Show off your GAA skills for Uganda GAA Kilkenny Appeal

Fancy showing off your GAA skills online and raising money for a great cause at the same time?

This week Kilkenny stars Aidan Fogarty & Aoife Prendergast along with local children kickstarted the Newpark Hotel Kilkenny to Kampala fundraiser in Nolan Park in Kilkenny, they created short videos of them demonstrate their favourite GAA skills, shared it on their social media channels and challenged their friends, families, team-mates and even rivals to do that same.  They want you to do the same.

Kilkenny People's Siobhan Donohoe and Celebrity Chef Edward Hayden showing their support for the 'Kilkenny to Kampala' GAA fundraiser by the Kilkenny Newpark Hotel

The Newpark Hotel Kilkenny to Kampala fundraiser aims to raise at least €20,000 to ensure that Uganda GAA can continue to provide GAA equipment and dinner for each child after training, with proceeds also going towards securing final payment for 3 acres of land for a GAA training pitch and clubhouse on the outskirts of Kampala.

Upon completion, this pitch will be the first full-size GAA pitch on the African continent and the highest altitude GAA pitch in the world, constructed on the banks of Lake Victoria. The club’s long-term goal is to incorporate the great community spirit that runs through every GAA club, and to establish a sustainable Ugandan GAA Club that will nurture a love of Gaelic Games and provide a safe and healthy environment for thousands of Ugandan children long into the future.

A significant part of the clubhouse will be a kitchen where meals will be cooked for every training session, taking pressure from parents who struggle to meet school fees and putting food on the table by allowing their children time to be a child and have fun playing sports.

Ensuring the love from Kilkenny is felt all the way in Kampala, Newpark Hotel is sponsoring two ‘GAA ambassadors’ to make the international trip and give the Ugandan kids a training blitz ahead of St Patrick’s Day and to coincide with the All-Uganda GAA Championships taking place in this March.

Pictured launching the charity appeal were Mikey Butler, Sinead Brennan, Paul Beehan and Aidan Forgarty. PICTURES DYLAN VAUGHAN

Paul Beehan, General Manager of Newpark Hotel who are driving the campaign explained why they got involved.

“We were inspired by the story of a group of youngsters living in Wakiso, near Kampala in Uganda, who had stumbled on the Irish national sports of hurling and Gaelic football through YouTube and TikTok videos and started to copy what they had seen. The passion these Ugandan children have for playing GAA is wonderful to see, but most are playing in flip-flops as they can’t afford football boots. How can you not get behind something like that and help these children out where possible. I was shocked to discover that the average yearly salary in Uganda is €815, approximately the cost of 15 hurls, so proper GAA equipment is out of their reach. That’s why every euro raised will make a real difference.  The joy that these kids have found in Gaelic Games really struck a chord with us at Newpark Hotel, and we want to do what we can to ensure that they have what they need to continue playing.”

The Newpark team have succeeded in reaching the halfway point of €10,000 through raffles and internal sponsorship, and it is hoped that by casting the net out to the wider GAA community and public at large that they can reach their overall target of €20,000. Anyone who wants to get involved is encouraged showcase their GAA skills in a short video clip online nominate 3 people to undertake the challenge & tagging @NewparkHotel and using the hashtag #K2KGAAChallenge

#K2KGAAChallenge launched at Nowlan Park.

PHOTOs by Dylan Vaughan