“50 Miles in January Challenge” as Leitrim GAA & LGFA join forces for 2023 campaign

Get your shoes, show your pride in your county and get our walking for Leitrim in January - that’s the message that came across loud and clear from the launch of the Leitrim GAA 50 Miles in January Challenge for 2023 on Thursday evening in Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens.

This year’s event is a ground-breaking event with Leitrim Ladies Gaelic Football Association coming on board for the third year of the very popular and highly successful fundraiser that started in 2021 and captured the imagination of Leitrim people all around the world.

With the ambassadors for the challenge already announced, Thursday’s event saw Leitrim GAA chairman Enda Stenson, Leitrim LGFA chairperson Kathy Butler and Leitrim County Council Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr Sean McDermott officially launch the event as they urged Leitrim people all over the globe to get involved with the 2023 campaign.

Kathy Butler, Chairperson, Leitrim LGFA, with ambassadors Norah Casey and Michelle Guckian.

Leitrim senior team managers Andy Moran (Men) and Jonny Garrity (Ladies) chatted with MC John Lynch, talking about the impact of the campaign on their players while ambassadors Nora Casey and Pascal Gillard talked of attracting more people to live in the county.

For Enda Stenson, the news that Leitrim LGFA had joined forces with Leitrim GAA for the challenge was big news: “We’re extremely excited to say that the Ladies Board are with us, which will give us another step on the ladder. It completes the circle within Leitrim.”

Enda also paid tribute to the involvement of Leitrim County Council, stressing that the 50 Miles in January Challenge was a wonderful promotion tool for the county: “We’re extremely grateful to Leitrim County Council who have come with very generous sponsorship for Leitrim GAA, Leitrim people and Leitrim Tourism and it is up to us to promote Leitrim. 

“We have a phenomenal county but what we need to get is get our young people back to live within rural areas.

“As everybody knows, there are certain areas within Leitrim, my own included, who are struggling at the moment for young people. We have a jobs fair at the end of January and we hope that something can be done that will bring our young people back to our county, that we won’t be sending all our best and our brightest away.”

Kathy Butler was also delighted to see the partnership between the GAA and LGFA: “We’re absolutely delighted to be part of it going forward, particularly in light of the prospective collaboration between the LGFA and the GAA and the subsumption of the two organisations.

“It is a welcome step towards it and it has been going on for years in Leitrim, even from a fixtures perspective, there are certain days in the week that are left aside for Ladies fixtures and certain slots at the weekend so that we can share referees and share pitches and nobody is encroaching on the other. 

“It is really positive that we’re working together on this and Leitrim GAA and Leitrim LGFA have made those steps already and we’re on the right road. The GAA population in Leitrim is so small that we need to be working together, we need to collaborate and every family has people in both camps and every club is really united. It is the most positive part of this that we are all going in the same direction.”

The 50 Miles in January Challenge has really captured the imagination of the people of Leitrim, wherever they are around the world: “The first year we started off we did not know how this could be a success. It is a healthy challenge, it brings the best out of people. People love to have a reason to get out and this is the reason. 

“The success was down to the ordinary people of Leitrim and their offspring right across the globe - we can’t claim that we did this, it was the people of Leitrim, the supporters of Leitrim GAA and a lot of other people as well who made this a success the first year.

“The second year was just phenomenal, you had people from all over the world - California, America, Australia, the Netherlands, Liverpool, Nottingham - everywhere you could think of, people joined our challenge and here we are the third year running.

“This is for Leitrim GAA as a whole, it is not for the senior football team, the hurlers, the ladies team, it is for Leitrim and the people within the county and everybody that is getting out is doing their bit for Leitrim, they’re doing their bit for themselves.”

It was a point reiterated by Kathy Butler: “I think the whole county has got behind this challenge, far and wide and around the world, it has brought everyone back together. It has been such a positive initiative from the very start.”

It also has the additional benefit of promoting Leitrim in a unique way according to Kathy: “We take it for granted, we admire other parts of the country and suddenly we realise that our own county is just as beautiful. I know myself having moved back to the county, you’re always proud when you’re away but you become twice as proud when you move back and you realise the beauty of it. 

“Leitrim is such an accessible place, a good road network around the county and out of the county, the broadband connectivity has made it such a really good place to work, live and to enjoy.”

Both chairpersons urged Leitrim people, wherever they are, to get behind the 50 Miles in January: “I look forward to seeing everybody, be it on social media, our printed media, local radio, I am so looking forward to Leitrim people, the diaspora, connecting. It is all about connecting,” said Enda.

Kathy urged everyone to join the challenge: “Just sign up, get your beanie and get walking, spread the message far and wide. It is a real chance to support Leitrim men, Leitrim ladies and Leitrim hurlers and keep the Green & Gold flying. 

“Get behind all of the teams from underage right up to adult, show our pride, show our support and the passion and spirit of Leitrim GAA supporters. We need to tap into that and it is a really positive space to be in, we’re looking forward to January.”

You can sign up for the “50 Miles in January Challenge” at www.leitrimgaa.ie/challenge/