Why two Wexford town GAA clubs have decided to amalgamate – ‘This is a commitment to the entire community'
Club members of all ages, along with their families, were welcomed to the pitch in Páirc Garman recently for a day filled with various activities including face painting, henna art, bingo which was called by Wexford Mayor, Catherine Walsh, mini football games, a raffle sponsored by local businesses, musical statues, and all topped off with water guns, much to the surprise of the parents.
The fun day was a testament to how the club has been providing a space for all members of the community, including those who have a long line of history within the club, and others from various nationalities who have taken up the game for the first time.
The occasion was marked by the launch of the 2025 to 2032 Club Strategic Plan which presents a bold, inclusive, and community-focused roadmap for the future of Gaelic games in Wexford Town. Born from the unification of two proud clubs the plan reflects a shared vision rooted in tradition, driven by community, and focused on sustainable growth.
Developed through extensive consultation with members, coaches, and community stakeholders, and aligned with national and local development frameworks, the plan outlines a clear path forward under eleven strategic pillars. These address key areas such as participation, inclusivity, facilities, coaching, sustainability, governance, and innovation.
Among the standout goals in the plan are the development of a Green Clubhouse; the expansion of youth pathways; deeper community engagement; and the adoption of modern technologies. With a phased implementation strategy, strong oversight, and an unwavering commitment to member leadership, the plan ensures that progress will be transparent, accountable, and adaptable.
By 2032, the St. John's Volunteers GAA Club aims to be carbon neutral, digitally connected, and widely recognised as a leader in delivering inclusive, future-ready Gaelic games. 'This plan is not just a strategy, it is a commitment to our players, our families, and the entire Wexford Town community,' stated the committee in the document.
Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of Clonard Volunteers, Wendy Walsh described the event as 'a very big day for the club.'
Wendy explained how the ladies first began 25 years ago, and was built up over the years with the commitment from parents and also the realisation of the difficulty and importance of keeping young girls in sport, having battled against huge drop offs at the 16-year-old mark.
When the Clonard Ladies and Volunteers Ladies amalgamated in 2017, Wendy said the main focus was 'to try and keep as many girls in playing football as possible.'
"Since then, the goal for our club has to be encourage girls of all ages to play football, including women. We've been building our numbers, getting great support and commitment from volunteers and we've also had a good track of producing county players, this year being no different with Aisling Halligan, Aoife Tormey and Julia Dempsey representing the club at intercounty level. Both Aisling and Aoife have also been named on the Team of the League 2025, which is great for the club.
The Clon Vols currently rent pitches from Na Fianna in Clonard and the Loreto Secondary School in the winter months. When the pitch is available in Páirc Garman, they have use of the space.
'The guys are brilliant. They accommodate us for matches and training wherever needed,' Wendy continued. 'We've built the club, but we have no home and what better way to drive the club forward than to come together with the Volunteers who have the same ethos as us.
"They're about respect on the field, they're about community, they're about kids playing football, and that's what we're all involved in. We've decided to embark on this joint-development plan, a plan that will bring an even larger community together, from nursery under sixes, right up to Mothers and Others and Dads and Lads and everybody in between.
"We, as a club, are delighted to be part of this strategic plan and looking forward to working with the Volunteers to build a community hub for so many boys and girls to promote inclusion, respect and excellence on the pitch,' Wendy concluded.
Club Secretary of St John's Volunteers, Eoin McCarthy, reiterated the community factor in club football and explained how the community spirit of Wexford town will be called upon to build on the club. Whilst speaking at the launch, he began: "We're a little bit older than the Clonard Volunteers, we were formed in 1893 and so we're just a little bit older and our history is very important to us and everyone should know about it, but today is about building on that foundation.
'We've had numerous meetings with the ClonVols over the last little while, and I was positive going into the meetings. I'm even more positive on coming out the other side of them. There's a buzz around both clubs at the minute. There's like-minded people working hard, and their numbers are fantastic, our numbers are fantastic, and I can see that they're looking to be the best club they can be, but they're also trying to do it the right way, which is what we try to ingrain in our side.
'That leads us on to the community side of things because this is the first June bank holiday weekend in the last six years that we haven't done our 100 Hour Relay, where we've raised over €40,000 for different charities over those years, which is nothing to be snubbed at. The club could do with that money, but it's sometimes more important that it goes elsewhere, and we're happy to support anything like that,' said Eoin.
While speaking about how the clubs play an important role in the community, Eoin highlighted the impact the various initiatives that both clubs have established continue to be successful such as Mini Vols, which caters for players as young as three years of age, Mothers and Others, Dads and Lads, Vols All Stars, for children on the autism spectrum, Green Club, and Gaelic4Girls.
