Thousands raised to help GAA club after pitch disaster

THOUSANDS of euros have been raised for a GAA club left badly damaged by a mine collapse.

The Magheracloone Mitchells GAA pitch in Co. Monaghan subsided last month and massive holes developed in the ground. In a bid to raise funds to help Magheracloone, children aged under seven from the club took on Ratoath GAA from Co. Meath in a charity event over the weekend, and an over-35s match was also played.

Organiser Roy Clarke’s children – Victor, seven, and Nicholas, five, who both play for Ratoath – originally put forward the idea of a charity match. Both took part in Saturday’s fixture.

Magheracloone has described the youngsters as ‘two little heroes’, and Roy said: ‘This was just one club trying to hold out a hand of friendship to another club in a tough time.’

He also said significant amounts of money to help the Co. Monaghan club get back on its feet had been raised following social media and mainstream press appeals.

After seeing TV footage of the damage, Victor wrote to Ratoath GAA suggesting a charity match.

Sinkholes can be caused by rainwater dissolving soft rock. The holes at Magheracloone, which badly damaged the ground, are believed to have been caused by recent work at a nearby mine. The clubhouse was damaged by subsidence, while neighbouring houses were also affected, roads were closed, and a school was evacuated.

Magheracloone established a crowdfunding website following the damage and began looking for an alternative field to train on.

All its equipment was still in the clubhouse, and could not be accessed for safety reasons.