Diocesan News
West Cork Church of Ireland parish to the fore in new community and GAA initiative
Dunmanway continues to promote its most famous son Sam Maguire with yet another wonderful project entitled ‘The Sam Maguire Passport’. It was officially launched on Sunday, 26th May, at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, by the President of the GAA John Horan, who said: ‘We pride ourselves in the GAA on being a community organisation. The Rev Cliff Jeffers is so keen and so driven. He is doing something that is a big benefit to the community and to the GAA… This is a GAA story and he is giving new life to it. But it will also bring benefit to the community. It will put Dunmanway on the map.’
Over 500 samples of the Sam Maguire Passport were distributed to those who attended a special service ‘in celebration of the inclusivity in the Gaelic Athletic Association’. Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Tom Ryan and Edel Maguire were among those who read at the service.
Dunmanway Community Tourism Initiative, consisting of the Reverend Cliff Jeffers, film–maker Brendan Hayes, Margaret Hennessey, Aine O’Brien of Dunmanway Library, and UCC marketing intern Máiread O’Donovan, together with students from Cork Institute of Technology, collaborated to develop three different types of passport for under–12s, under–18s and seniors.
The passport challenges the holder to follow in Sam Maguire’s steps by visiting the different locations in Dunmanway he frequented including his home and school. They will collect stamps along the way as a reward for a number of challenges which will help them to fulfil the criteria of the passport’s purpose.
On completion the passport holder will be entitled to attend one of the four celebrations planned over the summer where they will get their own personal All–Ireland winning experience with the trophy replica presented to them by one of a number of different former GAA presidents, including Sean Kelly MEP. Mr Kelly was GAA President in 2002 when he officially unveiled the Sam Maguire statue in Dunmanway.
The project is yet another collaboration between the Reverend Cliff Jeffers, Rector of the Fanlobbus Union of Parishes, and Brendan Hayes. Last year, Brendan worked on www.visitdunmanway.ie and the Sam Maguire Community Bells documentary, which is now the audio visual component of the Sam Maguire Visitor Experience.
The Reverend Cliff Jeffers said: ‘In life Sam was Protestant by creed and Nationalist by conviction and this project encourages unity and reconciliation among the people and the community from all traditions in his hometown
‘The Sam Maguire Passport Trail can be undertaken at any time, with external story boards at each location providing the information for the answers to be discovered and spare ‘visa stamps’ at St Mary’s Church and Dunmanway Swimming Pool. Opening times are given in the passport, with the majority of the locations giving priority to being open for July and August when Sam’s story can be comprehensively discovered. Special opening times can be arranged for groups who wish to visit at any time of year.’
The Sam Maguire Passport is best experienced by visiting Sam Maguire’s hometown of Dunmanway in West Cork. The Sam Maguire Passport also can be completed with an online version of the passport and going on a virtual tour of the locations on our website www.visitdunmanway.ie
Dunmanway town looks forward to welcoming everyone in their quest to follow Sam’s steps using the Sam Maguire Passport.
Diocesan Media & Information Technology Officer
087 7055 989
Ms Denise Stobart
media@corkchurchofireland.com