Ireland Lights Up with the GAA
The GAA, in partnership with RTÉ’s Operation Transformation, is seeking to bring together
communities across the 32 counties to enjoy healthy walks in the safe, bright, environs of their GAA
club. In a bid to make exercise more accessible on the dark winter nights, ‘Ireland Lights Up’ will see
participating clubs turn on their floodlights/lighting systems between 7-pm-9pm each Thursday for a
five-week period (January 17th – February 21st 2019) as Operation Transformation returns to our
screens in the New Year.
Each Thursday, club and community members will be invited to come together at participating clubs
to walk off the Christmas excess, catch up with their neighbours, and banish the winter blues.
(Walking is proven to benefit both our physical and mental health.) GAA clubs are already becoming
hubs for health through the Healthy Clubs Project, with at least one Healthy Club in each county.
During the five-week period Operation Transformation cameras will visit a selection of participating
clubs across the series, with all clubs encouraged to capture their stories via videos and images for
use on the show, GAA.ie, and RTE’s various platforms.
The GAA is seeking expressions of interest from clubs that are keen to participate in ‘Ireland Lights
Up’, which is also supported by Healthy Ireland and Get Ireland Walking (GIW). Clubs that complete
the registration process and adhere to the necessary criteria will be covered by GIW’s insurance for
all walk leaders and participants. However, irrespective of GAA membership status, leaders and
participants are not covered by the GAA Injury Benefit Fund for this initiative.
To participate, clubs MUST comply with certain criteria, including:
1. Register your club and at least two walking leaders free-of-charge with GIW at
http://www.getirelandwalking.ie/GAA/ . This extends additional indemnity cover to the club
in addition to the GAA’s public liability cover (be sure to click yes on this box on the
registration form).
2. Ensure your club has a current health and safety statement in place and completes a
documented hazard inspection of the proposed walking track/route in the club. All
floodlighting must be checked prior to the commencement of each walk
3. Ensure your club can provide a safe, floodlit location for the ‘Ireland Lights Up’ walk each
Thursday between January 17th
-February 21st, 2019. This should only take place on a
purpose-built walking track/surface.
4. If the club doesn’t have a purpose built walking track with flood lights, they can coordinate
walks which must begin at the clubhouse and end at the clubhouse, a full risk assessment of
the route must be carried out by the club’s safety officer to ensure the designated route is
well lit and is able to cater for the required numbers. High Vis vests will need to be worn by
all those taking part and the route should have adequate footpaths, a good road surface
with no loose chippings, be pot hole free and should not take place near any designated
road works. A record of the risk assessment must be maintained at the club. Adequate
numbers of walk leaders will need to front the walking group and marshal it from behind to
ensure all participants are walking in a safe environment. Clear and safe instructions will
need to be given on each of the walking nights ahead of the group leaving the club
premises. Dogs are not permitted.
5. The club can decide (and promote to its members and communities) what time between
7pm-9pm each Thursday the lights will be turned on. (It can be all or some of this period,
depending on walk leader availability, floodlight resources etc.)
6. A registration of all participating walkers must be taken each night. This is will provided in
the support pack once your club signs up. This is once again designed to protect the club
from exposure to insurance risk and to allow us tally final numbers to evaluate the success
of ‘Ireland Lights Up’.
For any more information please contact the GAA’s Learning and Development Coordinator Stacey
Cahill at stacey.cahill@gaa.ie or 01 8192387.
Any clubs interested in participating must sign up using the Get Ireland Walking Website at
https://www.getirelandwalking.ie/ All the Ireland Lights Up 2019 information is also available on this website.
Closing date to register is December 7th 2018.
If any clubs have questions they can contact Stacey Cahill at stacey.cahil@gaa.ie