KILLEEVAN Sarsfields, Monaghan hope to be the envy of the entire country as they set about making Irish the first language of their senior team.

In accepting the ‘Club Initiative of the Year' gong at the Irish News's Schools, Club and Volunteer awards, club PRO and Irish Language Officer Brian MacUaid hoped Killeevan could become a successful template for other clubs in the county.

“The club has always been positive towards the Irish language,” said Brian.

“In 2010, we introduced our Irish Language plan which set goals including club notes in bilingual and creating a link between ourselves and the Gaeltacht.

“We go to Gweedore every second year and they come to us with a juvenile team, and we have our Irish language classes as well.”

“Since February, we were the first club in Monaghan to set up an Irish Nursery for our children under the age of six. And we introduce Irish to them at that stage.

“From this year we've an U14 team and we've two of our senior players coaching them and they're introducing Irish with them. And we've adopted a project with our seniors where our aim is basically to have them all speaking in Irish.

“We have 34 players signed up to do it – they want to use the Irish language.”

Brian added that it was just one way of trying to retain their playing members.

“Part of the reason we felt this was doable within our club is that we've a very young senior team. 21 is the average age and because of the economic circumstances the 23 and 24-year-olds aren't in the area any more.

“It's team-building. I think we're unique insofar as nobody else is trying to do it. We hope to see that we would be a template for county Monaghan down the line. Now we have to succeed first. We've had a very positive start.”

Former Donegal Allstar and fluent Irish speaker Kevin Cassidy has also lent a hand to the Monaghan club.

“We've extended our link with Gweedore and we got a few pound of funding from Foras na Gaelige. We took our senior team up to Gweedore and Kevin Cassidy, the former Allstar of Donegal, gave us some help on that. He's also visited our seniors.

Situated just five miles away from Clones and with roughly 300 chimney pots, Brian paid tribute to all its members and supporters for breathing new life into the small rural club.

“Everybody would say it but I think we're the best club in the county,” said Brian.

“Others will argue with that. We had difficulties on the field – people emigrating – so numbers is always an issue for a small rural club.

“In the last 10 years, our club will have invested €500,000 in our facilities and that comes from club members, club players and everyone around us.

“We're very happy to get this award because it's always nice for someone to look at your work.”

The judges commented: “Here is a club that integrated Irish into their club strategy. Everything at the club is now bilingual – signage, club notes, meetings, club reports.

“The club is also running Irish classes and sending their U14 teams to the Gaeltacht. But it is their initiative to turn their senior panel from a team who use English to one that use Irish that allows them to stand out.”