First GAA team in Cork for LGBTQ community is looking for new members
Members of Munster’s only LGBTQ GAA Club.
MUNSTER'S only LGBTQ-inclusive GAA Club is here in Cork with hopes of expanding LGBTQ GAA in Munster and soon to impact the rest of the country.
Aaron Kelly and Dean Kinsella have been working in the background with the experience from their respective sports organisations to come together and create Laochra Aeracha.
According to Dean Kinsella, the club’s PR Officer, coming up with a name was arguably the most difficult aspect of the club’s creation.
The pair took the lead from other LGBTQ GAA clubs in Ireland who have gone with the Irish language to name their clubs.
Cork decided to follow suit. Laochra Aeracha roughly translates to Gay Warriors or Heroes which captures the club’s values.
With Aaron’s background in Hell Hounds rugby club and Dean’s background in Cork’s Frontrunners over the last number of years, the duo has come together to create a starting point in LGBTQ GAA in Munster.
With Dean taking on the role of PR Officer and social media rep and Aaron taking on the role of chairperson and lead coach.
Originally, before the club became official, Aaron and Dean used connections from Cork Front Runners, the Hell Hounds Rugby Club and Cork Rebels Football Club, they organised trial meet ups in The Glen Resource Centre to see how it would go.
“We wanted to see if there was much of an uptake in the beginning.
"We had 15-16 people each session when starting out. We then discussed our next steps over the Christmas break,” Dean Kinsella shared.
Aaron also shared: “I thought that maybe the middle of winter wasn't the best time to start, but I was wrong.
"The response was huge, and the interest was phenomenal. Some of the guys have played any some its their first time, which is a good mix.
"They all look out and encourage one another. It's definitely just building a panel there to get them used to the skills and bound as a group. "I always throw in a few fun drills as well, and overall training definitely isn't serious.”
Now the club has a weekly training session on Wednesdays from 6.30pm-7.30pm, with the club now having 40-45 members overall with no previous experience in Gaelic Football required to join.
“A lot of members are newbies or out of practice. There are others who haven’t played since they were twelve so it’s very beginner friendly," shared Dean.
“At the moment we are focusing on Gaelic Football and getting that right as Aaron can coach this.
"This would be the next step for us,” Dean shared.
As Dean runs the social media for the Laochra Aeracha he noted the outpouring of support online and community reaction to the new GAA Club.
“We’re getting lots of messages of support through our Instagram. We’re an LGBTQ and inclusive space so it’s not just about being gay it’s about being inclusive so we would be delighted to have allys on board too.
"It’s about having inclusive friendly social spaces. Making people feel comfortable and safe is our main goal while also having fun,” Dean added.
Laorcha Aeracha has plans to expand and possible talks of the club taking part in friendly tournaments with other LGBTQ and inclusive GAA Clubs around Ireland.
For more information see their Instagram @laochra_aeracha.
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