GAA President, John Horan, and Operation Transformation host, Kathryn Thomas, pictured at the 2020 Ireland Lights Up launch at the Coolderry Healthy GAA Club in Offaly.
The popular ‘Ireland Lights Up’ walking initiative returns in January 2020 in partnership with the GAA, Operation Transformation, and Get Ireland Walking.
Clubs across the 32 counties are once more encouraged to turn on their floodlights and host community walking groups during the broadcast period of the hit RTÉ show (which returns to our screens each Wednesday from January 8th to February 26th).
Over 270 clubs participated in 2019, with an accumulative 65,000 walkers taking part in the popular initiative. Clubs are encouraged to host their first ‘Ireland Lights Up’ walk in 2020 on Thursday, January 9th. This year clubs are free to host their walking groups any evening that suits, and while they must host one walk per week they are encouraged to do more if capacity and interest allows.
The aim is to make exercise more accessible on the dark winter nights and to offer local communities an opportunity to get together and socialise in a healthy way. Walking is proven to benefit both our physical and mental health.
Your club could appear on Operation Transformation!
RTÉ's cameras will visit a selection of participating clubs to celebrate their involvement in Ireland Lights Up, broadcasting the footage on the show the following week. To be considered, clubs should:
· Capture the fun and vibrancy of their walking groups via video footage and photos. (Please send to otgaaclubs@gmail.com – all footage may be broadcast on the Operation Transformation TV show, and the GAA’s and RTÉ's various communication platforms.)
· Tell us about any participants that have an interesting health story to tell, or that have benefitted greatly from engaging with ‘Ireland Lights Up’ (again, email any stories to otgaaclubs@gmail.com)
· Register your weekly ‘Ireland Lights Up’ participant numbers in a timely manner with the Community & Health department in Croke Park (contact details will be provided once you register your club)
Clubs that complete the registration process and adhere to the necessary criteria will be covered by Get Ireland Walking's insurance for all walk leaders and participants. However, irrespective of GAA membership status, leaders and participants are not covered by the GAA Injury Benefit Fund for this initiative.
To register your club and review the full Terms & Conditions of participation, go to: https://www.getirelandwalking.ie/GAA/
Please direct any club queries to blanaid.carney@gaa.ie