Page 70 - INTO THE WEST - March-April 2018

Ballaghaderreen continue dto set brilliant example
FOCUS ON MAYO • FOCUS ON MAYO • FOCUS ON MAYO
By DARAGH SMALL Media West Ireland
irECTOr of Show racism the red Card, Garrett Mullan, has praised Ballaghaderreen GAA as they make
strides with their anti-racism campaigns. The club are extremely proud of their
team managers and members for all their efforts over the past year.
in early 2017, Ballaghaderreen resi- dents found out their town had been chosen as a base for an ErOC Centre, catering for the Syrian nationals arriving in ireland within the following months.
Ballaghaderreen pulled together in an effort to welcome their new residents and to integrate these young people into the community. This is not a first for them, as they had a strong Pakistani community in the town since the 1980s.
Ballaghaderreen GAA Club has recently been recognised by the anti- racism charity, Show racism the red Card, for its commitment to promoting the integration of refugees and asylum-seek-
ers.As part of the programme, mentors from Ballaghaderreen GAA attended the ErOC Centre to teach the children the basics of gaelic football. in July they organised an underage blitz for local chil- dren from neighbouring clubs and were delighted and surprised at the level of skill and interest shown by their newest resi- dents.
Their club now has Syrian refugees training with their U-18 football team on a regular basis.
John Killgallon and Sharoize Akram from Ballaghderreen GAA Club were presented with the award by david Stan- ton, Minister of State for Equality, immigra- tion and integration.
“i commend Ballaghderreen GAA Club for the encouragement and support they have shown to refugees and asylum-seek-
ers, and for making it as easy as possible for them to experience what their local clubs have to offer.”
“Sport is a powerful tool for social inte- gration and inclusion,” said Mullan.
Page 70 – INTO THE WEST