'We have the numbers, we have the community spirit. Now we need facilities,' Eoin continued. 'We're out here, we've this pitch we're on, and we've a couple of dressing rooms. Thankfully, we've had a grant to drain the pitch, but we need more than that.
"We're renting facilities all through the winter and now we're looking for a facility for ourselves. We currently have planning permission for a clubhouse, but as things develop, we're looking to maybe update the plans on that to make it a bit more sustainable and inclusive.
"We're looking for a greenfield site, hopefully to build a home for the club, and so any help we can get with that, we're open to all options. We're in a good place, so we'll continue to push these two clubs forward, together as one, and I can see a strong future in us,' he concluded.
Local representatives, Councillors Tom Forde and Aoife Rose O'Brien, alongside Senator Cathal Byrne were in attendance at the event and offered their full support for the development.
Also in attendance were Wexford Ladies Footballers, Aoife Tormey and Julia Dempsey, who acknowledged the difficult journey it's been for the women's teams without having their own pitch to call home.
"I think it's brilliant, to be honest, because up until this year, we didn't really have a home and despite the club growing so much, we've still been caught between fighting for time slots and fighting for pitches, so this is massive for the girls to be fully joining with the Volunteers. It's about being seen,' explained Aoife.
In highlighting the significance of joining the clubs together from the perspective of the ladies teams, Julia said 'it will certainly make a difference not having to wonder about the logistics of where training is taking place and give us a sense of home.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
31 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Brian McLoughlin steps off bench to send lacklustre Kildare in Tailteann semi-final
Tailteann Cup semi-final: Kildare 1-13 (1-2-9) Fermanagh 0-9 (0-0-9) A fine display of shooting from Brian McLoughlin illuminated a Tailteann Cup semi-final that otherwise gave the viewing public flashbacks of the old sport of Gaelic football, the one that we all thought had been left behind. For a Kildare side that hadn't won in Croke Park since the 2022 Leinster Championship, recording just three wins in 23 games here since 2014, the underwhelming manner of the victory will be less memorable than the sense of relief at safely negotiating a hurdle that began to look increasingly hazardous as the contest progressed. There was no stage in the game when Fermanagh looked like the better side, but as the misses racked up, a group that have been pigeonholed as talented but unreliable was leaving a plucky underdog in the game. In the first half, it was missed goal chances that were the story. Kevin Feely slipped a pass to Colm Dalton, whose shot was blocked on the line by Ronan McCaffrey, then Feely himself crashed a thunderbolt of a shot off the woodwork, a few minutes before Daniel Flynn clipped a shot over the bar from 20 metres out when it looked like he might be in a position to advance on goal. With the heavens opening and handling increasingly difficult, it's not like Fermanagh were scoring freely either. Conor Love (two), Darragh McGurn and Ryan Lyons all took advantage of the drier ground to leave the game deadlocked at 0-4 each and warming up nicely with 15 minutes played, but as heavy rain drenched the players, the scores dried up. Alex Beirne and Joe McDade got the best of the scores to leave it 0-7 to 0-6 in Kildare's favour at half-time, and a poor game got even more sloppy after half-time, with just another point apiece registered in the next 15 minutes. For Fermanagh, a lack of possession was the issue, while Kildare had plenty of opportunities, but weren't long about adding ten second half wides to the four they shot in the opening 35 minutes. Enter McLoughlin to give an injection of attacking quality to a game where it was sorely lacking otherwise. The eventual man of the match got off the mark with a powerful strike at the end of a slow build up that saw Fermanagh lose their concentration and leave him wide open, then on the next attack he opted to rifle the ball over the bar rather than go for goal after being put through by a slick give and go with David Hyland. McLoughlin's decision to just put something on the board made sense when he followed up with a majestic two-pointer, and now Fermanagh needed a lifeline. Jonathan Cassidy picking up a breaking ball and driving through to set up Josh Largo Ellis was that lifeline, but instead of keeping the ball down along the slick surface, he fired his shot a foot over the crossbar, and that was as good as it got for the Erne men. Kildare continued to control the ball from then on, with McLoughlin adding one more point before James McGrath finished the game with a flourish, firing in his third goal in as many