All Go at Croker!
During July, Leinster GAA played host, for a third consecutive year, to almost 2,000 U-8 hurlers and footballers as part of their GAA Go Games ‘Play & Stay with the GAA’ Activity Days.
Over 150 clubs were represented from around the province meaning that young players from almost all of the province’s 550 Clubs had the chance to play on the famous turf. With 6 Go Games pitches lined out, Croke Park was been a hive of activity accommodating almost 120 children per hour.
The unforgettable experience included preparing for the games in the dressing rooms and concluded with each team lifting a cup at the presentation area in the Hogan Stand afterwards.
Certainly, a great experience for all children involved over the two days and one they will cherish for many years to come.
Check out these cool action pics below.
Uachtarán CLG Criostóir Ó Cuana lines out with the Round Tower Club from Clondalkin in Dublin during the ‘Play & Stay with the GAA’ Activity Day.
Owen Phelan (left) Clara GAA Club, Kilkenny, in action against Ryan Costigan from the Rathdowney Errill GAA Club in Laois.
Clondalkin’s Round Tower player, Sean Walsh, makes sure to set the ball up right before taking a free, during the Activity Day in Croke Park.
Josh Murphy, Monageer-Boollavogue GAA Club, under pressure from Ballyragget players, Kieran Walshe, Lauren Phelan and Mollie Southgate.
Daniel Brennan (right) from the Palatine GAA Club in Carlow, in action against Celbridge GAA Club’s Aaron Browne.
Be the CÚL-EST this summer!
It’s going to be one crazy summer for GAA-mad kids cos the nationwide Vhi GAA Cúl Camps will be coming to your town or village again. This summer you can take part in these cool camps and learn the skills of Hurling and Gaelic football from the experts and also get top gear. The camps are always a big hit and they will be bigger and better than ever so make sure you don’t miss out.
The Vhi GAA Cúl Camps have a cool website where you can find out everything about the Camps and where you can also book online and be in with the chance of winning a Vhi GAA Cúl Day.
Log on at www.vhiculcamps.gaa.ie and find out everything you need to know to be a happy campers!
Clubs Abu!
Have you been to the GAA Museum recently? Well, if you have, you may have noticed the impressive Club Wall with all the Club Crests from all over Ireland and beyond. It’s at the entrance to the museum so you can’t miss it. Why not check it out and see if you can pick your club out amongst the hundreds of crests.
Everyone at Cúl4kidz thinks it is brilliant and to join in the fun, we will have a new CúlCLUB page in the magazine where you can send us in your photos, art, poems and essays on your favourite club. To get things rolling, our first CúlCLUB is Midleton GAA Club in Cork.
So talk to your teacher or club coach and it could make a great project.
GAA Go Games Abú!
Back in April the GAA hosted a unique GAA Go Games Lá Gaeltachta where all the Gaelic games action was “as Gaeilge”. The day which was organised in conjunction with Connacht GAA Games Development, offered 400 children from Gaeltacht regions in Connacht the chance to enjoy small-sided games on the famous Croke Park pitch. It was a great day out for all the kids and they all had a ball. It also showed how important the Irish Language is to the GAA, as along with our games, it is another part of our heritage. Over 4,500 children will participate in GAA Go Games activity days in Croke Park in 2010 organised in conjunction with the provincial councils, our sister associations and through the Vhi GAA Cúl Camps activity day.
GAA Respect Initiative
On the cool new GAA website, www.gaa.ie, which got a full re-vamp recently, there is a great Youth Zone section where you can see everything that is going on for kids of all ages. Here you can also find out about the cool new Respect Initiative and also check out a great animation which shows what happens when there is no respect from fans or players. The Respect Initiative aims to promote positive behaviour and to ensure that all U-12 GAA games are played in an atmosphere of fun and fair play. This includes respect for and from all participants on and around the field. The initiative will apply at all levels up to U-12 with national roll out planned in 2010.
Cúl Handball coming this summer!
Handball became part of the Vhi GAA Cúl Camps in the summer of 2009, and with more and more counties adding the perfect game to their sporting menus; this year’s camps will have fun on the field and at the wall!
Handball is one of the simplest games in the world - all you need to start playing is a ball and a wall - it actually is that easy! It is one of the few sports that is both skill and fitness related. Handball will offer a new element to the camps and provide a great way to improve agility, balance and co-ordination, particularly hand-eye. The skill development of both sides of the brain has shown to help young people in the classroom as well!
