GAA Initiative

John Kelly is the Kerry representative for the GAA Social Initiative. He explains why the scheme is important in rural areas.

“The idea behind the GAA social initiative is to get retired players and older fans who have drifted away from the club, to become socially active again. It was started by former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin, who noticed an absence of older men at GAA events. They might feel that they have no role in society and that they are useless,” says John Kelly.

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“Initiatives like this, focus on sharing knowledge and giving worth to people’s lives. There is a big need for projects like this in areas that would be very isolated, such as south Kerry.

“There are a number of reasons why isolation is a problem in rural Ireland. Extended family networks no longer exist, young people are moving away from rural areas and men are not as good at socialising as women are. Men in rural areas are very reliant on the pub as a social outlet, so drink-driving laws have impacted on their social life. Older people are also reliant on state services, but these are now being cut.

“In our organisation, we hold weekly card sessions, a biannual rambling house, golf outings, and set dancing. We’ve gone on trips to Clare, the Dáil, Guinness Brewery and Cobh.

“The men look forward to the days out. Many of them are retired from active jobs like farming or labouring. Days out and activities are important to them, and it shows – 50 people went on our recent trip to Dublin. We all got lost in Dundrum, but we had a laugh about it afterwards. No one complained anyway.

“My view is that we should maintain the parish. People need to come together before rural customs die.”

Contact your local GAA club for more information on how to get involved.

Men’s Shed

Eddie Sweeney is a member of Castlebar’s Men’s Shed, and says that the group helped him cope with the death of his son.

“I lost my son, Kenneth, through suicide three years ago. He was 38-years-old. I was badly depressed afterwards and I probably didn’t recover properly until I came to the Men’s Shed. The welcome I got on my first day was brilliant – I knew from then that it was a good place.

“My mind isn’t as clouded when I’m working on a project. The shed is a wonderful place and a wonderful asset to the community. I’ve met people here who had problems and wouldn’t talk about them. Now they discuss what worries they have, and we all help each other.

“We work from 10 until the evening, but there is no set time. People can come and go as they please. Ages mostly range from 20 up to 70, but the group also includes teenagers with special needs. Women are more than welcome too.

“We do projects for people in town and we were recently challenged to make a spinning wheel for Turlough House in Mayo. We’ve also made garden benches out of old ploughs and tractors. At the moment, we are rebuilding a vintage tractor which we hope to make a bit of money with. We love a challenge.

“The shed has 130 members with 40 people on a waiting list. Unfortunately, we can only cater for 10 people at a time with the facilities we have and we are struggling with money. We fund ourselves through donations. Everything we do is voluntary and we badly need funds. Donations pay for rent and light, any extra we have goes to charity.

“I’m married for 43 years and my wife cannot believe the change in my personality. She is delighted for me. We have all met each other’s wives and socialise together. I have a new circle of friends.”

Click here to find a club near you.

Newcastle RAMS

Matt Dowling is the founder of Newcastle RAMS. He explains how the club was established.

“I was working as a chef for Fáilte Ireland until I retired in 2001. I didn’t know what to do with myself because I was very active up until that point. There’s only so much gardening you can do.

“There’s a perception that the clock stops when you retire, but that’s not true. A number of us got an idea to set up Newcastle RAMS, which stands for Retired Active Men’s Social. The hall was here in Newcastle, so we just upgraded some of the equipment like the pool table and darts board. We started meeting in September 2010. The National Lottery gave us €10,000 to establish ourselves.

“It costs €2,500 to run the club every year. We ask members for a €2 donation each time they come to a meeting as the hall costs €50 a session. We’ve received grants from Frances Fitzgerald funding, South Dublin County Council, Clondalkin Partnership, Go For Life, Community Foundation of Ireland and Dublin Bus.

“We now have over 100 active members. Our meetings are held every week and we usually play cards, pool, darts or bowls. Some people just drop by for company and a chat. I bake scones and we have a dinner every month – so some are coming for the food.

“Newcastle RAMS won a Co-Operation award in the active elderly category in 2012. We also fundraise for charity – we raised €800 for St Vincent de Paul one Christmas from carol singing, but that’s probably because Sean Keane from the Chieftains is one of our members – and the group carries out repairs and renovations around the community and clean the local graveyard. We are also doing a project on intergenerational solidarity with TY students from Rathcoole, and a health study with UCD.

“Now other groups are using the RAMS as an example, like in Tallaght and Clondalkin. It is possible to set up a group like this in any community.”