Kildare GAA club achieves its Field of Dreams

WHEN Kilcullen GAA officially opens its Field of Dreams on Saturday next, 20 September, it will mark an extraordinary example of community effort by the club and many other groups, businesses and individuals. How they got together for the almost €1 million project, with plans revealed exactly three years ago, meant it came in on time and budget.

The undertaking has expanded the club’s footprint from its initial single pitch and clubhouse by taking in eight acres beside it to provide three new pitches, a floodlit training area, a skills wall, and a 1.2km open walkway that, as the project team leader Martin Murphy puts it, “brought the club back into the community”. 

Expanded parking facilities were also part of the work, and 2,500 native Irish trees were planted in collaboration with Kilcullen Community Action and the 100 Million Trees Project.

Kilcullen GAA has grown from a small club that often struggled for numbers to fill games to one with over 1,000 members, fielding multiple teams in most GAA and LGFA competitions, and successfully reintroducing hurling and camogie. More than 90 volunteer mentors keep the whole thing going, notably with the very large number of juveniles now playing with ‘The Rags’.

“These teams are across the age range, from under-five all the way up to 18,” says Martin Murphy. “And in that cohort, we actually have more girls than boys playing.” 

The eight extra acres were acquired by way of a land swap with Kildare County Council in 2019. The property was rough and swampy, but the club had a vision that wasn’t going to be put off by that. A strong development team included Martin Murphy, Barry Griffith, and Trevor Schwer, with pitch design external consultant Richard Heydon. They put together an ambitious plan bannered as their Field of Dreams.

Relevant professional skills available ‘in-house’ to the club helped the project go relatively smoothly. Martin Murphy runs his own project management business for residential and commercial developments. Trevor Schwer, currently the club chairman, has expertise in quantity surveying. Barry Griffith is an engineer, and Nick Egan and Teresa O’Laughlin both have accountancy backgrounds.

“All that helped, from the start,” says Martin Murphy. “We got planning permission within eight weeks, which was great, and that got us up and running.” 

The underpinning challenge was dealing with the wet nature of the land. It required importing and levelling some 9,300 cubic meters of earth.

“We had to apply for a license to get that. We had to get the right material that we knew would work there for pitches.” 

 That work began in May 2023. Despite very wet summer weather, final levels were clear by the end of August. Pitch contractors got to work on site as planned in May of last year.

“When September came, we had to make a decision on sowing. Would we go, or wait until April of this year? We decided to go with it, and luckily, the weather worked for us and we got growth quickly.” 

Work on other areas of the plan was progressing. A new car park was built, and the original car park was surfaced with tarmacadam and lined. The walkway was laid out and surfaced, becoming available last October as a safe walking space for the community, with its own lighting.

“It makes me smile every time I go up there. I’ve often gone for a site meeting with a contractor at seven o’clock in the morning, and there are people running. Or at a meeting late in the evening, maybe 10 o’clock, there are people out walking. It’s brilliant. People are coming in from outside Kilcullen, maybe older people who don’t feel safe walking on the road where they live, but are happy to drive in here, park, and go for a couple of laps.” 

Steel fencing was erected around the new pitch areas, and the skills wall was completed only last week as the official opening date loomed closer. The stand has new seats, alternating in the black and white of the club’s colours.

From the beginning, fundraising took up a lot of energy. The club accessed whatever grants were available and devised initiatives that included a very successful Cill Chuillinn Abú wall, where people could purchase inscribed plaques as a lasting record of community members who had contributed to the club’s success. A weekly bingo session. A solothon that involved 404 club members from all teams and supporters achieved a €60,000 target. Donations from businesses, households, schools, and individuals.

“It was unbelievable. People would stop me in the street and give me €20 or €30. People who may have had nothing to do with the club, but could see the benefit of it. And the more we did, the more people saw it rising out of the ground, the more they came.” 

Key help came through Community Finance Ireland, a social enterprise charity using state and EU funds to provide flexible loans to voluntary-led organisations delivering a social impact.

“I have to give this group a lot of praise. We outlined our plans, gave them our projections, and they gave us money within ten days. We’re very happy to have partnered with them, great guys.” 

Local partnerships have also been crucial to the success of the Field of Dreams. They include Kilsaran, CMT Transport, The Interiors Group, Murphy Design, ALS Identify, Platt Reilly Ltd, Ashbourne Meats, Healy Tyres, Appleton Property, Bord na Mona, King Koil and Nahanagan Electrical Engineering Services.

“Anytime I picked up the phone and asked somebody for help, nobody said no. They always said yes, and that was a big help all along the way – it made a huge difference.” 

That previously noted professional expertise also helped to keep the project on budget track. 

“We were able to value engineer many things and get good value. We didn’t want the club to be saddled with a big, long-term debt. Our total debt is around €90,000 now, so we’re very happy with that.” 

The Field of Dreams came about because Kilcullen GAA is people who look to the future. With the new facilities, Martin Murphy is confident that the club will be able to cater to all its needs for the next 20 years. Club chairperson Trevor Schwer says the achievement is a testament to the club and community’s spirit, ambition, and unity. 

“The Field of Dreams represents a place where future generations will grow, play, and succeed.” 

But it’s not just the club. As so many others in Kilcullen walk around and enjoy what has become more than just a sports environment, the whole community benefits.

The official opening on Saturday will include a ‘fireside chat’ with GAA inter-county stars and some mystery celebrity guests, following the ribbon-cutting ceremony during an afternoon of family games, exhibition matches and music. All are welcome.