The sessions will be really enjoyable, and will be run in gyms, sports halls and alleys around the country. Handball is fun and the rules are simple. REMEMBER - Any wall, any ball, any time!
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
COMPETITION WINNERS
In the Christmas Special we ran a competition giving you the chance to win a set of GAA Go Games Jerseys for your school. GAA Go Games are the games that are perfect for all U-12s. You might have seen them being played at half-time during the big games at Croker. You might also have seen the kids there wearing these cool jerseys.
One of the winners was Joe Broderick, who won a set of jerseys for his school, St Mary's Senior National School from Blessington in Co Wicklow. They loved it so much they togged out for us and sent in a pic of them in their shiney new gear. They look great and thanks for the pic.
CLUB SPECIAL COMPETITION WINNERS
Thanks for all the entries and the cool comments. Again we had loads of entries, let’s hope you were on of the winners!
The winners of cool sets of GAA County Stationery were;
Eoin O’Dwyer, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9;
Philip Lambert, Rosslare, Co Wexford
and Emma Horan, Athlone, Co Roscommon.
CÚL COMPETITION PAGE!
Win Cúl Official GAA lighting! Official GAA lamps and lampshades are now available as part of the Official GAA Merchandise range. These lighting products will be available in stores from next month, so keep an eye out for them and you can light up your room in your county colours!
To be in with a chance to win a lamp and lampshade in County Colours simply answer the following questions:
1. How many All-Ireland GAA
Senior Hurling titles have Dublin won?
2. Jack O’Connor is the manager of which Munster footballing powerhouse?
3. Which county has won the last 5 All-Ireland Ladies Senior Football titles?
Send entries to; GAA Games Dept, GAA, Croke Park, Dublin 3 before Friday 27th August.
By purchasing an Official GAA product you are helping fund the preparation of your County team. Look for the Official GAA Merchandise mark.
GAA Go Games in Croker!
Thousands of children will take part in Go Games action on the famous Croke Park pitch in 2010. Here are some examples of the action that has taken place so far.
Mini Games at the Allianz NFL finals
On the weekend of the Allianz Football National League Finals, clubs from the participating counties were invited to take part in GAA Go Games during half-time of the big games.
The clubs who took part were; Rathcormack, Co Waterford; Gaultier, Co Waterford; LIT Sarsfields, Co Limerick; St Farnham’s, Co Sligo; Glenavy, Co Antrim; Newry Shamrocks, Co Down; St Pauls, Co Down; Pearse Ógs, Co Armagh; Carrigaline, Co Cork and Swinford, Co Mayo.
The Rathcormack GAA team lineout at Croker!
GAA Go Games Activity Days with Provinces
Each year the four provinces host two activity days in Croke Park where clubs are invited to participate in GAA Go Games blitzes on the pitch as well as having a museum tour and lunch in the stadium. Already this year over 2000 children from Ulster and Connacht have taken part in these fun days with Leinster and Munster coming up in July. One of the Connacht activity days was unique as it was all “as Gaeilge”. Over 400 children from Gaeltacht regions in Connacht got the chance to enjoy small sided, fun games on the famous Croke Park pitch.
Pictured in action during GAA Go Games Lá Gaeltachta are Dillon Mulrow, Tuair Mhic Cheaigh, Co Sligo (right), against Padraig Wallace, An Cheathru Rua, Co Galway.
GAA Go Games Exhibition Games in the All-Ireland Series
One of the features of the All-Ireland semi finals and finals is the GAA/INTO Mini Sevens games at half-time where children from all 32 counties (as well as children from the UK) participate in half-time games.
We’ve had a number of queries about how children are selected so we asked Croke Park Primary schools coordinator, Micheál Martin, about the games:
When do the half-time GAA Go Games exhibitions take place?
The games take place at half-time during the All-Ireland semi-finals and finals. There are two 10-aside games (one for boys and one for girls) so over the six Sundays two hundred and forty children get the chance to play. There are also GAA Go Games exhibition games at Provincial Championship games.
How can you be selected to play?
The games are organised in conjunction with Cumann na mBunscol in each county and Pat McGivern, from Cumann na mBunscol, is the National Co-ordinator. The counties all have a set number of places. From 2010 a new fair system of selection has been agreed with the aim that each school will have the opportunity to have children play in a GAA Go Games exhibition game. The selection criteria varies from county to county but most counties have a Go Games blitz in conjunction with a skills competition.
