A Derry city councillor has hailed the progress made by a local GAA club in rebuilding a sense of community after a devastating fire over 10 years ago.
Sean Dolans GAC has come a long way since the club was devastated by a massive fire back in 2011.
Now, the club and the community have become bigger and better than ever, with an indoor training facility to open hopefully before the end of the year, as well as a neighbouring Radius housing development.
Sinn Fein Councillor Emma McGinley's family have a long-standing connection with the club and know all too well the importance of the club within the community.
Cllr McGinley said: "The impact of the rebuilding of the club is massive and so positive. It was evident in the smiles on the faces of the kids as they participated in the Cul Camp today, it is clear it was all worth the investment.
"My nephew Cahir played in the Cul Camp in Sean Dolans GAC. It has such a positive impact on kids health as well as allowing them somewhere to make new friends.
"The effort that has gone in was not just about rebuilding the GAA club, it was about rebuilding community in the heart of Creggan. I couldn't bear to think about what the community would be like without it."
The numbers of kids participating in Cul Camps across the city and district have increased due to the recent success of Brian Og's Steelstown team and Derry GAA.
Cllr McGinley said: "There is huge momentum off of the success of Steelstown and Derry GAA. There has been massive growth in GAA in Derry with so many different clubs within city and district. These young children have been travelling to matches with families and are now looking at people on the pitch thinking they are from where they're from and they can be like that too.
"Since Derry doing well in GAA the numbers have been increasing greatly. The club have a brilliant girls team and all their under age teams are thriving. The club is developing a real sense of community. With the opening of the new indoor training facility, they will also be able to retain players easier through the winter."
The journey since the major fire over 10 years ago has been a long one, but now Sean Dolans GAC are reaping the rewards of their efforts.
Cllr McGinley said: "It was awful at the time, it was absolutely devastating for the community. But the committee and the club did not back down. The club has an incredibly bright future ahead of them. They have been so dedicated that the community and teams are thriving. There is a very bright future ahead for the club and for Creggan."
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