GAA community shining a light on homeless crisis

Tipperary hurler Brendan Maher described this initiative perfectly when explaining that this evening’s Gaelic voices for change sleep-out is no act of rebellion or political statement.

Rather, he said, it is a simple gesture to raise awareness of a situation that affects around 8,000 people in this country.

From Belfast’s Cornmarket to the steps of the courthouse on Washington Street in Cork, over 450 current and former GAA, LGFA and camogie players will sleep-out from 6pm this evening to 6am tomorrow in a bid to raise awareness on the plight of the homeless.

Past and present players have come together to organise sleep-outs in 10 cities and towns across Ireland, with New York, Boston and Quebec completing the international arm of the campaign. Already, €122,000 had been raised.

Former Cork goalkeeper Alan Quirke, along with a host of other Cork GAA figures such as Michael Shields, Stephen McDonnell and Julia White, will be found on the steps of the Cork courthouse this evening.

They’ll do their bit, safe in the knowledge that they’ll return to a warm house on Sunday morning. Quirke doesn’t want to glamorize what is being done here by the GAA community.

“This is a very small gesture on our behalf. We don’t have the answer to solving the homeless crisis.

“We are simply coming together to raise awareness of this societal issue, more so than raise money,” said the 2010 All-Ireland winning goalkeeper.

“We’re not looking for plaudits, we are trying to appreciate on a very, very small scale what people go through on a daily basis. We are trying to identify with the problem. We want to show our solidarity.”

Also present will be Valerie Mulcahy, holder of 10 ladies football All-Ireland medals.

For those with a roof over their head, deicing the car windscreen in the morning is the height of their exposure to the biting cold of recent weeks. Contemplate, Mulcahy wrote in the Evening Echo earlier this week, of having to endure this cold every day.

“Boiling the kettle and leaving the car running on standby is the latest habit added to my morning jobs. Gloves and scarves, jackets and seat warmers are being enjoyed.

“This is the preparation we make for one small journey and five minutes in the cold. Imagine spending a night or several on the streets with little shelter and nowhere to call home.

“I don’t think one night in the cold will do anything but give us perspective and insight into some of the hardships that the homeless face daily.

“I don’t know how it feels not to have a home or how it feels not to be safe, but I hope that spending a night outdoors will help me understand some of what others are experiencing. A few euros and a gesture of support will go a long way to showing unity to our fellow citizens.”

One of the brains behind the establishment of Gaelic voices for change is former Wexford hurler Diarmuid Lyng.

“There are people dying on the streets. We couldn’t stand in a room and say ‘I’m ok with that,” he remarked recently.

“Not having a desire to house the homeless is a reflection on all of us, not just our politicians. This is being branded and rebranded as acceptable and even normal by those in charge. We no longer can accept this level of inequality and injustice.”

He explains Gaelic voices for change is a campaign to see if GAA players “can look up from the bubble” and contribute to a crucial social cause.

“There’s been an amazing response from the GAA public. I thought we’d have to persuade them, but people are delighted to help. We are trying to steer it in an effective way to raise funds, awareness and empathy and look at things a bit differently in the choices that we make ourselves.”