What about officials for the games?
The games are refereed by Young Whistlers with officials from the same school. Each province selects a county to choose Young Whistlers from a school. The All-Ireland football final will be refereed by children from Scoil Abbain in Co Cork after the won the Cúl4Kidz competition recently.
What gear do children wear?
Last year we had a special jersey made for the games which proved very popular. This year the children will be wearing the colours of the participating counties on the day. This will be a special memento for the children to wear for the day.
So don’t forget to look out for the children at half time in the Go Games exhibitions when you go to Croker this year.
Darren Crooks (white) from St Brigid's NS in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow is tackled by Conor Glass (blue) from St Mary's PS, Maghera, Co Derry.
Con Smith from Feakle National School in the county of Clare races clear of Jack Firman from Murrinstown National School, Co Wexford.
If you have a cool GAA Go Games Story, why not send them to; GAA Games Dept, GAA, Croke Park, Dublin 3.
Lets hear it for The GAAllery!
To make the GAAllery even cooler we are giving you the chance to have your artwork on show in Croke Park. Every STAR Prize winner will not
only win a cool t-shirt but they will also have their artwork put up on the walls of Croke Park for all to see. We’re calling it the GAAllery@Croke Park, and in association with the GAA Museum, there will also be a free Museum and Croke Park Tour for the winners family. Not bad eh?
John Kinahan, from Ballycumber, Co Offaly,
was this issue’s GAAllery@Croke Park Star prize winner. Here is the cool artwork, we like it.
So get sending your awesome art and wicked writings to The GAAllery and you could be in with a chance. Good luck!
Send your entries to:
The GAAllery,
Cúl4kidz,
The Digital Depot,
Roe Lane, Thomas Street,
Dublin 8.
It’s CúlCLUB time!
Midleton GAA
Midleton GAA Club is one of the oldest clubs in the GAA. It was founded in 1885 and celebrates its 125th Anniversary this year. Based in East Cork, the Club fields teams in Hurling, Gaelic football and Ladies Gaelic football. Every weekend over 150 boys and girls aged between 6 and 12 take part in Hurling and Football.
Did you know?
Midleton’s nickname is ‘The Magpies’ because of their black and white colours
The Captain of the Cork team which won the
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in Centenary Year 1984 was John Fenton of Midleton
.
When Cork won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Double in 1990, Midleton was one of only three Clubs to have players on both teams: Kevin Hennessey, Ger Fitzgerald, David Quirke (Hurling) and Colm O’Neill (Football).
Although more recently known for their Hurling prowess, in fact Midleton won Corks first All-Ireland Senior Football title in 1890, when the County Champions represented each County at Inter-County level.
What my Club means to me
by James O’Brien age 12
Since the age of 6 I have played Hurling and Gaelic football for Midleton GAA club. Our club colours are black and white and we are known as The Magpies. My club has won Senior All-Ireland Club titles in football and hurling and is 125 years old this year. I have 2 younger brothers who also play hurling and Gaelic football with Midleton GAA club. I go to school in Ballintotis NS outside Midleton and there are 9 other kids in my class who play with Midleton GAA. My club means everything to me and my Mam says it rules our lives. My Dad, my brothers and I are always coming and going to the club for training or matches, she’s always washing our gear for us and in fairness, she comes to lots of our matches. I go to my training every week and also train with the U-14s. I really like training in the ball alley because it helps me with my hurling. I can’t wait to play in the Féile U-14 next year. For the last few years I went to the Cúl Camp in our club during the summer, it was great fun. I have made loads of new friends in my club and I think I will make loads more, I love playing for my club and have felt happy, sad and proud after matches. One of the best days was when we won against Fr O’Neills after extra-time. My dad fixes my hurley’s and is also one of my trainers. A few of the great players who played with my club are John Fenton, Kevin Hennessy, Ger Fitzgearld, who lives across the road from me, and Mickey O’Connell. It’s great now that we have a second pitch for training. We also had a teenage disco in the club at Easter and it was great fun. My dream is to wear the black and white jersey on Senior county final day in the park
Cumann Luth Chleas Gael, Mainistir na
Corann Le Ruaidhrí Ó’Donnagáin
agus Samuel Ó Cuirc (Rang a Dó)
Ceapaimide go bhfuill cumann Mhainistir na Corann ar fheabhas. Tá sé ar Fheabhas mar támid in ann iománaíocht a imirt sa phairc imeartha. Támid ábalta an sliotar a ardú in ár lámha agus é a bhualadh go fada leis an gcamán. D’fhoghlaíomar ó bheith ag traenáil agus é a chleachtadh sa bhaile. Is breá linn ár gcairde a fheiscint gach Satharn ag traenáil.
