Conference to strengthen GAA

THE Irish News and the Ulster Council are teaming up to launch the second Ulster GAA Club and Community Development Conference, which will take place on November 15 in the Europa Hotel, Belfast.The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Strengthening community cohesion though the development of the GAA clubs and volunteers’ and aster of ceremonies will be the BBC Championship presenter, AustinO’Callaghan.

Last year’s event was an outstanding success when over 450 people showed up for the conference at Stormont. Once again, 400 places are on offer this year and, judging by the early response, it is likely to exceed capacity. Irish News editor Noel Doran said: “The conference at the Europa will be a major event for the GAA in Ulster, but it also has a significance which
goes well beyond the association itself.

“We are delighted to be able to offer our support.”

Speaking of the event, Ulster Council President, Tom Daly said: “We are delighted to be organising the 2008 conference in partnership with the Irish News, a paper which gives outstanding coverage to all our Gaelic Games.

“The Irish News also supports our volunteers through its Club and Volunteer Awards and our players through the annual Allstars.

“I look forward to further developing our relationship over the coming years.”

The conference this year will focus on the community development and capacity building agenda of Ulster GAA, which services over 250,000 volunteers working in 580 constituent GAA clubs and 600 constituent educational units across the nine counties of Ulster.

The purpose of the event is to equip GAA club officials with the necessary skills required to further enhance and develop their club as the central hub of the local community.

The conference will include a range of workshops, keynotes and discussion forums facilitated by leading GAA officials, civil servants, business leaders and government ministers.
Last year’s keynotes included the then Minister for Culture Arts and Leisure Edwin Poots MLA, Minister for Education Catriona Ruane MLA, Margaret Ritchie, Minister for Social Development and GAA president, Nickey Brennan.

This year, significant figures from the political world will also attend as well as the GAA president, Nickey Brennan and
president-elect, Christy Cooney.

Ulster Council provincial director, Danny Murphy encouraged club volunteers to attend: “It is vital that clubs officials attend the conference so we can inform the grassroots of the new proposed government funding programmes, both north and south, which are there to assist in club development projects.
“Additionally, we want input from the clubs to our new provincial strategy, the views and opinions of our club level volunteers is vital to the strategy as we look forward to 2015.”

The new plan will steer the work of the GAA in the province up to 2015 and follows on form the last successful strategy ‘Beir Bua Nua’.