A message from the Ulster GAA Covid-19 Response Group

Volunteers from Cookstown Fr Rock’s get ready to distribute food boxes as part of a Department for Communities (DfC) initiative to deliver food boxes to the most vulnerable in society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A tale of two cities by Charles Dickens published in 1859 comes to mind trying to articulate the response of the GAA community in Ulster to the current covid-19 pandemic. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope…”

At the time of writing over 1,300 citizens in Ireland have sadly lost their lives.  We have lost GAA members, neighbours, family and friends.  The disease has had devastating consequences for life as we knew it!  What we once took for granted, is no more, for now at least! Meanwhile, as always, a bright torch shines in the communities where the GAA is present.

A lot of column inches in the written press and across many social media platforms have commented on the occasional gap that appears between the GAA’s anchored position in communities across Ireland and our high-profile inter-county games.  The coronavirus has proven an indiscriminate leveller wiping out our entire fixtures calendar.  Our stadiums are empty and our juvenile playing pitches deserted.

The GAA was one of the first organisations to respond on March 12th, acting decisively, suspending all gaelic games activity across the Association making no distinction between its members from Killarney to Kilcoo.

This proved to be a crucial policy decision as the following weeks news cycles were filled with differing policy conundrums across Governments as it became clear our world was about to change.  Indeed, long after the virus has diminished it will be a matter of record that the GAA was the first organisation across these Islands, without hesitation, that moved to ‘lock down’.

I have no doubt that given the significance of our standing in communities we have contributed to saving lives and that is something that makes me immensely proud.

It has been a privilege to chair the Ulster GAA response group working with counties and clubs to co-ordinate and support the outstanding work of our members.  Over 200 clubs are registered on our Ulster GAA microsite providing community support for the vulnerable in their areas. They continue to make an outstanding contribution to assist society for the greater good. There have been reports from south Derry that Loup GAC crossed the parish border recently into Ballinderry but reports of a permanent truce appear premature!

I want to take this opportunity to applaud all the clubs and members of the GAA family in Ulster for the ‘hope’ that they are creating with their many acts of kindness and generosity. As part of the glue that holds communities together, I am afraid our work is only starting.  We will be dealing with the impacts for our members, units and association for a long time to come.  The Association in Ulster has survived many challenges, this too, will pass!

For now, stay safe, healthy and at home.

Stephen McGeehan

(Chair, Ulster GAA Covid-19 Response Group)