What is it with Dayo and bikes? A Cuala SSIP story

 

Cuala’s Damien ‘Dayo’ Byrne is busy gathering and distributing donated bikes. With the help of Cuala’s Men’s Shed and the Bike hub in Dun Laoghaire some old bikes have been spruced up and are now being used by young Ukrainians who are living locally. Dayo explained that the guys who have recently turned 18 years of age have been rehoused locally and are living in locations in the borough which make it awkward to get to college and out and about generally. The Cuala Gym is one of their new ‘go to’ places. And last Friday afternoon a bunch of the guys were working out in the Cuala gym and one of them got to cycle home on his new mode of transport.

This is all part of Dayo’s work with the Sport and Social Integration Project (SSIP) that Dayo founded in Cuala almost 25 years ago. The initial focus of the project was to get local children involved in sport because there were so few children playing in Cuala. “One of the approaches we took back then was children first and sport second and due to a host of people who bought into this philosophy the club began to grow. Parents liked what they saw and they still do” according to Dayo who recalled his own journey in Cuala and the GAA family. “It started for me with getting a hurley for 2 Shillings when I was about 8 years of age. I went around Sallynoggin with my trusty rifle shooting everything than moved for weeks, before one of my big brother told me I could also use it to hit a ball as well”.

“I was very lucky to be taken under the wing of Kevin Kirwan at that age as I was a friend of his son Mick. Myself and Mick are still great friends and I have very fond memories of Cuala people like Kevin Kirwan who were so good to me as a young lad. Cuala nurtured me. I remember being told, ‘we should always be invited back’, whenever we visited a club”. Dayo recalls that having finished up playing minor for Cuala he came home to his mother’s house one day to be told Jimmy Doyle was looking for him. Dayo ran down the road to the phone box and rang Jimmy who invited him to play for the senior hurling team. Dayo didn’t even know Cuala had an adult hurling team at time. “If you show me you can hurl, I will keep you” said Jimmy and the cheeky reply from Dayo was “Well Jimmy if you show me you can manage, I will keep you”. Dayo went on to play for Cuala with Jimmy Doyle as his manager and mentor and with the Dublin hurling team as the number one goal keeper for many years.

But back to the bikes and Dayo. As a local post man back in the day he got to finish up work early in the day so Cuala asked Dayo if he would coach in the local schools. And Dayo began cycling between schools after a day’s cycling around delivering the post. This was the start of a legacy of Cuala coaching in local schools that is the source of what we know as Cuala today.

The SSIP has focused on many different cohorts especially the vulnerable over the years and now the need locally is the integration and support of people who are seeking shelter in our community. “Who knows who will be the next focus of the project, maybe it will be young people suffering the social impact of social media” says Dayo. Looking back on a very successful career as a player and as a coach in a club that grew from ‘stoney Gaelic Games soil’ to All Ireland successes and the magnificent growth of women’s sport, Dayo’s laments “It was the friendships that I enjoyed most, and it still is”. And finally, when asked what has Cuala really got to do with supporting refugees Dayo replied, “well sure if you are not taking care of the most vulnerable, you may throw your hat at it.” If anyone has a good bike lying in a shed that needs some peddling please contact Dayo at cualassip@gmail.com

Update from Nsobe, Zambia

As this year’s Cuala4Zambia cohort continue in their fundraising and preparations for the 2025 trip, we have received this wonderful update on the work carried out by the 2024 Cuala TYs:

2024 Cuala TY’s funded and built Nsobe’s Second Safe house. On the 16th of March 2025, 20 vulnerable girls from our community will move in, enabling access to education, social protection, a bed to sleep in, nutrition, care, lights for studying and running water.

Today we held a welcome and info meeting for the incoming girls and their guardians, hosted by our Rhosili house girls…many of whom were the buddies of the 2024 Cuala TY crew. It was very special hearing the current safe house girls sharing their experiences and expectations of living in community onsite with the newcomers. The girls’ presentation skills have been greatly developed by their participation in the  Foroige Dermot Earley leadership course. Cuala’s own Dermot Earley participants have also contributed to and supported the new accommodation through their module three projects. Cuala’s Terry Sheehan and EirEng Consulting Engineers Ltd designed, planned and supervised the building project pro bono.

Thank you ALL! We are excited to have the girls joining us soon.
Fiona in Nsobe

To read more about the experience of the 2024 Cuala TYs and the work they carried out, look back at Amy Butler’s blog post over on the website, here.

2025 Leading Provincial Females Programme

Congratulations to Cuala footballer Becky Clarke (pictured with second football team, back row fourth from right), who is one of 73 selected across 23 counties to participate in the 2025 Gaelic Games Asscoiations (GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Camogie Association) ‘Leading Provincial Females’ programme .

This 12-month programme, secured through the support of the Sport Ireland Women in Sport Fund, is for females who wish to develop and hone their leadership skills, while also furthering development as a coach, match official, administrator or any volunteer role in Gaelic Games.

Becky already has leadership experience and will be known to many as the facilitator of the Dermot Earley Youth Leadership programme in Cuala. She has also facilitated The Dermot Earley’ programme in Zambia when she volunteered in Nsobe in 2023. Best of luck on the programme.

Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative

This year’s cohort of Cuala Transition Year students participating in the Dermot Earley Youth Leadership Initiative (DEYLI) have just completed their second module, presenting their group research projects at Cathal Brugha Barracks on 14th March.

Now in its 10th year at Cuala, the DEYL initiative honors Dermot Earley’s legacy of sporting and professional achievements, alongside his commitment to community service. A partnership between the GAA, Foróige, and the University of Galway, the program equips young people with essential leadership skills, empowering them to reach their full potential and make a positive impact on the world around them.

