Armagh I Podcast

Spring is around the corner, the restrictions have lifted and there’s a sense of optimism in the air. The outdoors beckons and there have never been more opportunities to get moving and start leading a more active life. And it’s not exclusive to the young and healthy either. For this week’s podcast Armagh I was back in South Lake Leisure centre speaking to Alex Clifford and Aaron McNeill about the ABC council’s MUGAS (Multi Use Games  Areas) FREE programmes available across the Borough. The community based grassroots project takes an informal approach to getting people active but it’s a whole lot more than that. Alex is the council’s Community Sport Development Officer and he explains how MUGAS work and how kids can make use of them in any way they choose, be it for basketball, football, tennis or any activity they feel in the mood for. There are also free coaching programmes in open spaces, community centres, community halls and leisure facilities that include activities such as street soccer, and even a gaming bus to keep those less interested in sport engaged. Aaron is the council’s Multi Sports Coach who tells us about the programmes he’s involved in such as girls football, coach to 5k, disability programmes and walking football where you can simply come along and join in. While walking football might sound counterintuitive, it’s anything but, as Aaron explains. And the community-based project not only serves to get people active, young people who come through the programmes can then get involved in coaching which can be added to a CV or university application and even lead to a career. More information can be found at Community Engagement (MUGAS) www.getactiveabc.com  

Retirement or redundancy can be a lonely place for men, but in 2011 Stiofan McCleirigh got involved in a movement that would change his and many other lives in for the better. The Men's Shed movement began in Australia and it arrived in Ireland in 2009 with the first shed set up in Tipperary. When Stiofan got wind of the concept he excitedly set the wheels in motion to bring one to Armagh. He got the funding in place, found a premises on English Street and began knocking on doors to recruit members. It worked, as Stiofan and fellow Shedder Dessie can attest to, with around 34 members at present enjoying everything the shed has to offer - from woodwork to projects, workshops, and even a choir that performed for Irish President Michael D Higgins, who became patron to the Irish Men's Shed Association in 2013. The grassroots community-based, non-commercial organisation is a lifeline for men who just need a place to call their own, where they can learn new skills and make friends in an environment that isn't the pub or the bookies. There are over 400 sheds registered with the Irish Men's Shed Association and at least 12,000 men visiting a shed every week. Some of those sheds have been inspired by the work that goes on in the Armagh City Men's Shed, as Stiofan and Dessie explain...   

Sometimes when a new concept or innovation is brought to life, you wonder why it hasn't always existed. Football For All is one of those things that really should be far more widespread than it is. The concept that 'every child wants to be part of a team' has become the motto for Warrenpoint GAA's newest Football For All team, which celebrates children with special needs and allows them to participate in games and training with their very own team. Decky and Helen Carville's 12-year-old son Michael has special needs. The family are all members of St Peter's GAA Club in Warrenpoint, but over the years it became increasingly difficult for Michael to participate, on an equal footing, with his teammates. That was when Decky and Helen put their heads together and came across Football For All, which a scattering of clubs nationwide had introduced. There was, and still is, nothing like this for children with special needs in Armagh or Down, but since the couple brought the idea to their chairman and the club welcomed it warmly, Football For All has taken off in Warrenpoint. The children train and even play matches, alongside their peers, every Sunday morning and the joy it brings to them, their families and the volunteers who help out is palpable when Decky and Helen talk about their experiences since they started the programme last July. Helen and Decky spoke to Armagh I for this week's podcast about how Football For All came about in Warrenpoint and their hopes to expand across Northern Ireland and with that maybe set up a small league. MLA Justin McNulty is a big fan and Ulster GAA have taken an interest too. Everyone from anywhere is welcome to join in. The more the merrier.  

