Aras an Uachtaran hosts Social Initiative Clubs

The start of July saw GAA Clubs from across the Country welcomed to a Garden Party at Aras an Uachtaran as special guests of an Uachtaran and Senator McAleese.  22 Ulster Clubs were among those present, invited to celebrate the success of the Social Initiative in the past 12 months.  Among them were hundreds of those who have benefited most from the initiative, the participants themselves!

The GAA Social Initiative arose as a result of Uachtaran Mary McAleese and her husband, Martin, noticing an absence of men in attendance at official functions during their many visits to local communities over the years.    The GAA were invited to implement an Initiative on their behalf to encourage those men to engage more fully in their communities.  This Initiative has since evolved to include older women as well as men, and over 90 Clubs are now involved, hosting activities and events for older people in their community.

These activities range from card nights and traditional music sessions to team reunions and Skype sessions with those who have left Ireland’s shores!   It could be a car load of older people going to their local Club to watch a league game, or a bus load travelling to Croke Park for a day out! The beauty of the Social Initiative is that no activity is too small or too grand, so long as it’s involving the more senior members of the community.

Ulster GAA are encouraging more Clubs to get involved in this initiative and anyone who would like more information should contact Aileen Tohill on aileen.tohill.ulster@gaa.ie