Opposition to Kildare GAA club's move
Photo for illustrative purposes only
FIVE neighbourhoods adjacent to Castledermot GAA Club have banded together in opposition to the club’s plans to sell its grounds for housing and move to a site four times larger up at the ‘Blue Gardens’ on the other side of town.
“Mary Hennessy and I were asked to be representatives for the local residents,” said Jennie Healy, who grew up in Abbeylands, but who now lives in the “second last house in the parish”.
On the 21 April of Abbeylands and surrounding estates got a leaflet drop from the GAA giving notice of a meeting on the subject the following night.
“At that meeting they presented their plan to the community and basically said ‘it’s a done deal’, as they had got the land re-zoned,” explained Jennie.
On 5 May a ‘For Sale’ sign was put up at the club, as was an ad on the DNG website.
“Residents missed two notices in the , so I suppose that’s our fault.
“And while we understand Castledermot GAA has outgrown their pitch, what upset the residents was that the GAA didn’t give us any information, or give us any time to organise."
With this in mind, the residents got together and held their own meeting on 5 May where it was decided to send the club a letter outlining the concerns of the neighbourhood with regard to the loss of this amenity on this side of town.
“Any opinions expressed (in the letter sent on 11 May) are what we have heard from the residents at our meeting and on our WhatsApp group,” said Jennie.
“Our number one priority is keeping a green space on this side of the town for the five surrounding housing estates, and we would argue that there are alternative sites available, in particular Abbey Meadows.
“Many of the long standing residents feel very hurt and upset at how they feel they've been treated by the GAA.
“They feel they deserved meaningful consultation before the project became a done deal and this in their opinion did not happen.
“Again, the residents have said from the beginning that they understand the GAA need more space but perhaps if they had worked with the residents we could have come up with an alternative solution that would work for all parties,” said Jennie.
In the letter – which has been seen by the – the residents’ committee express 'our strong objection', and of 'a real disappointment' with the decision of the GAA, which they say: 'is something that cannot simply be replaced elsewhere'.
'The residents of Abbeylands are the group most directly impacted by this decision, and it is difficult to understand why meaningful engagement did not take place from the outset,' said the letter.
'Many of us are second- and third-generation residents, with deep personal and family ties to both the area and the club, and there is a strong sense that the community that has supported the club for so long has not been given a proper voice in a decision of this importance.'
The six main grievances include concerns as loss of green area, children’s walking safety, the availability of serviced and affordable alternatives, potential over-development, and traffic.
The letter concluded: 'We are not opposed to the club planning for its future, however, we believe this should be done in a way that brings the community with it, not one that leaves residents feeling excluded and negatively affected.
'Were the process to be truly transparent as quoted surely the GAA would have seen fit to inform us of the process during the public consultation period so our voices could be meaningfully heard.
'The GAA is not just an organisation, it is a group of people made up of people we consider friends, neighbours and community members.
'It is truly disappointing that these people appear to have gone out of their way to keep us unaware of their plans in order to achieve their goal, and in doing so they have managed to damage community spirit and create a feeling of mistrust.
'We respectfully ask the committee to reconsider the proposed sale, to fully explore alternative options such as Abbey Meadows, and to engage openly with residents before any final decisions are made.
'Abbeylands and the club have always been closely connected. We hope that connection will be reflected in how this matter is handled.'
