOUR:LIAM WATSON enjoyed a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge as his aircraft made its descent on San Francisco late on Wednesday night but for a few anxious hours, it seemed as if that was as much of California as he was going to see.

After a 10-hour flight, the Antrim hurler experienced the dreaded complications at the immigration checkpoint and was informed he was going to have to go home on the next flight.

While the rest of the Opel GAA-GPA All Stars wandered down to collect their bags in various states of exhaustion, Watson, whose girlfriend Maighréad Nic Oitir had already gone through, pleaded his case to immigration officials. His problem was his passport stated he required a B12 working visa, but he travelled on an ordinary ESTA tourist visa. Watson was detained for questioning along with Kilkenny hurler Richie Power.

“I said I wasn’t aware of this, can we not do something – I’m only here for six days and the return flight is booked. Me and Richie Power were in there together. I thought he was crying at a time. The two of us were sitting and the sweat was running through our fingers. We had 10 hours on the flight and to be quite honest, I was tired. I just wanted to get off the plane and get to bed.”

Instead, he faced the prospect of another 10-hour flight to Heathrow Airport and a long trek back to the Glens. Eventually, Power was allowed through, but Watson’s appeals fell on deaf ears.

“I kept asking could we sort something and they said: ‘Naw, you have to go home’. They were for sending me home! I said ‘Look, I’ve just spent 10 hours flying here, my girlfriend is away on through . . . she doesn’t want to be on her own.

“They thought I was coming out here to try and work. I asked then if they could send one of the tour officials in to me just so we could sort something out.”

This was close on midnight, Irish time. From the US immigration perspective, the issue was simple. Yet another Irishman had arrived at their desk with incorrect paperwork and the procedure was to return him on the next flight. From Watson’s perspective, the situation was horrible. He was placed in a room and, even though Maighreád and other members of the tour were calling him to try to figure out what happened, he wasn’t allowed to use his phone.

“I couldn’t contact them. They were standing outside for three hours without knowing whether I was away home or not.”

Watson, who works as a joiner in Loughgeil, believes his problem originated in previous GAA trips to the US. He had travelled with Antrim in 2002 and ’04 and had no difficulty in getting through, but, on a further trip in ’07, immigration officials took the view his intention was to earn money through playing sport.

“They turned me down and stamped by passport at that time.”

Watson then embarked on a long and bizarre conversation with the officials in which he explained why travelling with the All Star team meant so much to him. He pointed out that Sunday’s exhibition game was a showcase for the game and as important to Irish-Americans living in California. He spoke about all the good luck cards he had received from neighbours and friends. When he was asked if he would be paid for his endeavours, Watson explained the amateur ethos of the GAA to the immigration people. Eventually, either the Antrim man wore them down or they were won over by his charm.

“I just said: ‘What can we do here? I have hurled all my life to get nominated and recognised for this. I am over the moon about getting this. I just want to go out and play this match, it is a show-match for the Americans, and they love coming to see it.

“I said: ‘It’s for youse as well as us.’ They asked me did we get paid. I said: ‘No’. I told them what sort of sport it is. They said, ‘well, we are going to give you a 10-day parole’.”

He reckons he would have been completely undone had it not been for the fact he was obviously travelling as part of a sporting party. One official who had been coming in and out of the room for the three-hour interrogation/ conversation eventually asked: “Hey, is this man not away along with all the others?”

Watson believes this individual might have saved his bacon. “This one boy saw how much I wanted to go out and play.”

He was given permission to stay for 10 days and a fairly stark warning about what would happen if he decided to extend his vacation.

“They weren’t aggressive. But the way they speak to you, they are intimidating. They are very point driven. If I stay any longer than the 10 days, they are going to come and arrest me. They must think I’m going to kill somebody!”

It was about 10pm – 6am Irish time – when Watson made it to the team hotel on Fisherman’s Wharf, where the relieved Ms Nic Oitir was waiting. “For me to have been sent home would have been a disaster,” Watson concluded.

“I was out here representing Ulster and Antrim and Loughgiel. I am just delighted to be here at the moment.”