Blarney GAA Healthy Club is now up and running just over a year. Due to Covid 19 we were restricted in what we could do but we are delighted with the first year we have had.
The following is a brief insight into each of the activities that were held in 2020 –

● Wednesday Night Walks : From 7 – 8pm every Wednesday night, young and old from the community gathered at the clubhouse and walked laps of the village together. It was a great way of meeting up and exercising together. Due to Covid Restrictions this has been suspended until restrictions are lifted.

● Over 35’s : This was a weekly session which involved current & past players of the club along with new members who moved into the community coming together every week to play hurling matches and improve their fitness on the astro turf. It was also a great way of reconnecting old teammates and building comradery between the different ages and the new & old players. We found this extremely important for the mental health of this age group of men in our community.

● Blarney 500 : On Saturday 30th May 2020, Blarney GAA Healthy Club kicked off the Blarney 500 miles initiative in aid of Marymount Hospice, Pieta House, Blarney First Responders and Blarney Meals on Wheels. Our goal was to reach 500 miles in one day by either cycling, running or walking with the hope of raising €3,000 for the above chosen charities while also reaching out to the Blarney diaspora all over the world to gather support ensuring that those abroad also felt included in this community initiative. The day was a fantastic success with the number of miles clocked in excess of 5,000 and an amazing €17,000 raised for four worthy charities. Since the event we were contacted by Blarney Meals and Wheels and informed that the monies raised helped them purchase a new kitchen while the Blarney First Responders were able to buy much needed lifesaving equipment.

● No Smoking Club 🚭 : Signage has now been put up around the grounds of the club informing people that Blarney GAA is a Smoke Free Club.

● Covid Response Team: During the lockdown in March / April , our team along with club members gave our services to the Blarney Covid Response team. Whether is was to fix a light bulb, collect prescriptions, etc we were available to help those in need that were cocooning or self-isolating.

● Blarney Meals on Wheels : Our team made ourselves available to Blarney Meals & Wheels to help deliver meals to those who were cocooning or self-isolating. One of our committee members Val Kirby played and is still playing a vital role and we are so proud that in recognition for her work in the Blarney Healthy Club , Blarney GAA and Blarney Community she received Blarney Person of the Month Award for May 2020.

● Eircode Signs : Signage has been put up around the club grounds with the Eircode to Blarney GAA in case of an emergency i.e. : if someone needs to call an ambulance / fire brigade and is unable to give clear directions.

● November’s 30 for 30 Challenge : This challenge involved the whole community exercising for 30 mins a day whether it was walking, running, cycling, yoga etc for the 30 days of November while still maintaining social distancing.

● Survey : In December 2020 we carried out a survey among the members of Blarney GAA and Blarney Community looking for feedback on what people would like to see happening in the coming year 2021 i.e. : Talks, Park Runs, Cycling etc. The feedback was fantastic and gave us a great insight as to what the people of Blarney needed and wanted and some great ideas of events to organise in the coming year2021

● Calendar : In December 2020, we produced a 2021 calendar highlighting all the positive things that have happened in the Blarney Healthy Club / Blarney GAA over the last 12 months. Each month has an array of pictures of an event that happened in 2020 along with a positive quote for each month.

● Pen pal Letters : All 3 schools in Blarney organised letters to be written by students about their lives i.e.: home, school , pastimes etc and these were then distributed to the elderly around Blarney who in turn wrote back to the student / class about what it was like for them when they were younger . This was a fantastic success as it formed a great bond and understanding between the young and old.

Above is just a brief synopsis of the successful year we have had in Blarney GAA Healthy Club. Considering the difficult year everyone has had with Covid-19 and the restrictions imposed on us all we are delighted with how much success we have had in our first year .
We have so many more exciting events coming up for example Zoom Talks on Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Mental Health and Addiction etc to organising various sports events while all the time promoting as much positivity among the community as we can.

“ One Positive Thought In The Morning Can Change Your Whole Day “
Quote from the 2021 Blarney GAA Healthy Club Calendar