Help needed for photojournalism thesis on 125 years of GAA

[UíbhFhailíGal1]

Hi I'm doing a photojournalism thesis on 125 years of GAA and I'm looking for a bit of help.
I want to capture as many aspects of the GAA as possible. I got to take photos at the club finals last week as well as the dublin parade.
Obviously I want to get photos of club life, how would I go about contacting clubs? And which clubs should I include?

Would anyone know how to get in contact with any GAA historians?

I'm also looking to photograph GAA buildings and places. What ones would you recommend?

Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

[Bord na Mona man]

A good place to start would be with somewhere like http://www.sportsfile.com

[UíbhFhailíGal1]

yeah I've checked it out alright. But I have to take all the photos myself, so showing the history of the GAA is proving difficult.

[Lone Shark]

You haven't really given a lot of detail there in terms of what you're hoping to capture - I'm sure you have an angle of some kind.

Basically you're looking at capturing a football club in training, a hurling club in training, some handball, and I've no idea where you'd go for rounders. I don't know where you are in the county, but I'd say it's a safe call that if you called down to O'Brien Park on consecutive nights, you'd get hurlers and footballers in action. There's hurling league fixture this weekend and football league the following weekend all posted up on offaly.gaa.ie - you could pick from these, whatever suits you. Crinkill is the most active handball club in Offaly so you'd get sorted there for handball pics.

In terms of buildings and so on, you'd probably capture all aspects in O'Connor Park - you have scoreboards at opposite ends of the ground, one funky digital one and one that must be there for fifty years at least. You still have a few of the old stone seats from the 1940's at one end of the goals, while the main stand is brand new. Head in for the Laois game next weekend and you'd get a few pics that might suit you.

I don't know what your deadline is, but I think May the 11th or some time in that vicinity has been set aside as Lá na gClub, where clubs each celebrate the 125 years in their own way. You'd probably hear of good stuff going on then. In the meantime keep your eye out for fundraising stuff on posters and so on.

I don't know if you want pictures from Congress or anything like that? That should be early next month.

No idea how the Scór is fixed, but some of that too might be no bad thing.

[UíbhFhailíGal1]

Hi thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming please.

I'm from offaly but based in dublin. But I don't think I could do a photo thesis on the GAA without travelling around the country.
I'm heading to Offaly this weekend, I'm hoping to get in contact with Seamus Darby fingers crossed

I definitely want to get in touch with GAA people who have been involved for years the characters and all that. I would really love to take photos of teams that have a few members of the same family on the panel or sets of brothers or sisters. Or families that have had generations on different teams, perhaps the Dooleys and Whelehans etc from an Offaly perspective if I can get in contact with them.

The thesis is basically a photo essay of the GAA, so I have to take all of the photographs myself, by the end of April. I want to include photos of matches, training sessions, grounds, social events, I think scor is on in april, anything GAA basically. I really want to show the history of the GAA and the community spirit behind it.

Thanks again for all the ideas they are much appreciated look forward to reading more.

[Muck Savage]

Seamus Darby - Owns a pub in Toomevara. Call in there and you should get him
If your in the Birr region, get a picture of the ground - Hosted the first All Ireland 1887

[Bord na Mona man]

There is an ancient hurley stick in the museum in Doon as far as I know.
Also a picture of a disused handball alley might be useful - like the one in Killeigh.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Muck Savage makes an interesting point.

Birr GAA grounds/St Brendan's Park is not where the first hurling Ireland was held. The field that holds that distinction is now occupied by Tesco. There is a large statue (yet to be unveiled) of a hurler in front of the store to commerate the historical aspect of the venue. Could be an interesting photo, historical GAA/Irish ground with a nice hurling statue but with the large modern English owned Tesco in the backround. Could make for interesting contrast on a number of fronts. A statement of modern Ireland perhaps?

Hey this photography lark is easy, might take it up myself!

[Doon Massive]

You could record the celebrity bainisteoir series......

[UíbhFhailíGal1]

Thanks I shall check those places out at the weekend. And yeah I've made contact with the company for the tv series.

And as far as photography being easy they don't let you do an easy thesis, it has to be hairpullingly stressful sure if you're not close to going mad by the end of it, I'm guessing they would presume you didn't work hard enough on it Ah sure it might be easy but its fun. Fingers crossed I shall get to make a career out of it.

[keephercountry]

This probably isn't the appropiate place to post this question as uibhfhaili gal1 will be looking through for more comments on where to go to take photos i'd suggest maybe the leinster g.a.a summer camps and try and arrange an interview with the conner family in Walsh Island.
I was just wondering does anyone know what there club is doing for la na gClub or how your ment to celebrate it ? I presume there will just be challenge matches organised?

[UíbhFhailíGal1]

Hi unfortunately the summer camps are well after my deadline of April 30th. But I'll try and get in contact with the connor family.

I don't have any details for the clubs day unfortunately, but I think alot of it is up to the clubs themselves. I know there is a schools day on the 24th of April but when I contacted my old primary school they hadn't heard anything about it. So I'm not sure how it will work if its not being publicised but that's just my humble opinion.