Additional Info

Welcoming the New Irish
Many, many GAA people have direct personal or family experience of emigration. They know what it’s like to have to go abroad for work, simply because the opportunities don’t exist at home. That experience should leave us well-placed to appreciate the plight of the many migrants who now live in our communities. Many of our emigrants were bolstered by the GAA when they arrived in their new countries but the people now coming to us have no such support.

There are a few simple steps that a club can take to welcome the new Irish to our clubs:

• Find out how many migrants live and/or work in the local community.
• Get an idea of where they’re from
• Make contact with them and invite them to a Club function/event/game
• Run a “have-a-go” day to introduce them to the club and the games
• Run a cultural evening which mixes and-matches Irish culture/music/song/dance with theirs
• Welcome them into the local community/the GAA

Disability Games
All people with special needs and/or a disability should have an equal opportunity to partake in Gaelic games to reach their full potential. A series of County level events should be organised to encourage Clubs to run activities to cater for members with disabilities.

Some of the activities that your Club can run or participate in are:

• Adapted FUNdamentals/ABC Have a Ball
• Wheelchair hurling and camogie
• Wheelchair football
• Adapted Rounders
• Come and Try Days

GAA Welcome Pack and DVD
The GAA recently launched ‘An Introduction to Gaelic Games’ DVD, which was translated into 12 different languages. This can be a useful tool in helping to introduce the GAA to newcomers. The DVD is 20 minutes in length and outlines all of the various skills of Hurling and Gaelic Football. A copy of this can be obtained by emailing inclusion@gaa.ie.

For more on this topic, Counties in Ulster should consult the Club Maith toolkit.