games to send the Lily Whites through to a final clash with Limerick. Scorers for Kildare: B McLoughlin 0-5 (1tp), J McGrath 1-0, K Feely 0-2 (tp), C Dalton 0-2, D Flynn 0-2, A Beirne 0-1, D Kirwan 0-1. Scorers for Fermanagh: C Love 0-2, R Lyons 0-1, D McGurn 0-1, J McDade 0-1, D McCusker 0-1, F O'Brien 0-1f, S Cassidy 0-1, Josh Largo Ellis 0-1. KILDARE: C Burke; D Hyland, M Dempsey, H O'Neill; K Flynn, B Byrne, J McGrath; K Feely, B Gibbons; T Gill, R Sinkey, C Dalton; D Kirwan, A Beirne, D Flynn. Subs: J McKevitt for Flynn (44), B McLoughlin for Sinkey (44), N Kelly for Kirwan (63), A Masterson for Gibbons (66), R Burke for McGrath (69). FERMANAGH: S McNally; L Cullen, J Cassidy, O Smyth; L Flanagan, D McCusker, S McGullion; J McDade, D McGurn; R McCaffrey, R Lyons, F O'Brien; C Love, G Jones, Josh Largo Ellis. Subs: S Cassidy for Jones (half-time), C McGee for McCaffrey (50), A Kelm for McCusker (56), Jack Largo Ellis for O'Brien (66), C Cullen for McGullion (67) Referee: Kieran Eannetta (Tyrone)
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
GAA Championship: All today's Gaelic football action as it happened
There was a feast of Gaelic football action today as the championship reaches the business end. Donegal and Galway progressed into tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final draw, while the Tailteann Cup semi-finals at Croke Park saw Kildare and Limerick win through to the final on July 12. Here's how the action unfolded. Live scores: All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals Galway 2-26 Down 3-21 (full-time) Donegal 2-22 Louth 0-12 (full-time) Tailteann Cup semi-finals Limerick 2-18 Wicklow 1-17 Croke Park (full-time)Kildare 1-13 Fermanagh 0-9 (full-time) All-Ireland MFC semi-finals Tyrone 2-12 Roscommon 1-8 (full-time)Kerry 1-19 Mayo 3-10 (full-time) 6 minutes ago 'Brian McLoughlin makes the difference off the bench as Kildare book Tailteann Cup final date with Limerick' Read More: Brian McLoughlin makes the difference off the bench as Kildare book Tailteann Cup final date with Limerick Brian McLoughlin changed the course of a dire Tailteann Cup semi-final with his impressive 0-4 contribution off the bench booking Kildare's place in the final. 7 minutes ago 'Galway weather Down storm to advance to All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals' Galway weather Down storm to advance to All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals Galway survived so many second-half scares from Down in Newry's Páirc Esler as they put their name in the drum for tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final draw. 7 minutes ago 'Late first-half Tyrone goals rock Roscommon in All-Ireland MFC semi-final' Late first-half Tyrone goals rock Roscommon in All-Ireland MFC semi-final Goals from Joel Kerr and Peter Colton just before half time swung this All-Ireland MFC semi-final decisively in Tyrone's favour at Kingspan Breffni on Sunday afternoon. 8 minutes ago 'Tailteann Cup final beckons for Limerick as second-half onslaught puts Wicklow to the sword' Tailteann Cup final beckons for Limerick as second-half onslaught puts Wicklow to the sword A devastating 1-9 without reply in the final 20 minutes saw Limerick overturn a seven-point deficit into a scarcely believable five-point win in their Tailteann Cup semi-final clash at Croke Park. 10 minutes ago Watch Ciaran Thompson's second half goal here. 70'+5 Point Donegal Scorer Hugh McFadden Sub McFadden scores on the hooter, increasing Donegal's lead to sixteen on the hooter. 70'+4 Point Donegal Scorer Caolan McColgan McColgan moves McGuinness' men fifteen points clear. 70'+4 Michael Verney in Croke Park: Brian McLoughlin makes the difference off the bench as Kildare book Tailteann Cup final place Kildare 1-13 Fermanagh 0-9 Brian McLoughlin changed the course of a dire Tailteann Cup semi-final with his impressive 0-4 contribution off the bench booking Kildare's place in the final. Conditions were far from ideal in Croke Park with a couple of torrential downpours throughout the game but the action between the white lines was anything but inspiring in a forgettable encounter. McLoughlin was only on the field for 20 minutes but he still walked away with the man-of-the-match award after a crucial two-pointer helped to turn to the tide with four points scored within a five-minute period while James McGrath put the game to bed with a late goal for the Lilies. Victory for Brian Flanagan's side also helped to bury a Kildare hoodoo at the Jones' Road venue with just their fourth win from 24 games there dating all the way back to 2014. For Fermanagh, Kieran Donnelly's side lacked the necessary punch in attack but they could have left just one point in it with eight minutes to play only for Josh Largo Elis' goal chance to be scrambled out on the line. Kildare will head back to GAA HQ in three weeks where they meet surprise packets Limerick with the Tailteann Cup, and a place in the 2026 All-Ireland SFC, up for grabs. 