Sport

Sports funding for local clubs

Wexford County Council was awarded €300,000 under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme for the facilitation of an all-weather full size Astro Turf Pitch at the Ross Road public amenity area in Enniscorthy. This news was warmly welcomed by Minister James Browne TD who said, “This is a very welcome facility for Enniscorthy and will be of enormous benefit to the community through the growth of local clubs and further participation of young people in sport while further promoting Enniscorthy as a healthy town.”

The Enniscorthy Municipal District received further significant amounts of funding under the programme and Minister Browne “would like to congratulate the following groups on their successful applications and wish them the very best with their proposed projects”. - Bunclody AFC €287,000. - County Wexford Community Workshop Enniscorthy €150,000 - F.C.J. Secondary School, Bunclody €150,000 - Enniscorthy Golf Club €104,134 - Davidstown/Courtnacuddy GAA Club €103,535 - Enniscorthy Swimming Pool & Leisure Complex €80,431 - Enniscorthy RFC €51,500 - Ferns St. Aidan’s GAA Club €46,000 - Ajax AFC €29,544 - Bree United Soccer Club €14,715 - Enniscorthy Boxing Academy €10,000 n

Minister James Browne TD pictured at Enniscorthy Golf Club where he helped secure €104,134 in a Capital Sports Grant for the club. L-R: Mr Denis Dunne, Captain; Mr Stephen Casey, Hon Secretary; Minister James Browne TD; Ms Breda Morrison, Lady Captain; Mr. Senan Lillis.

Crossabeg - Ba GAA Presentatio Dinner Dan

Ferrycarraig Hotel, 19th Fe

Left: Mark Byrne and Niamh McGintley. Right: Sarah Byrne and Niall Barlow. F

Photos below L-R: Ciara O’Connor. Conor Devereux and Aoife Rossiter. Joe Aisling Staples and James Dixon.

Bottom photos L-R: Eamonn and Mary Doyle. Philip and Andrea Kehoe, Bria Sinead Norris. Sadhbh Kirwan. Jessie Byrne, Billy Dunne

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ebruary 2022

Far right: Sadhbh Daly and Cian Kilbough. e Kelly and Erin Fortune. Sinead Carley.

an and Nicola Purcell, Vincent Byrne and and Niamh Gorman.

European golds for Enniscorthy’s Anne Gilshinan

Slaney Olympic’s Anne Gilshinan competed in the European Master Athletics championships in Braga, Portugal, last month and brought home not one, but three gold medals! The thirteenth European Masters Indoor Championships (EMACI) – a competition aimed at athletes over 35 years of age, took place from February 20th to 27th, 2022, on the six-lane track of the new Altice Forum, located in the centre of Braga. Anne competed in the over-55 category at 800m, 1,500m and 3,000m winning gold in all three events! Anne was in disbelief afterwards saying. “Three Gold medals and I still can’t quite believe it.” Check out Anne’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/anne.gilshinan for videos of all three victories. n Wexford County Council - Sports Active Wexford: Covid 19 Community & Club Small Grant Scheme 2022 now open for applications. Funding is available to support Covid 19 related expenditure. For all information and terms, and to apply: https://customerservice.wexfordcoco.ie/en/service/Sports_ Active_Wexford_Covid19_Club_Small_Grant_Scheme n

Wexford FC’s sustainable kit

This season Wexford FC’s shirts are made with recycled polyester fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. A great example of recycling being set by the club. n

Bellefield Beat

Exciting times as life returns to Bellefield GAA, with the re-opening of our indoor Bingo on Wednesday 16th February and our club bar resuming normal opening hours, and it’s all hands on deck as we prepare fields and facilities for playing season 2022.

A wonderful addition to our playing pitch is the newly erected electronic Scoreboard very kindly sponsored by Brian & Wendy Walsh, Brian Walsh Hurleys & Sports. Our most sincere thanks to Brian and Wendy and daughter Aoife, all active and loyal members of the club.

Our Senior Hurlers are currently selling a magnificent momento of their historic 2021 Championship win in the form of a beautifully framed photograph of the team and mentors, professionally taken by well known GAA photographer Noel Reddy.

