Representatives from all 60 clubs participating in Phase 2 of the Healthy Clubs project, including at least one from each county, attended the national orientation day in Croke Park on Saturday, February 20.

Inspirational addresses in the famous stadium usually come from the steps of the Hogan Stand, but Gwen Lannigan of the St. Colmcille’s club, Bettystown, Co. Meath, stirred the audience with an address that any of Sean Boylan’s All Ireland winning captains would have been proud of.

St. Colmcille’s is one of the 16 original Phase 1 Healthy Clubs and when they were asked to outline their journey and experience, Gwen was identified as the natural spokesperson. Despite “never having owned a pair of boots” and only getting involved in the club relatively recently, she is now one of the drivers of their vast suite of Healthy Club activities, including their award winning ‘How Are You Today?’ early intervention community mental health programme. 

“I now spend about six or seven hours a week in the clubhouse and I absolutely love it,” confessed Gwen, who is also the club’s Irish Cultural Officer, citing the conversational Irish ‘Caife agus chat as Gaeilge’ and cards nights for isolated members of the community as amongst her favourite gatherings.

They are just two in a long list of health-orientated activities the club now offers, including: a club healthy eating policy, sun safe campaign with Irish Cancer Society, links to Operation Transformation, walking groups, Gaelic for Mums and Others, Gaelic 4 Dads and Lads, Men’s Shed, Men on the Move, Mature Movers, ballroom dancing. They even helped a new athletics club get established – Cilles Athletics – and are involved in the local schools, many of which avail of their facilities.

“The club has been transformed, it is now at the heart of everything that happens in the community and everyone knows they are welcome, that there is something for them at St. Colmcille’s,” explained Gwen. “Our catchment area population in east Meath/south Drogheda grew from approximately 9,000 in 2005 to 30,000 at present.

"The services have not kept up – despite serving such a large population base we experience similar challenges to many isolated rural communities as a result of little or no services, infrastructure and transport. The club recognised that it could play a vital role in responding to our local needs while embedding health and wellbeing in our club ethos and our local community.”

An Uachtarán Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Aogán Ó Fearghail, commended all the clubs that applied for Phase 2 (almost 100 in total) and wished those selected every success on their journey.

“The GAA is more than just a sporting association, we are also a community organisation. We want to ensure that everyone who comes in contact with our clubs – be they players, officers, coaches, referees, parents, or just members of our communities – benefit from that experience. We believe that the Healthy Clubs project will help support clubs in achieving that goal,” he said.

The Healthy Clubs project is a key element of the GAA’s growing work in the area of wellbeing. It involves a unique public-private partnership involving the Irish health sector (Health Service Executive/National Office for Suicide Prevention) and Irish Life, whose Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) investment has made Phase 2 possible.

It also benefits from input by Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland, the Public Health Agency, and numerous academia. It aims to support the grassroots implementation of the island’s two leading health frameworks – ‘Healthy Ireland’ in the Republic and ‘Making Life Better’ in Northern Ireland.

The independent evaluation into Phase 1 (which ran from March 2013-July 2015 and involved 16 clubs across the four provinces) strongly endorsed the project’s partnership approach to addressing health and wellbeing at community level. The report, by a team from Waterford IT’s Centre for Health Behavioural Research, also commended the clubs’ volunteers for their selfless work.

It is not imagined that all clubs will be capable of, or expected to, offer what St. Colmcille’s does, explains GAA Community & Health Manager, Colin Regan.

“We asked St. Colmcille’s to outline their vast array of work to inspire the other clubs and provide ideas that might respond to a specific need in their community. We are extremely conscious of how busy GAA volunteers already are. What Gwen outlined reflects the upper echelons of what any primary health care team could delivery, never mind a GAA club.

"Beyond the phenomenal volunteer hours involved the club accessed €30,000 funding from the GENIO philanthropic organisation over three years (now concluded) which allowed them financially resource many of their programmes, from free counselling and mindfulness classes to transport to such opportunities for isolated members of their community.

“Recognising the value of their upstream community work, and its cost-effective nature, the HSE has subsequently stepped in with a further €10,000 per annum for the coming three years. Viewing the evidence of St. Colmcille’s work, it’s the best money they will ever spend. The club has also received great support from local GPs, the Louth & Meath Employment and Training Board, schools, while their Healthy Club work has helped attract new volunteers into the club, such as Gwen.”

Phase 2, which will run for approximately 18 months, remains a learning experience for all involved. The 60 participating clubs and the Community & Health team in Croke Park are breaking new ground and that involves learning as they go. The participants will be encouraged to explore all elements of their club to ensure that it is healthy in a truly holistic way, from their coaching practices through to insurance and finance, and of course, from a physical, mental, and social health perspective.

