GAA Club transforms bar into an afterschool facility
By Aideen O'Flaherty
A LOCAL GAA club’s bar has been temporarily transformed into an afterschool facility, after Krafty Kids Afterschool needed additional space as a result of the pandemic.
The afterschool is based in St Mary’s GAA Club in Saggart, where they mainly used the ground floor, while the lounge/bar area in the first floor was used for children doing their homework.
St Mary’s GAA Club bar has been transformed into an afterschool
The afterschool had been doing a roaring trade before the pandemic hit.
Jennifer Keane from Krafty Kids, which opened in 2017, told The Echo: “We only opened a few years ago, but we got full very quickly.
“When we had to close in March, it was a good time for us to step back and look at things.”
The afterschool, which caters for children from four- to 12-years-old, was then split into three pods, with two of the pods containing 24 children each, and one pod containing 12, in advance of reopening last September.
However, Jennifer realised that there would only be space for two pods on the ground floor of the clubhouse, and St Mary’s agreed to allow the afterschool to change the first floor lounge at the end of August for the third pod.
Before the transformation
“We spoke to St Mary’s about using the bar, but obviously not keeping it looking like a bar,” explained Jennifer, “and in fairness to the club, they were very happy for us to use the upstairs for the space that we needed.”
St Mary’s removed the bar furniture, while Jennifer and her colleagues from Krafty Kids kitted out the space to make it more child-friendly.
“They took away the furniture, and we put in our boards and made it more comfortable for the kids,” said Jennifer.
“A lot of the kids wouldn’t have known beforehand what the space was – they only see it as a part of Krafty Kids now.
“The club has been very good to us, and a lot of the kids in Krafty Kids are involved in St Mary’s.”
While the number of children attending the afterschool has reduced, it is still open and St Mary’s are happy to have been able to help them out.
Sharon Redmond, treasurer of St Mary’s GAA Club, said: “I have friends whose children go to the afterschool so I know how important it is for them.”
She added: “It’s great that there’s someone in the club, even if there’s no sports events, and it’s great that something in the club is being used when nothing else can be.
“Hopefully, in the future, when we return back to normal, we’ll be able to open our club lounge to our members and welcome them back.”
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