Great story right here.
GAA clubs have a special ability to bring people together and instilling a sense of community. It happens all across Ireland and that feeling of togetherness is a major reason for turning around the fortunes of Belturbet Rory O’Moore’s GFC in West Cavan.
It’s hardly uncommon for a GAA club of modest means to find the going tough financially but Belturbet, who are currently trying to raise money for a new pitch, have felt a surge of interest from their local community in the Club Lotto Jackpot.
Drawn every Sunday night, and broadcast live on Belturbet’s Facebook page, the club’s lotto jackpot for this week is a whopping €20,000, which they claim is the largest in Ireland. If there is no winner, however, the jackpot will continue to roll over €100 every week right up to €30,000 after being granted permission by the court to exceed the usual limit of €20,000 in June of last year during the renewal of the club’s licence.
With tickets being bought every week – at €2 a box or three for €5 – it has become a source of great interest to the town, which sits just three miles south of the border with Northern Ireland. Of course, behind every GAA club are the people who dedicate much of their time to chipping in. Gavin Brady is one of The Rories’ unsung heroes in that regard, with the 17-year-old having taken a great interest in the more administrative side of things in recent years.
Gavin, 17, joined the club when he was six years old and, along with friend Evan O’Reilly, has taken on some organisational duties to help raise funds for the club. In 2013 and 2014, with the club struggling slightly, they got involved and helped with the local carnival along with the club’s committee. The carnival proved to be a real hit in the town. Gavin and Evan played a central role in selling lotto tickets, too, even selling a number of them to Redhills, their neighbours and local rivals.
The Rories’ pitch will cost somewhere in the region between €250,000-300,000. While they still have some way to get yet before reaching that target, the tremendous interest in the Club Lotto Jackpot is proving an effective way of raising the funds needed to improve the facilities, with around 1,500-2,000 tickets sold every week.
Club chairman Mark Lawlor told SportsJOE that he hopes the new playing surface will be ready by around September or October. He originally had been aiming for April/May but progress has been curtailed by some adverse weather conditions. All being well, the club will have a new, full-size pitch by the end of the year.
We’ll definitely be tuning in to the club’s Facebook page on Sunday night to see if there is a jackpot winner!
