A community is about 'more than winning'

Mickey Harte is all about community, relationships, friendship, and 'bringing people from a certain place to a place where they can be better', writes Brian Byrne. And if that community is shown best by his beloved GAA, well, there are few would convincingly argue against the point.

The Tyrone manager is inspirational, iconic, charismatic, and as many more similar traits that you might want to attribute to him. His audience at last night's launch of Nolans Butchers sponsorship of the Kilcullen GAA Club was doubtlessly pre-programmed to appreciate him. But that didn't diminish the value of what he said, or lessen the effect even on those (few) of us who aren't interested in sport.

He was in Kilcullen thanks to the good offices of James Nolan, for whom he had provided similar encouraging and uplifting words to a group of young people on dialysis a couple of years ago. As James put it last night, that's when he realised there was more to Mickey Harte than being a successful GAA manager. "I found that he can bring leadership, courage and spirituality, not just to the Tyrone team, but to people and to small communities, like ours."

Harte comes from a rural community, just 'like ours'. He's aware of the interdependence that's a foundation of all such communities. It's why he likes to visit GAA clubs around the country, where he can find that sense of belonging that he knows so well from his home area.

He also wants to bring a message to them, in these days of technology which can isolate and make remote as much as can connect people. He believes the GAA is a good vehicle to 'grab back' the personal touch that might be lost in this respect. "It's about relationships, friendship, discovering things that are important about each other. Sport and the GAA are real templates for life, good places to learn the skills that are necessary to make a good place in life."

Even though he's a winner and winners-maker, reaching that good place is not necessarily all about winning, he opines. Win if you can, but there's so much to learn just by being involved. And whatever good result happens on the field, it's not down only to the performance on the day, but to all the work that has gone on before in training and preparation, and in looking after the minutiae of running a club even for those not on the field.

"Sometimes in this modern life it’s all about a race, and who’s number one. But everybody is number one — the challenge is to recognise what we all have to offer in life. We’re all unique individuals. We all have the talents that God gave us … and our challenge is to make the best of those. The people who are playing sport, who are otherwise part of this club, you have to believe that you have something to give — and because you give what you uniquely have, then everybody gets something back. That’s what the GAA is based on … what can I give, not what’s in this for me."

He warned against the 'fault-finders', a mentality that happens too often in life and which must be 'got rid of'. "We have to look for the good in people, because the truth is, you will always find more of what you're looking for. It’s good to be here in a place where there are people just like at home. Be proud of what you have here and be glad that you have it … and that there’s a generation of people growing up who will carry on the baton of what this club stands for."



It's a club that has been around since 1885, and with the facilities built in 2002 is one of the better-served clubs of its size in the area. Jim Buckley, current chairman, said last evening that the €850,000 it cost was cleared earlier this year, and the club is currently debt free. "But with our U/10s due to expand by 50 percent in the coming years, we're already looking to extend the facility, so I don't think we're going to be debt-free for long." With 350 Juveniles under 15 among the 30 teams currently operated by Kilcullen GAA, it wouldn't be possible without the help of some 89 volunteers and all of those who had helped in the past to bring the club to where it is, he concluded.

James Nolan noted the generations of his family who had been associated with the club since it was founded just a few years after the Nolans name went up over a butcher stall in Kilcullen. In particular the involvement of his late father Andy and his brothers in the 50s. He was glad to provide the sponsorship, to maintain the links between the family and the club.

It was another milestone night for Kilcullen GAA. Not least because those present could be reminded of, or the younger ones learn about, why they're there.



More pictures here. Also, a full report in next Tuesday's Kildare Nationalist.