GAA members aged 15-18 can participate in this yearlong programme, earning a FETAC Level 6 third-level qualification in Youth Leadership and Community Action from the University of Galway. This unique programme not only honours the values Dermot Earley embodied, but also instills them in a new generation of young Irish leaders. The programme consists of three modules two of which are facilitated, and one is undertaken by the young people independently.

The event at Cathal Brugha Barracks was opened by a former DEYLI graduate, 2nd Lieutenant Finn Richardson (pictured below left). Finn reflected on his experience in the 2018 programme and introduced our students who presented on a range of topics – Public Transport, Burnout in Sport, Pitches4Cuala, Loneliness, Respect for Referees and Gender Inequality in Sport. Dermot Early’s daughter, Ann Marie (pictured below right) was blown away with the standard of the presentations!

Students are now starting on their Module 3 projects and hope to graduate at the University of Galway in November.

A huge thanks to the facilitators of the programme – in particular Kevin Spain (pictured below centre) and Patricia Sheehan who have been leading the programme at Cuala since 2014!

CUALA SSIP Story

It was wonderful to see a success story from the Cuala Sports and Social Integration Project (SSIP) featured in this week’s edition of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) newsletter.

The Cuala Sports and Integration Project is run by project coordinator Damian Byrne at Cuala and receives funding through DDLETB`s UBU funding. The project targets over 70 young people weekly aged between 10-24 years and the current focus is on integration, since they received DDLETB`s Integration Grant last year.

The newsletter article focuses on the experiences of Shawn Gobodo with the programme, his involvement with Cuala and the exciting opportunities that now await for him. Read the full article on pages 20 and 21 of the DDLETB newsletter here.

SSIP Christmas Party

Cuala hosted families living locally in Direct Provision at Hyde Road last Saturday for a Christmas party that provided 120 children with an opportunity to meet with Santa.

Face-painting by the great Cuala Transition Year Students, including the Dermot Earley Leadership group, Santa presents, food and entertainment from the wonderful Cuala choir provided a great afternoon’s entertainment for everyone.

The party was arranged by Cuala’s Dayo Byrne and Denys Rosolovych under the Sports and Social Integration Programme.

In addition there was a huge contribution to the success of the day from Debbie Kearney from DLRCC’s integration team. And the event would not have happened without the efforts of Cuala manager Elva.

Denys and Dayo were not finished there as directly after the Special General meeting in the Royal Marine they were busy collecting donated Christmas food hampers. The efforts of the guys to bring some Christmas joy to families living in our community, who are a long way from family and loved ones, is very much valued by the community of Cuala.

A significant amount of work with International Protection Applicants has been carried out quietly by Dayo and Denys throughout the year and there will be plenty more carried out next year.

Dermot Earley Leadership Programme Graduation

Galway University was the destination for the Cuala participants of the Dermot Earley Leadership programme last Saturday. Not everyone got there due to a red weather alert and the impending match in Parnell Park. Cuala’s group of young people Graduated with a level 6 (Leaving Cert is level 5) Foundation Certificate in Youth Leadership and Community Action. While not in a position to attend five young Zambians graduated for the first time this year. These graduates were introduced to the Dermot Earley programme by visiting facilitators from Cuala in 2022. With the help of Foroige, funding (€300 per graduate) was secured to ensure five selected Nsobe school students would have the opportunity to complete the three modules and  graduate. The graduates from Nsobe are true community leaders who are invariably the first generation of their families to complete second level education. That they now have an internationally recognised 3rd level qualification is a wonderful achievement. One of the young Zambian women volunteered at a local primary school for her module three project. Foster is now working in that school as a teaching assistant. Cuala has twenty teenagers on the programme this year and teachers from Nsobe school continue to facilitate the programme having been trained up by Foróige who visited Zambia last year at the request of Cuala. If future funding can be secured it is hoped that more young Zambian leaders will continue to graduate alongside their Cuala peers.

Cuala 4 Zambia at Nsobe School

Cuala 4 Zambia

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Cuala At Oireachtas – Integration

Cuala at Oireachtas with Steering Group for Integration

Cuala players Aisling Groarke and Cormac Spain were in Leinster House on Wednesday to present a statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media alongside the Steering Group for Integration in a public session to discuss “integration of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Camogie Association with the Gaelic Athletic Association”. The players were invited to attend as representatives of LGFA, Camogie Association and GAA players nationwide following engagement of Cuala with the Steering Group for Integration last year.

Their statement with regards to Integration is now on the public record and can be read in full here, while the presentation can be watched back on video published on the Oireachtas website (Wednesday 10th April, Committee Room 1, video commencing at 13:50).

This was a privilege for the players and club to input into discussions on Integration at such a level. Thank you to Cormac, Aisling and Club Secretary Colm Small who also attended.

Pictured are Colm Small (Cuala Club Secretary), Aisling Groarke (Adult Player), Mary McAleese (Chair of the Integration Project), and Cormac Spain (Adult Player).

A Short Note From Ken Fitzgerald…

A short note from Ken Fitzgerald…

Hi folks,

Just a short note to let you know that I have decided to retire from my role as club coach/youth development officer in Cuala.

I’ll finish on March 22nd, but my last day will be March 15th as I intend to take a week annual leave from 18th to 22nd.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the support and confidence shown in me during my time in the role.

I will continue my voluntary involvement with Cuala via my sons’ teams.

I wish Cuala all the best for the future and hope I’m leaving it in a stronger position than I found it.

Thanks.

Le gach dea-ghuí

Ken

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It’s difficult to sum up Ken’s immense contribution to the club and community in a few words, but we’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ken for everything. His impact in virtually every aspect of Cuala down through the years is clear to see. Go raibh míle maith agat as gach aon rud, agus go n-éirí leat sa todhchaí!