PICTURES: Inclusive Cúl Camps hosted in Limerick GAA clubs

TWO GAA Inclusive Cúl Camps took place across Limerick.

Old Christians GAA club hosted one camp in their Rathbane grounds, while Granagh-Ballingarry hosted another in Ballingarry.

In Power Park, Rathbane. 18 children and 12 coaches played Gaelic Games over the course of the camp, with many playing for their first time.

Funded by the HSE with support from the Limerick GAA County Board, the aim of the camp was to boost inclusivity to ensure that every child would be afforded the opportunity to experience what it means to be a part of the GAA.

Old Christians GAA secretary Gary Culbert said the club were delighted to host the camp for a second year.

“It was brilliant over the last couple of days to see everyone getting involved and enjoying the sport that we all love. The club is only delighted to be able to host it and be a part of this very special event for the second year running,” he said.

The camp is one of a number of initiatives that the club has run in recent months to try to re-establish itself as the heartbeat of its community in Limerick’s south inner city. This week’s inclusion camp runs shortly after the club organised a free-of-charge summer camp for local children last week, with many getting their first taste of GAA.

“We class ourselves as a massive part of our community, and we want everyone to know that we are here for them. There is nothing in this area as a communal hub; we're all that’s really around here, and we want every youngster in the area to know that we are here and know that they are welcome to use our facilities and get involved.

“It was marvellous to see the 18 children down here today and over 70 kids last week. To make it even better, we managed to put it on free of charge. A few months earlier we also had over 380 children from the local DEIS schools down for a blitz. We’re hoping that we can get our club up and running in our community again,” outlined Culbert.

“We’re always open to new members, players, helpers and coaches. We are here to serve our community, and we'd only love to see more people up at the field involved with us, because that’s what we are there for.”

Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, TD, was a special guest visitor to the camp.