Milltown GAA proud supporter of the Green Club Initiative
The Green Club Programme was established by the GAA to support Gaelic Games clubs to take simple and effective sustainability actions in their grounds and day to day club activities. The Programme is structured around the themes of Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity and Travel & Transport and is designed to promote sustainability awareness and action in GAA clubs and communities.
For Milltown, the Green Club journey commenced in 2021, with electrical energy efficiency improvements through the installation of LED floodlights on the main pitch.
In 2023, the club offically registered on the Green Club programe, and commenced a number of initiatives over the year. Through the support of LAWPRO, the Local Authorities Waters Programme, the club were able to purchase a large number of native trees and shrub species to encourage biodiversity and pollinator species in the club grounds. The Green Club committee also purchased biodiversity education signage to install on our club grounds to create greater awareness of the native plant and animal species in our locality.
In recognition of our efforts, the club were very proud to have achieved official 'Green Club' status in November 2024 in Croke Park. This honour acknowledges the ongoing sustainability efforts that have been a key part of our club’s development initiatives over the past few years, and we are incredibly proud and humbled to be officially recognized in this way.
Over the coming years, the club will take part in various other waste, water and transport sustainability to improve the 'environmental performance' of our club at a local, grassroots level.
Pictured above are Milltown Green Club Ambassadors, Sarah Flanagan and Paul Heduan at a Green Club briefing at the Annebrook Hotel, Mullingar in September 2023
We are continually seeking new volunteers to get involved in the Green Club iniative for Milltown, if you would like to know more, please do have a look at the resources available on
www.learning.gaa.ie/GreenClub or please do get in touch with the Milltown club to get involved.
For some more information on our Green Club progress, continue reading for more updates on the project and what has been done so far.
Initial steps....
In March 2023, following our 'Expression of Interest' in the scheme, Milltown GAA were selected to be part of the Green Club programme and were invited to the home of Gaelic Games in Croke Park to start the process. Also in March, we were awarded over €3,000 in funding through the LAWPRO community grants scheme to enable biodiversity works to take place in the club grounds.
Pictured above are Milltown Green Club Ambassadors, Conor Lynn and Paul Heduan at a Green Club briefing at Croke Park, Dublin in March 2023
Milltown GAA have utilised the fantastic resources available on
www.learning.gaa.ie/GreenClub to develop our actions to recognise Milltown as a 'Green Club'. There are five key themes in the toolkit, and below you will see an example of what these are.
Building 'bug hotels' and looking after our pollinators
Another initiative completed in 2023 was the install of a biodiversity/pollinator friendly 'bug hotel' at our club grounds in Milltown. Completed in October 2023, the 'MEM Bug Hotel' opened for business for all our little insect friends who are now busily working away at Sean Doolin Park in Milltown.
Pictured above is Millmore Gaels player Charlie Flanagan constructing the club's first ever 'bug hotel' to encourage biodiversity at our club grounds
Milltown's first 'community orchard'
In November 2023, the club were successful in being sponsored with 20 fruiting tree species, including apple, pear and plum, under the DC's (Data Centre's) for Bee's initiative (
see LINK HERE for more information). We used the funding from LAWPRO to develop signage to promote this initiative also.
Following an assessment of suitable areas for planting biodiversity species, the Green Club committee created a plan for improving the tree, shrub and plant mix in these areas. We are also looking into suitable workshops and practical demonstrations to improve awareness and knowledge on how to assess the aquatic biodiversity of the local stream adjacent to the club grounds.
An example of the biodiversity signage for creating awareness on some of our local fauna as part of our Green Club/ LAWPRO project at the club grounds.
Bilingual signage (english and gaeilge) biodiversity awareness signage created uniquely for the Milltown GAA green club project
Milltown GAA orchard planted December 2023 by Sarah and Charlie Flanagan, Brian Nugent and Paul Heduan
National Tree Week - March 2024 - engagement with local national schools and the community
Biodiversity signage installed and planting area prepared for the sowing of pollinator friendly plants and shrubs - February 2024
Solar Photovoltaic Project: the Q2 2022 - Q1 2024 timeline
In March 2024, the works to complete the solar photovoltaic installation on the roof of the clubhouse was completed by the primary project engineers, D&N Group. The timeline for this as follows:
1. Project initiated in June 2022 with the awarding of a 'Green for Micro' grant from the Westmeath Local Enterprise office,
2. The Green for Micro award, enabled Milltown GAA to engage engineering consults, ORS Engineers, to complete an 'energy audit' on the clubhouse in August 2022, this ORS report is accessible here,
3. Using the audit from ORS, Milltown GAA commenced their application for LEADER grant aid funding for the solar PV project through Westmeath Community Development company.
4. Following an extensive application process, LEADER funding covering 75% of the €18,842 project was awarded in Q4 2022.
5. In March 2024, the Milltown GAA club secured a 0% finance loan arrangement to commission works before project deadline on 31st March 2024, and the system started to supply power to the clubhouse!
6. After a few months delay, Milltown GAA had an electricity 'smart meter' installed in July 2024 to allow energy export to the grid to be metered and the solar PV's generating a revenue stream for the club.
Milltown GAA keeping our natural heritage catered for!
In tandem with our Green Club efforts, another project that commenced in Q3 2023 and culminated in Q2 2024, Milltown Green club committee partnered with a not-for-profit organisation called 'The Burren Beo Trust', see link
BurrenBeo to deliver actions at the club grounds in Milltown to protect, conserve and enhance the 'natural heritage' local to the area. Some actions included the 'bug hotels' as was already outlined above, but also includes the installation of handmade bird boxes, installed on the Easter weekend 2024. The initiatve concluded with a specially commissioned local artist, Mary Murtagh, completing a mural at the club grounds in the second quarter of 2024. Thanks to Burren Beo for the support!
The 'official unveiling' of the green club mural was completed on the 26th May 2024 by our local artistic Mary Murtagh in conjunction with our first ever 'street feast' event, where the local community were invited to the club to enjoy some local baked goodies and a few libations! Have a quick look below at a few video snippets from the day!
Mary Murtagh introduces her 'green club' mural
Friends and neighbours from near and far enjoying our Street Feast event
Capacity building through the Green Club process
One of the keys steps enabling our projects to get across the line was the engagement, involvement and volunteer committment of a wide number of club and community stakeholders. By following the excellent resources from the Green Club online archive, we sought out on this 'capacity building' process through community mapping as outlined below. We are always looking for new volunteers for our Green Club committee, so if you would like to get involved or know more, please do get in touch!
National recognition for our 'community orchard'
In recognition of our efforts to encourage bee's and biodiversity in our area, Milltown Green Club Committee were pleased to recieve this certificate from the DC's for Bees inititiave.
In July 2024, Milltown GAA were delighted to be supported again in recognition of our efforts to make the club's activities 'greener' and more sustainable. We recived €300 from Westmeath Sports Partnership for an 'upcycling' (no pun intended) initiative to enable a new lease of life for preloved bicycles. This initiative was a huge success so thanks to all who helped in whatever way.
In addition to this, the club were extremely fortunate to receive €1,500 from Croke Park as 'seed funding' to enable our ongoing green club work. Some of the initiatives from this grant funding includes a rainwater harvesting water butt, bicycle racking to encourage cyclists to use our facilities and waste segregation bins to encourage proper waste management at the club grounds. See photos below for more on this.
Upcycling initiative for bicycles May-July 2024
Waste segregation bins installed July 2024
Bicycle racks intalled adjacent to green club mural at the club grounds
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