It has been a difficult time for GAA clubs around Ireland lately.
With little to no indication of when their members will be allowed to take to the pitch again, it would have been easy to remain inactive and wait for league and championship matches to return.
That was not the course of action taken in Carlow. The County Board launched their ‘Carlow GAA Clean Up Initiative’ in an attempt to give back to local communities across the county.
Tinryland were one of the many clubs who took part in the drive and their chairperson Bernard Mullen told KCLR’s Sunday Scoreline about how it came to pass.
“Every club in Carlow got on to their members and they went for a small walk and cleaned up the countryside and the town.
“So, credit to the Carlow County Board because it’s great to have some positive news during a very bad time for the country,” said Mullen.
Mullen heaped praise on the initiative that took place over the weekend.
“This is the stuff that we are all about and one of the great things about Covid is that it brought us back to our fundamentals as GAA clubs and GAA people.
“We get embroiled in the next game or the next manager, but this has shown us all why we are here.”
Mullen went on to explain that while there is a financial cost for all clubs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the nature of GAA clubs and GAA people will see them come out the other side of a difficult period for the Association.
He said: “There is a cost involved in Covid, but you have to be able to see beyond that. It is costly keeping our walking track open but there’s more to it than that and GAA people will always give you a hand because they are brilliant at keeping every club going.”
Mullen is no rush for a return to play. He believes that patience is the key to a safe resumption for all involved with GAA in Tinryland and beyond.
“From a personal view, if we lost a year and we could all do a bit with our club and protect people from this horrible disease, I would take that.
“We’d all love to be able to play in the championship, but we are about more than that as a club and as GAA members.”
Tinryland cannot be criticised for standing still during the pandemic. One of their new ventures includes an app called ‘Clubspot’. Mullen gave a brief description of its function for club members.
“Clubspot is a new app that we hope to launch in the coming weeks. You can download it on your phone, and it will inform people as to everything that is happening in the club.
“It’s to try and capture a wider audience and to make sure that everyone knows exactly what is going on in the club.”
Check out the full interview below: