Jul 23, 2020
Mountaineering Ireland
Uncoiling the Ropes will be of great interest to many MI members as Clare’s story spans over half a century of Irish mountaineering history. As a child she fell under the spell of wild Irish landscapes and went on to become a regular hill walker at a time when few people ventured into the hills unless they were out searching for sheep. In the decades since then Clare has been a very active climber, both in Ireland and abroad (in the Alps, the Himalayas and the Americas) and her experiences, along with those of her husband Calvin Torrans, give a unique perspective on many of the achievements, trends and debates that have shaped the development of Irish climbing.
MWEELREA PRESS
1970s Ireland had a message for Clare Sheridan: ‘Girls don’t climb.’ But in an era when there was no shortage of voices telling women how they should behave, Clare wasn’t listening. Fresh out of convent boarding school, she was determined to venture onto steep rock and see the world from a different perspective. Climbing quickly became her passion, and Clare’s thirst for adventure was matched only by her courage. She was soon recognised as a pioneering leader by the top climbers of the day, not least Belfast mountaineer Calvin Torrans, the love of her life, who she met on her first trip to the Alps. They have been climbing together ever since, tackling difficult routes on high mountains all over the world and achieving a phenomenal succession of first ascents on Irish cliffs, even as they raised a family of three. In this compelling memoir, Clare recreates in vivid detail the fears, the triumphs and the losses of a lifetime of heart-stopping adventures. Highly engaging and disarmingly honest, Uncoiling the Ropes gives a rare insight into the experience of a woman who has beaten her own path through the male-dominated world of mountaineering. With its reflections on risk and courage, motherhood, self-belief and the joy of living fearlessly, this thought-provoking memoir is a powerful read for climbers and non-climbers alike.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clare Sheridan has been at the forefront of Irish climbing for decades and has long been a role model for women climbers. In 2014 she was the first woman to be awarded the Lynam medal by Mountaineering Ireland, and the Irish Times said, ‘She is to Irish mountaineering what Sonia O’Sullivan is to athletics and Katie Taylor is to boxing.’ Clare has written many articles for the Irish Mountain Log and co-edited numerous rock climbing guidebooks with her husband, climbing legend Calvin Torrans. She and Calvin have three sons. She is a retired primary school teacher and when she’s not away climbing, home is Bray, County Wicklow.
The book is due to be published in August 2020.
End
mweelreapress@gmail.com
Jul 16, 2020
The Irish Sport Industry Awards have officially been deferred until 2021. The ceremony, which recognises the valuable contribution of sport to the Irish economy each year, was due to be held in April 2020 but due to COVID-19 and public health guidelines the ceremony was postponed. The Federation have now confirmed that it will instead be deferred until 2021.
All applications that were received for the 2020 awards will be carried forward and will remain valid for the 2021 judging process. Applications will also re-open in early 2021 to allow for new entries.
We would like to thank everyone who engaged with the awards in 2020. We look forward to celebrating the contribution of sport to the economy, the brilliant work of those in the sector, particularly during these most challenging times for sport, in 2021.