Two sizes available – 12”X16” and 16”X20” – €60 and €120, currently on view on all our social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and available to purchase from me, Maria Nolan, and Senior Hurling Manager Declan Skippy Ruth at 087-2574562.

A treasured memory of a special and cherished club occasion.

All monies raised from the sale of the photographs will go towards the future development and enhancement of Rapparees/Starlights players and facilities.

Our weekly Lotto continues every Monday night at the clubhouse, tickets can be purchased online or from the

Brian Walsh with daughter Aoife. Brian Walsh Hurleys & Sports are the sponsors of the new electronic scoreboard at Bellefield GAA.

many sales outlets around the town. May I take this opportunity to thank all for supporting our weekly Lotto and those who are back supporting our Wednesday night Bingo, your weekly contribution is very much appreciated.

Our Club Dinner Dance will take place at the Riverside Park Hotel on Saturday 30th April, our Bellefield Bunny Run will be held over the Easter bank holiday weekend, and our Club Golf Classic is scheduled for Friday 6th May at Enniscorthy Golf Club.

Our new multimedia Communications Committee, operating Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TicToc, is Maria Nolan, John Ryan, Geraldine Redmond, Leanne Hore, Anna Flood, Ciaran Cronin, and Christopher Doyle, please feed all club information and activity through them to keep our members informed and up to date on any and all GAA and club happenings and events.

So, a multitude of activity to look forward to and we haven’t even mentioned the games yet!

Ar Aghaidh Linn Le Cheile.

Slaney Olympic’s 10K

Held at Old Dublin Road Enniscorthy on Sunday 13th February 2022

Sponsored by Creane & Creane Insurance

Oylegate man Brian Shaughnessy warms up. Sarah Hamilton and Hannah Nolan. Barry O’Toole and Ale

Ruth and Anne Fitzgerald warm up. Tommy McElwaine.

Road Race

ex Williams. Kate Greegan and Esther O’Leary. Warming up before the race.

Bobby Redmond and Paul Browne on duty as stewards. Raymond Byrne and Annis Kehoe. Veteran Eugene Doherty.

New handbook published to support Sporting Memories Groups

A new Sporting Memories Handbook has been developed to support local sports organisations in setting up Sporting Memories groups. An initiative of The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Sporting Memories groups are intended to provide a forum for people with dementia, families, supporters and friends to reminisce and talk about bygone sporting days as well as encourage participation in physical activity. The booklet, which is supported by the Dementia: Understand Together campaign, aims to help improve the health and well-being of people with dementia, as well as older people in general.

The handbook is part of the wider rollout of the Sporting Memories programme in communities across Ireland. The initiative hopes to inspire and encourage local sporting clubs and organisations to organise regular Sporting Memories groups within their localities. The groups bring people together to reminisce about their lives through the medium of sport, using images, video footage, memorabilia, quizzes, and guest talks to spark memories and encourage social engagement. By using sporting cues, the purpose is to stimulate memory, improve communication and social skills, as well as create a sense of camaraderie and belonging.

The ultimate objective of the programme is to tackle dementia, depression, and loneliness through safe, friendly sessions, led by people with a passion for sport and a desire to help people stay engaged in their communities.

The booklet is a “how-to” guide for the development of Sporting Memories groups, and includes information on dementia, how to set up groups and organise different activities, as well as offering communication tips, ways to create a supportive environment, and details of how to access group resources. By meeting at the local sports grounds, or visiting a clubhouse, groups can help to conjure up fantastic memories of past experiences and events. Physical activity is also a key part of the programme with light exercises built into each session.

There are an estimated 2,163 people living with dementia in WEXFORD and each year more than 11,000 people develop the disease across the country – that’s approximately 30 people every day. There are many forms of dementia, with the most common being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, mixed Alzheimer’s Disease/vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia and Lewy body disease.

For more information on the Sporting Memories programme, or to access the handbook, visit www.alzheimer.ie or www.understandtogether.ie. To order a copy of the handbook, go to www.healthpromotion.ie

The development of the Sporting Memories Handbook was inspired by Sporting Heritage, a comprehensive guide for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has been supported by the Dementia: Understand Together campaign, led by the HSE. The campaign aims to help create communities that actively embrace and include those living with dementia and their families. For support or advice, people can also contact The Alzheimer Society of Ireland on Freefone 1800 341 341 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm). n