Tá an- chuid spóirt agus spraoi againn.
Na dathanna ar ár ngeansaíthe ná dubh agus bán agus ár leasainm ná “snag breaca”. GAA abú!!
Gaelic Games Week at Castletara NS
Castletara National School in County Cavan held a Gaelic Games Week last March. It was a brilliant idea, giving the kids at the school the opportunity to enjoy all aspects of the GAA during the week, including getting expert coaching sessions and the chance to be introduced to some well-known GAA Stars.
The week began with Handball and Rounders on Monday which saw champion handballers Niamh Egan, Paul Brady, Leona Delaney and Colm Lynch taking handball sessions with each of the classes. The pupils were also treated to Rounders games in the afternoon.
Tony Scullion (Ulster Football Development Officer) and Diarmaid Marsden (Regional Games Development Officer) visited the school on Tuesday to coach Football Skills and Games to all classes. A thoroughly enjoyable day was had which ended with GAA Go Games in the afternoon.
On Wednesday Kevin Kelly (Ulster Hurling Programme Officer) and Aileen Tohill (Lifestyle and Wellbeing Manager) came to coach hurling and teach the kids about healthy eating. That afternoon the school was honoured to welcome All-Ireland winning hurler Eddie Brennan who brought along the Liam McCarthy Cup. That evening, Patricia Conroy provided parents with a healthy living workshop.
The final guest of the week was GAA President Christy Cooney who visited on the Friday and the week was rounded off with the children participating in great GAA Go Games activities.
Before the NFL Cavan v Wexford game on Saturday night, Castletara NS presented a whole school-playing concept. The school was divided into small-sided teams which played GAA Go Games. To top it off the children then provided a guard of honour for the teams prior to the start of the game. It was a fantastic idea and a great week for everyone - well done to Castletara NS.
GAA Stars @ the new GAA Museum!
In April, a new and improved GAA Museum was unveiled to the public and three of the GAA’s biggest stars were at the opening to check it out! Aisake Ó hAilpín, Sean Cavanagh and Kieran Donaghy spent time inspecting the glittering new trophy room, the new Club Wall, the new Cú Chulainn’s Den Activity Room and received a special viewing of the new film ‘A Sunday in September’. In the new games area the players tested their reaction times along with their soloing and high catch skills while in the museum’s new resource area each player was able to find and research their own GAA club and watch clips from past All-Ireland finals.
To celebrate the GAA Museum’s new facelift we are offering you and your family a coupon to visit the new museum and take part in a Croke Park Stadium Tour for a reduced price of €20. Also, getting to the museum has never been easier as we are running a shuttle bus from the city centre to the museum for the summer months. So, if you would like to test your GAA skills in our new games area, check out our impressive collection of trophies or do some research on GAA clubs a visit to the GAA Museum in Croke Park is a must!
New children’s exhibition – GAA Heroes
The sixth class pupils of the Central Model School in Dublin have been hard at work on a new GAA Museum exhibition. The pupils have picked 14 GAA heroes to feature in a special exhibition designed specifically for kids. The exhibition will open in June and run until September with the GAA championship season. To find out exactly who the Central Model School pupils have picked as their GAA heroes why not visit the new exhibition during your summer holidays.
If you would like to tell us about your own GAA hero or legend there is still time to add to the Legends Wall! Is your GAA hero a favourite player, a friend, a coach, someone famous, someone you know, someone you admire or someone you respect? Whoever you chose we want to know about it!
Simply fill in a special Legends Card with your thoughts, feelings, drawings, photographs and memories of your GAA legend or hero. Legends Cards can be downloaded from the museum website and should be posted to the GAA Museum, Croke Park, Dublin 3. All legends cards will be placed on the GAA Museum Legends Wall. Find out more on the museum’s website www.crokepark.ie
If you have any interesting stories or pics send them to us at; GAA Games Dept, GAA, Croke Park, Dublin 3.
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