Jul 14, 2020
Wednesday 8 July 2020: World Archery (WA) has awarded the World Archery Youth Championships (WAYC) 2023 to Limerick. The decision will see in excess of 500 young athletes competing in the city for the title of World Youth Champion. The event will bring an international spotlight on Ireland and Limerick. Archery Ireland, the National Governing Body for the sport have welcomed the decision. “As the sponsoring body for this bid we are delighted to bring international competition to Ireland, and we are confident that Limerick and the region will provide a memorable occasion for all the athletes competing in 2023 ” said Archery Ireland President, Kevin MacDermott. This will be the second World Archery Championship to be hosted in Ireland over the past decade, the World Archery Field Championship was successfully hosted in Bray in 2016 and that experience has been recognised by World Archery. “Before 2016, Ireland had never hosted a World Archery event. But we are proud that we will build on the success of the competition held in Dublin and the passion of the organisers to return with another championship in 2023, ” said World Archery Secretary General, Tom Dielen. The main venue for the week-long competition will be the University of Limerick, with the finals being hosted in the city centre, providing an opportunity for the public to witness world class sport at close range. Bid committee director Adam Taylor said: “This is fantastic news for archery in Ireland. While a lot of hard work has already gone into this bid we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to Limerick in 2023 and showcasing what Ireland has to offer. ” Archery Ireland believes the host city will bring a unique atmosphere to the World Championships, the reputation of the region and the work and support already received from partners in the region promises a memorable event for all involved as well as a welcome boost for the local economy. WAYC 2019 attracted in excess of 800 competitors and officials from 63 countries when it was hosted in Madrid. ENDS For further informatio
Jun 19, 2020
Federation of Irish Sport welcomes Resilience Fund for Sport for the survival and reignition of sport organisations nationwide
Issued on behalf of our members, the 81 National Governing Bodies and 29 Local Sports Partnerships that organise sport and physical activity in Ireland
June 19th, 2020: The Federation of Irish Sport welcomes today’s announcement by the Government that a funding package of up to €70 million has been allocated as part of a Resilience Fund for Sport package. The Federation would like to thank the government, Minister Shane Ross and Minister Brendan Griffin for their support and is delighted that they have recognised the extremely valuable contribution that sport makes to Irish society.
This funding package will support the sport sector through;
– Funding of up to €40m for the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU
– A Resilience Fund of up to €10m to support the National Governing Bodies of Sport
– A Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m to support clubs
– A Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m
As the Federation of Irish Sport noted in its appeal for a Resilience Fund for Sport to the government in May, this financial assistance will go a long way in helping sports organisations who are facing particular financial difficulty to get back to business and to adapt to the new reality as restrictions lift.
We welcome the government’s acknowledgement of our call for support, and their commitment to investing in sport at local and national level to help Irish sport through this unprecedented emergency and back on to the road to recovery. The Federation will continue to work with its members and Sport Ireland to maximise levels of physical activity and participation in sport in Ireland.
-ENDS-
Jun 19, 2020
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, and the Minister with responsibility for tourism and sport, Brendan Griffin, today (Friday 19 June) announced that a funding package of up €70 million has been approved by Government to support the sport sector.
This funding package will support the sport sector through;
– Funding of up to €40m for the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU,
– a Resilience Fund of up to €10m to support the National Governing Bodies of Sport,
– a Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m to support clubs, and
– a Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m.
Minister Ross said “The sport sector has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and many sporting bodies and clubs are experiencing significant financial challenges. We have had extensive contact with the sector and it is clear that the challenge is enormous and is being felt at every level. While the scale of this package may seem extraordinarily large, it merely reflects the enormity of the challenges being faced by our sporting bodies.
This new funding package will assist our National Governing Bodies of Sport and sports clubs as they prepare to restart their sports under the Government roadmap. Sporting organisations and clubs are hugely important for the social fabric of every community in the country and we want to ensure that the sector recovers as strongly as possible from the current crisis. The Roadmap accelerations and funding being announced today will ensure the survival of our vibrant sport sector, particularly the network of clubs throughout the country. My officials will now engage with Sport Ireland to design new grant schemes, which will be administered by Sport Ireland.”
Minister Griffin said “Today is the most important day for Sport in this country during my time in this office. I am delighted that the Government saw fit to respond to the many loud calls for help from our sporting bodies. The scale of lost revenues, from the smallest of club fundraisers to a sold-out stadium, is breath taking. Today’s package will go a long way to aiding the badly needed recovery.
Despite all of the challenges, it is heartening to see that so many people have recognised the importance of staying active during the Covid-19 crisis. We are now seeing more adults than ever actively participating in sport, with huge numbers having taken up cycling, running and recreational walking. I welcome today’s acceleration of the Roadmap reopening – it’s great news and greatly appreciated by sports people throughout Ireland. There is a huge opportunity now to secure a lasting improvement in the health and wellbeing of our nation by engaging with children and adults who have become more active during the crisis and putting in place programmes to help them go from casual sporting activity into lifelong participation. The Sports Restart and Renewal Fund will assist sporting bodies and local sports partnerships to maximise this opportunity.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- This additional funding will be invested through four new grant schemes, to be developed by Sport Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and administered by Sport Ireland.