So the last shiny wrapper from the countless tins of Quality Street is in the bin and you’ve sworn off chocolate … till the end of the week at least. However, this week’s podcast might change your mind. Nestled near the foot of the Mournes, not far outside Newry, sits a small unassuming factory with a sign at the entrance welcoming you to NearyNógs Stoneground Chocolate Makers. If you look around you the scenery is a feast for the eyes, but once you enter building your other senses will awaken as the rich aroma of chocolate fills the air. Here, the fruit of the Neary family’s labour of love is brought to life, where their small artisan business produces the most delicious and purest chocolate products you’ll find on this island, with their ethically sourced sustainable cacao beans imported from cacao farms around the world NearyNógs is Northern Ireland's first bean to bar craft chocolate makers and also one of the oldest in Ireland. Shane tells us all about how the chocolate is made and the origins of the business which began as a fundraiser in 2011, for one of his and his wife Dorothy's 12 children. Back then Dorothy's fudge was a big hit with their friends and family, and so the dream began... 

While life as we know it has changed drastically in the last few years, some things will always stay the same. For the past 30 years religiously, John Dalzell has spent the weeks preceding Christmas camped out on Hill Street collecting funds for the Souther Area Hospice. There was no exception this year on his eightieth birthday as John stood in his trailer and chatted to the passers by who threw money into his bucket, or those who came down specifically to show their support and wish him a happy birthday.  Over £1.85 million has been raised through the sit-out over the years and John, who has weathered every storm to become a local Christmas legend in the town, tells his story to Armagh I.  Meanwhile, in Rostrevor on Christmas Day the crowds were out as usual for the annual Christmas Swim that has been on the go for 50 years. One of the founders Gerry Sloan tells how it all began in 1972 during a 24-hour anti-internment hunger strike, when Down GAA legend, the late Leo Murphy, popped his head into the protestors' tent and asked if anyone fancied a swim. The organisers raised £100 when they made it an official event a couple of years later and since then the swim has raised over £100,000 for local charities.  Kevin Cole who runs local Rostrevor watering hole Henry's ran into the tide for his thirtieth consecutive Christmas dip this year and he, along with some others, chatted with Armagh I for this week's podcast.  

With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly and vaccine passports becoming mandatory since December 13, restaurants are being hit hard in the run-up to Christmas. Proof of vaccination, a negative Covid-19 test result or proof of natural immunity are now needed for access to restaurants and other indoor venues. Armagh I spoke to a number of local restaurant owners in recent days and all are experiencing increasing cancellations for various Covid-related reasons. Caorlan McAllister and Gavin Bates took over the Halfway House restaurant in Banbridge in August 2020 after it was forced to shut its doors due to the pressures of the pandemic. It’s been a difficult year for the hospitality industry since then, with further lockdowns taking their toll. The Halfway House followed strict protocol when Armagh I met Caorlan on Friday for this week’s podcast.

Tommy has spent all of his adult life in the fitness industry in one way or another. As an instructor in various Armagh gyms, he now teaches in the South Lake Leisure Centre where his two daughters are regular visitors - as is his wife who runs marathons for fun. He played football for St Paul's and has been part of the management team in Down club Ballyholland for a number of years, but Tommy still finds the time to compete in ironman triathlons and is constantly looking for new challenges. So much so that he signed up for RTE’s Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week in 2019. Tommy was on the reserve list and was called up as competitor number 24 – his name throughout the gruelling physical and mental endurance test. As well as all of that, Tommy found the time to take up part-time ambulance driving at the start of the pandemic and volunteer in the community, organising and delivering food parcels. Tommy learned from the school of hard knocks and today he speaks to Armagh I about his upbringing by his late father who inspired him to be the best at what he does, his love of football, Hell Week, as one of the hardest yet rewarding challenges he has ever taken on, and why fitness is for everyone at every age.

Michael Loftus was just 16-years-old when he began his refereeing career. That was over 25 years ago when he played football and hurling in his native Dublin and stepped in to referee sometimes underage games but often standing up to men, a lot older than him. When he married a Bessbrook woman, Michael settled in Mullaghbawn and by then he was an established referee, featuring in games at every level. He may have shared his name with another famous Mayo man, but it was this Mick Loftus whose name even became known in the US, where, after a chance meeting he ended up as the man with the whistle in the biggest GAA tournament in the States. Many of you will know his face, either viewed from a stand in some Armagh club, Ulster or Inter-county game in either code, or from the pitch itself as a player or manager. These days though it’s the referees, not the players who Michael is keeping is eye on.