70'+3 Point Louth Scorer Ciarán Downey Ciaran Downey with another consolation for Louth. 70' Point Scorer Sam Mulroy Mulroy with a consolation score for Louth. 69' Point Donegal Scorer Niall O'Donnell Sub O'Donnell gets in on the scoring act. 68' Point Louth Scorer Peter Lynch Peter Lynch kicks a point not long after returning from his black card. But it will be just a consolation. 64' Point Donegal Scorer Shane O'Donnell Shane O'Donnell with another for Donegal as they make hay against Louth's 14 men. 63' Kildare, meanwhile, look bound for a Tailteann Cup final against Limerick, with a James McGrath goal moving them seven clear with just a minute to play. Second half sub Brian McLoughlin is the MOTM after making a huge impact off the bench for the Lilywhites. 59' Point Donegal Scorer Daire O'Baoil 58' Point Donegal Scorer Oisin Gallen Gallen kicks his fifth of the day.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Louth urged to go 'hell for leather' against Donegal in All-Ireland clash
Tommy Durnin says that Louth must go "hell for leather" against Donegal - and finally produce a 70 minute performance as they face one of Gaelic Football's toughest challenges. Ger Brennan's charges made it a summer that will always be remembered in the Wee County when they won a first Leinster SFC final in 68 years. But having made the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals by beating Clare last weekend, their reward is a trip to Ballybofey to meet Ulster champions Donegal - one of the big favourites to lift the Sam Maguire Cup next month. For Durnin, the three-point victory over Clare to progress from the group summed up the season so far. They made a slow start and made some stupid mistakes mixed with some scintillating attacking play spearheaded by Sam Mulroy and Ciaran Downey. There is an urgent need to now find a complete performance in an attempt to rattle Donegal. "We have confidence, it's just that we're not playing to our full potential and that's the most frustrating thing," said the tireless midfielder. "In that second half against Clare we did stupid things and I don't know why, when we should just kick on. "Confidence isn't an issue, it's just getting 70 minutes out of ourselves. It's just going out there and expressing ourselves. "Sunday was a big game with a lot of pressure on, but I wouldn't be happy with how we finished it out. "Now it's on the day, it's about momentum, about winning kick-outs and you just give it all. "If we play 70 minutes to our full potential then we can beat any team in the country. Again last Sunday we didn't start well but if we can put in that full 70 minutes then we wouldn't fear anyone." Louth will have learned from last year's All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Jim McGuinness' side at Croke Park, when they lost by eight points. They will experience much more of a cauldron-like atmosphere at MacCumhaill Park, where Tir Chonaill fans will be expecting a home victory. For Durnin, the key for the Wee County is to hammer any hard-earned advantage home by kicking the scoreboard ticking over. "We're not finishing our games when we've had chances," the Ardee St Marys clubman admitted. "A six or eight point lead now is nothing, you need to kick on. It's never safe and so we need to keep taking those two pointers, one pointers. "We don't make life too easy for ourselves. There were moments there in the second half only for Niall McDonnell making saves we would have been in trouble, but we got out in the end and we'll look forward now. "We just need to start killing teams, we haven't done it all year. We've been good for 20, 30 minutes but then bad for 10 minutes after that. "We're pulling results out but we keep the hearts beating, that's for sure. We do enough but we know ourselves we need to start killing games off. "When we run at teams we're very good, sometimes we go over and back too much but when we do go at them directly we're very, very good. "We need more of that. When you have Craig Lennon and Ciaran Downey and these boys running at you, they're very hard to stop. So it's just about opening the space." While concerned that his side allowed the Banner back into the game at O'Moore Park, Brennan was pleased to give game time to young players - including Durnin's midfield partner Dara McDonnell, who impressed, and debutant Ryan Walsh off the bench. "There's a lot of competition, there's under-20s coming in there now so there's a lot of big men looking for involvement and that's what we need, it's great," said Durnin. "It's hell for leather in training. If anyone had seen last Saturday morning in training, there were boys taking scalps and that's what you need, nobody's position is safe in this team. "Guys took their opportunity and it will be the same this weekend, we'll be ready to go. "Let's go hell for leather and don't hold back, to the best of your ability and don't fear anyone. Whoever is in the first 15, that's their chance."
