Both rural and urban GAA clubs face increasing challenges as demographics in Ireland change. This is one of a series of articles exploring the issues clubs face and what they are doing to adapt
Walsh Island (Offaly)
Founded: 1930. Members: 160. Teams: 1 (plus seven underage with amalgamated St Broughans GAA).
Alan Mulhall pinpoints one big difference between the generations in Walsh Island.
“Back when my father was playing with Matt Connor and his brothers in the six-in-a-row (Offaly SFC 1978-83) there were various families but it’s very, very rare now to have even three brothers on a team. It’s mostly individuals.”
Reduction in family size is a relatively recent and recurring challenge for rural clubs.
Mulhall is well placed to make the observation. The former Offaly goalkeeper is chair of Walsh Island and the GAA’s provincial games development officer for north Leinster.
He testifies to the impact of local migration to nearby towns, never mind the metropolis of Dublin. Listing the members of his father’s team, who moved to Portarlington, Tullamore and Clane in Kildare his roll call is of a disappearing generation – the children who were lost to Walsh Island.
“That’s a drain on a really good team. When we look around to recruit management teams, loads of lads between 40 and 50 have moved away from the area and farther up the commuter belt.”
The lack of local businesses hits more than employment prospects. Without a local shop or any big or medium-size employers – even the post office is gone – the type of sponsorship routinely available in population centres doesn’t exist.
The situation at under-age is a familiar story of amalgamation. “We obviously have to play under-age with another two clubs in the parish, Bracknagh and Clonbullogue as St Broughan’s GAA.
“There are for instance only two boys in my daughter’s fourth class in Walsh Island. The numbers in our schools are between 80 and 90 and the same in the other club areas. We couldn’t field a minor team for the first time this year because a number of them were too tied up working the farm and on the bog.
“We invite everyone to get involved. We like to think we’re a welcoming club but if someone’s commuting to Portarlington and home late in the evening, they’re just not around the place.”
“If families move even to Portarlington or Tullamore, their kids get used to playing in their school and the local pitch is five minutes away. If we don’t allow people to build in rural areas and live there, we won’t get traction and people coming out to the clubs. It’s very hard to be positive if people can’t live here.”