The aim is to support Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, Healthy Clubs. Through the continued evaluation of Phase 2, the intention is to develop a suite of fit-for-purpose resources and programmes for all interested Healthy Clubs when Phase 3 begins in 2018. Phase 2 Healthy club have been encouraged to use the national Lá na gClubanna on May 8th as an opportunity to launch their participation in the project to their local community. It will be an opportunity for all interested persons to come along, get involved, and help make their community a healthy place for everyone to enjoy. As the GAA motto states: 'Ní neart go cur le chéile'.

For more details on the GAA’s work in the space of community, health, and wellbeing visit www.gaa.ie/community

---

The full list of Phase 2 Healthy Clubs is as follows ( denotes club that completed Phase 1):*

CONNACHT

Mount Leinster Rangers GAA Club (Carlow, Leinster)
Galmoy GAA Club (Kilkenny, Leinster)
Dromard GAA Club (Longford, Leinster)
Castletown Liam Mellows GAA Club (Wexford, Leinster)
St. John’s Volunteers GAA Club* (Wexford, Leinster)
St. Kevin’s GAA Club (Louth,  Leinster)
Bray Emmets GAA Club (Wicklow, Leinster)
Annacurra GAA Club* (Wicklow, Leinster)
St. Loman’s Mullingar GAA Club (Westmeath, Leinster)
Ballynacgary GAA Club (Westmeath, Leinster)
Tubber GAA Club (Offaly, Leinster)
Clonad GAA Club (Laois, Leinster) 
Kilmacud Crokes GAA Club (Dublin, Leinster)
Raheny GAA Club (Dublin, Leinster)
Good Counsel GAA Club (Dublin, Leinster)
Craobh Chiarain GAA Club (Dublin, Leinster)
Thomas Davis GAA Club* (Dublin, Leinster)
Castlemitchell GAA Club (Kildare,  Leinster)
Kiltale GAA Club (Meath, Leinster)
St. Colmcille’s GAA Club* (Meath, Leinster)

MUNSTER

Killeagh GAA Club (Cork, Munster)
Castlehaven GAA Club (Cork, Munster)
St. Finbarr’s Hurling & Football Club* (Cork, Munster)
Midleton GAA Club* (Cork, Munster)
JK Brackens GAA Club (Tipperary, Munster)
Fr. Sheehy GAA Club (Tipperary, Munster)
Nenagh Éire Óg GAA Club* (Tipperary, Munster)
Na Piarsaigh GAA Club (Limerick, Munster)
Mungret’s St. Pauls GAA Club* (Limerick, Munster)
Parteen GAA Club (Clare, Munster)
Tralee Parnell’s Hurling Club (Kerry, Munster)
Beautfort GAA Club* (Kerry, Munster)
Brickey Rangers (Waterford, Munster)

ULSTER

Cumann Naomh Padraig GAA Club (Tyrone, Ulster)
Omagh, St. Enda's GAA Club (Tyrone, Ulster)
Gaeil Truicha (Emyvale) GAA Club (Monaghan, Ulster)
St. Tiernach's, Clones GAA Club (Monaghan, Ulster)
Castleblayney Faughs GAA Club* (Monaghan, Ulster)
Derrygonnelly Harps GAA Club (Fermanagh, Ulster)
Erne Gaels GAC Belleek GAA Club (Fermanagh, Ulster)
Cumann Chluain Daimh (Clonduff) GAA Club (Down, Ulster)
St. Peter’s Warrenpoint GAA Club* (Down, Ulster)
St. John’s Drumnaquoile GAA Club* (Down, Ulster)
Michael Davitt GAA Club (Derry Ulster)
Killygarry GAA Club (Cavan, Ulster)
Cavan Gaels GAA Club (Cavan, Ulster)
St Joseph’s Glenavy GAA Club (Antrim, Ulster)
St. Marys Rasharkin GAA Club* (Antrim, Ulster)
Naomh Mochua Derrynoose GAA Club (Armagh, Ulster)
Culloville Blues GAA Club* (Armagh, Ulster)
St Marys, Convoy GAA Club (Donegal, Ulster)
Naomh Muire, Kincasslagh GAA Club (Donegal, Ulster)

CONNACHT

Ballindeereen GAA Club (Galway, Connacht)
Melvin Gaels GAA Club (Leitrim, Connacht)
Aghamore GAA Club (Mayo, Connacht)
Achill GAA Club (Mayo, Connacht)
St. Michael's GAA Club (Sligo, Connacht)
Eastern Harps GAA Club* (Sligo, Connacht)
St. Aidan's GAA Club (Roscommon, Connacht)
Oran GAA Club* (Roscommon, Connacht)

**