- Funding allocations to NGBs and clubs under the new scheme will be determined following a robust grant application and assessment process conducted by Sport Ireland.
- Sport Ireland will announce an open invitation to applications from funded bodies for assistance under the grant scheme.
- The funding will be distributed by Sport Ireland through the National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
- The schemes would be designed to ensure that grant aid would only be provided where Sport Ireland is fully satisfied that the funding is absolutely required.
- Combined funding of up to €40m will be made available to the three main field sports organisations – the FAI, the GAA and the IRFU. Funding will be allocated on a case-by-case basis and will be a direct response to each NGB’s specific needs with regard to solvency and continued existence.
- A Resilience Fund of up to €10m will be made available to support the National Governing Bodies who find themselves in need of assistance to avoid closing.
- A Sports Club Resilience Fund of up to €15m will be made available to support clubs from all of the NGBs. Again, the clubs will be required to demonstrate that they are in need of assistance to avoid closing.
- A Sports Restart and Renewal Fund of up to €5m will be made available. Sports clubs are deemed ineligible for the Government’s Restart Grants scheme (as they are not solely commercial trading entities). In addition, they have been excluded from Government supports for the community and voluntary sector to cope with the challenge of COVID-19. This Fund will seek to address these exclusions.
ENDS
Jun 19, 2020
Ireland’s leading sporting organisations have come together with global partners including the International Sport and Culture Organisation (ISCA), The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA), TACTHUB, APO Group, The Rugby Site, Sport for Life Canada, PHE Canada, EUPEA, CEREPS, AIESEP, UNESCO Chair for Physical Activity and Health in Educational Settings (University of Basel, Switzerland), and UNESCO Chair in Inclusive Sport, (IT Tralee, Ireland), with the support of UNESCO and Devpost, to launch a global challenge aimed at reimagining sport and physical activity during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.
UCC Sport, Sport Ireland, Federation of Irish Sport, Cappanlea National Centre for Outdoor Education and Training, Cork Local Sports Partnership and their global partners are looking for the best ideas on how sport and physical activity can survive and thrive in a world radically changed by the experience of pandemic.
We are seeing empty football stadiums, matches taking place behind closed doors, and sports clubs of all kinds restricting access. Social distancing restrictions are making training different and changing the nature of participation in sport. At the same time people are more conscious than ever of the need to stay physically active and the contribution of sport and physical activity to health and wellbeing.
This ‘free to enter’ global challenge is designed to address the question:
How might we sustainably redesign sport and physical activity for children and families, the young and the not-so-young, for participants, spectators, fans and community groups, so that it is inclusive, accessible, attainable – and fun! – during the pandemic and afterwards?
Proposals may be targeted at specific age groups or ability levels, at the different ways in which people interact with sports and physical activities and at how space is used in sport and physical activity.
The Global Design Challenge for Sport and Physical Activity will take place over the weekend of 26th – 28th June 2020, with teams asked to submit ideas online to Devpost at
https://global-design-challenge.devpost.com/?ref_content=default&ref_feature=challenge&ref_medium=portfolio
The Global Design Challenge is set in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals following the policy framework enshrined in the Kazan Action Plan (2017):
- Developing a comprehensive vision of inclusive access for all to sport, physical education and physical activity
- Maximising the contributions of sport to sustainable development and peace
- Protecting the integrity of sport
https://en.unesco.org/mineps6/kazan-action-plan
Teams will be invited to indicate how their projects are relevant to these goals.
The Global Design Challenge will promote the principles of Design Thinking and teams will receive support in the form of a free Workshop on Design Thinking by internationally recognised expert, Dr Fiona Chambers of University College Cork, Ireland.
To help them prepare their proposals, teams will be provided with video-making resources created by Judie Russell of The Vidacademy.
Teams that are successful at pitching stage will be provided with an opportunity to incubate and develop their idea. All the entries submitted will be visible to the organisers, who may initiate interaction with any team to explore the possibility of developing their idea.
For further information see: www.sportireland.ie/participation/design-challenge-2020
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