How about this for a riddle: what club has no name, but 15,000 members nationwide? The answer, of course, is in the question. It’s the No Name! club, which aims to provide an exciting alternative for 15- to 18-year-olds across Ireland.

“Kids from all walks of life and from a mix of schools join us because we are unique,” says Edith Geraghty, volunteer with Erris No Name! club. “We tackle the issue of drugs and alcohol head on.”

No Name! clubs are facilitated by adult volunteers but ultimately run by teenagers themselves. There are 15,000 members across the country from Donegal town to Cobh in Cork. Each club meets once a week to organise their own activities and projects. While the clubs have individual events during the year, there are also national competitions – most notably the National Youth Awards and National Supertalent.

No Name! recruit members at the beginning of the school year, with club activities running from September to May. The national organisation does not charge membership, but some clubs look for a contribution for running costs. There is a limit on numbers, so those wanting to join go through an informal interview.

Athboy No Name! club was founded in 2005 after a request from 10 teenagers who lost their peers to suicide. In recent weeks, they have organised “a bowling trip, created willow art and entered the Supertalent competition with the haka as Gaeilge,” says current member, Mary Weston.

Last year, Athboy No Name! club opened their pocket park as part of their Making a World of Difference project, which raises awareness of suicide. A globe in the middle of the park represents the global impact of suicide. The trees denote local lives lost and seating allows visitors to reflect and remember those who died.

Erris No Name! club in Co Mayo designed a road safety campaign aimed at teenagers, which has since been adopted by the Road Safety Commission of Tasmania. They also do a litter clean-up in Pairc Bheo, their community park, once a month. Chantelle Padden joined the club at the start of fifth year.

“I started noticing people with the No Name! hoodies around school, I asked what it was and did an interview to join,” she says.

“The interviews are really casual, they asked me what would I do to change the world.”

Chantelle says the number of activities No Name! clubs participate in keeps the organisation interesting for young people. For example, Erris has organised a soccer blitz against the local gardaí. If it wasn’t for No Name!, Chantell says she wouldn’t have met other young people from different schools. Recently, she won the female solo category of the national Supertalent competition singing Broken Road by Rascal Flatts.

CEO of No Name! club John Donovan volunteers with the Dungarvan club, which has 155 members.

“The parish committee meetings always talked about there being nothing to do for teenagers,” says John.

“So we set up the local club and had Eddie Keher, the Kilkenny hurler, there to launch it.”

While many clubs take a break from activities in the summer, now is the perfect time for young people to learn more about their local No Name! club. Call 045-435444 or visit

www.nonameclub.ie