Fundraiser launched for ambitious club project
Mullingar Shamrocks GAA Club have announced the launch of the club’s Development Draw with a top prize of a beautiful KIA EV2 Air electric car. The KIA EV2 is one of the most popular electrical vehicles on the market and mixes unique styling with electric economy and has a range of over 400km.
Mullingar Shamrocks cater for boys and girls from four years of age upwards and have more than 20 teams competing, ranging from nursery to adult football.
They operate the One Club model, and they have grown to more than 800 members in recent years - which has created the need for enhanced facilities.
In 2024, Mullingar Shamrocks purchased 20 acres of land in Robinstown adjoining their grounds in Springfield. That marked the start of ambitious plans to construct three new playing pitches and new changing facilities.
In early 2025, the club paid for the purchase of the lands, in the region of €500,000. This payment was made possible by the generosity of the members’ donations and some borrowings.
Since then the club have received full planning permission for the new development. That required the provision of a series of technical reports. Members compiled some of the reports on a voluntary basis and external consultants were engaged for others at significant cost.
Shamrocks are now ready to commence the initial groundworks on the new development. In the coming weeks, topsoil strip and placement of the pitch foundations will be carried out.
On completion of that phase, the contract for the pitch-building phase of the project will be in place.
The Mullingar Shamrocks Development Draw seeks to assist the club tp fund the works. All funds raised in the draw will be used to build the additional pitches and facilities and provide outdoor recreation space for the whole community. The speed of the development will depend heavily on the success of the ongoing fundraising efforts.
The new development will also provide a new access to the club grounds from the Robinstown link road, including a link to the existing Active Travel network. There will be extensive parking and an extended walkway along the Brosna River.
The scheme will also include new changing rooms and club facilities.
The current pitches at Mullingar Shamrocks provide facilities for the wider community. The facilities are utilised by a range of primary and secondary schools in Mullingar for games and activities, including Holy Family Primary School, St Coleman’s National School and St Mary’s Primary School, and secondary schools.
Money invested in providing GAA facilities provides a significant investment return. A recent study by Sheffield Hallam University found that for every €1 invested in Gaelic games, the return to Irish society ranges from €2.30 to €3.96 in social and economic benefits.
The broader Social Value of Gaelic games is estimated at €2.87 billion annually, generating €1.6 billion in total economic activity and supporting 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs.