Glór Uachtar Tíre
Annual Report & Statement of Accounts
For the Year to 31st October 2023
Annual Report for the year ended October 31[st] 2023
The trustees of Irish language community group, Glór Uachtar Tíre, are pleased to submit their report and accounts for the period 23[nd] September 2022 to October 31st 2023.
Achievements and Performance
The Year in Numbers
30 - Years promoting the use and learning of Irish in the locality
6 – Management Committee meetings
2,400 - Members of the public served
7 - Guest Speakers
Meeting Programme
Glór Uachtar Tíre’s Management Committee meets every six weeks throughout the year with the exception of July and August. A number of extra Intra-committee meetings were held which focused on specific events such as plans to develop an Irish language community centre in Castlewellan.
Events, Programmes and Activities
Weekly activities:
Ranganna/ Irish Language Classes : 10 classes per week from Beginners to A2-Level run in cooperation with Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann, Shimna Integrated College, Newcastle, St Malachy’s High School, Castlewellan and St Colman’s College, Newry. Approximately 70 people of all ages attend these classes. These classes are supported by funding provided by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The majority of classes were undertaken via face to face format with the exception of GCSE Year 1 and Year2 which are held on-line plus A2-Level which is a hybrid class. meaning it caters for on-line and face to face students.
Club Óige/ Youth Club (11-16 years): 25 children registered and approximately 15 attend weekly. Supported by the Education Authority and Forúm na nÓg. Run in partnership with YMCA, Newcastle up until April 2023. This is one of the main opportunities the young Irish language speakers have to socialise through the medium of Irish outside the school environment.
Mion-Chlub Óige/ Mini Youth Club : This was started in February 2022. It caters for children in Rang/ P4 to Rang/P6. It proved very popular with weekly attendance up to 18 young people. The club receives EA funding and is supported by Forúm na nÓg.
Grúpaí Tuismitheoirí is Tachráin/ Parent and Toddler Group : Bryansford group (approx. 18 parents & carers and 20 children attend weekly). The group is a door to young parents to consider Irish language education and bilingualism as an option for their children.
Ciorcal Comhrá/ Conversation Circle (approx. 12 people attend weekly mostly aged 55 years plus). Attendance remains stable.
Ciorcal Comhrá fá choinne Foghlaimeoirí/ Beginners Conversation: This event commenced in October 2022. It has two sessions per week; one in the evening time and one in the morning time. Both sessions are attended by approximately 8/10 people. Many of this group went on to obtain Silber Fáinne/Intermediate-level Irish recognition.
Cumann Leabhair/ Book club (approx. 7 people attend weekly, mostly aged 55 years plus). From March 2020 it met on-line. This group has begun to meet up again in Castlewellan Library each Tuesday morning from April 2022.
Cumann Siúlóide/ Walking Group (approximately 6 people attend weekly, all ages. The numbers for this group remain stable.
Raidió an Phobail/ Community Radio Station : GUT ran a series of training workshops for radio production skills throughout October 2022-May 2023. In July three programmes were up-loaded online as part of the annual Séamus Ó Néill Summer School. Funding was obtained to continue this project. From October ’23 onwards a weekly podcast has been recorded. These programmes are being edited and will be up-loaded to a public platform before Christmas 2023.
Gaisce/Presidents Award : This event is the Duke of Edinburgh equivalent. GUT is now a licensee and is currently registering young people for the programme.
Monthly Activities
Seal ag Canadh/ Castlewellan Rhyme Time Session for 0-4 year olds: Run in co-operation with Castlewellan Public Library. Approx. 25 people attend between toddlers and parents. This event has received funding and now runs monthly in both Castlewellan and Newcastle library.
Seal ag Canadh/ Newcastle Rhyme Time Session for 0-4 year olds: Run in co-operation with Newcastle Public Library. Approx. 12 people attend between toddlers and parents.
Am Scéil/ Story Time session for 4-8 year olds : Run in co-operation with Castlewellan Public Library. Approx. 7 people attend between children and parents.
Seisiún Amhránaíóchta/ Singing Session : This event started in February 2022. Approximately 8-10 people meet once a month in Mulholand’s Bar, Castlewellan. Funding has been obtained from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to support this event.
Seasonal Activities:
Dianchúrsaí/ Intensive Courses: 2 times per year. All ages, approximately 40 people attend. These classes are supported by funding provided by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. Each Dianchúrsa held 4 levels; Asdvanced, Upper Intermediate, Lower Intermediate and Beginners.
Nuachtlitir /Newsletter : Printed and distributed once every season/6 weeks. Copies also emailed to all 740 on GUT’s email list. On-line only throughout this year.
Lón Mór/ Big Lunch : This event ran three times throughout the year in various venues around Castlewellan and Newcastle.
Annual Events:
Planning Day : Currently this event is focusing on the plan to purchase and develop an Irish language community centre in Castlewellan. This was once an annual event but is now replaced by meetings approximately every 6 weeks according to developments with this projects.
Dinnéar na Nollag/ Christmas Dinner 2022 : This event was attended by 22 people and was held in Hillyard House. It was celebrated by GUT’s committee members and volunteers and those who participate in GUT events. was a great success.
Aonad na Nollag/ Christmas Fair 2022 : Aonadh na Nollag/ Christmas Fair: This event attracted over 40 families. It included a craft table, stalls selling goods and an Irish speaking Santa.
Seachtain na Gaeilge/ Irish Language Week : tThe film Foscadh was shown in Newcastle Community Cinema.
Scoil Samhraidh Shéamuis Uí Néill/ Séamus O’Neill Summer School : Literary Festival. This July the festival included; Festival Concert with Kíla, Intensive Irish Language Course, Irish Language Rhyme Time Session, Irish Language Story Time, Festival Interview with Réaltán Ní Leannáin.
Scéim Samhraidh/ Summer Scheme: A week-long activity-based summer scheme for local primary school children. 96 children attended this popular weekend long scheme which was funded by Foras na Gaeilge and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Uachtar an Uachtair/ Cream de la Cream: This is a two day residential course for A-Level students attended by young people from all over NI. It was supports by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Aclaí Abú/ Sports Forever: A popular three-day outdoor pursuits course open to all the Gaelscoil children P4-P7 in Co Down. The highlight of the weekend includes a day-long walk in the Mournes.
Membership
Members of the e-mailing list currently is 740.
Accommodation
GUT’s office is based in Room No 8 in Dún Éigse/The Lodge, Castlewellan. The group is currently working to purchase a building in Castlewellan to develop a community hub with a key focus on promoting and developing Irish.
Financial Review
Financial Performance
Financial performance in the year to 30[th] November 2022 has been broadly consistent with the trustee’s forecasts and expectations. There was considerably higher turn-over than the previous year. This is likely to be result of grants provided to support charities throughout Covid. In addition, activities recommenced throughout this period enabling GUT to receive some income. While the annual income stands at £5,425 below the annual expenditure, this is not a cause for concern as it is likely that reimbursement for activities were due to the account.
Income
£137,681
Expenditure £143,106
Reference and Administrative Details
Charity Name
Glór Uachtar Tíre
Charity Number Registered Charity in Northern Ireland
NIC102681
Principal Address
Dún Éigse/The Lodge
1, Dublin Road,
Castlewellan Co Down, BT31 9AG
Charity Trustees as of October 31st 2023
Wayne Pickering – Chairman Blaine McCartney - Secretary Aodhán Mac Ruairí - Treasurer Áine McCrickard – Senior Youth Officer
Frainc Mac Cionnaith – Language Planning Officer
Mary MAnulty - Line Manager
Nial Sadler – Family Representative
Structure, Governance, and Management
Governing Document and Constitution
The Society is a charity and is governed by a constitution adopted January 2011 and last amended September 15th 2022; this is publicly available at from GUT’s office. The Society is run entirely by its directors who meet every 6 weeks to manage it. The group employs an Irish Language Development Officer for 37 hours per week, an Irish language Officer was employed for 15 hours per week up until 30[th] August 2023.
Trustee Selection and Management
The directors of the Management Committee are adopted solely on the basis of a vote at the groups’ AGM as outlined in Glór Uachtar Tíre’s constitution.
Objectives and Activities
Charitable Objects
The object of GUT as set out in our Constitution is the following
Glór Uachtar Tíre is a Community Association which was established to promote for the benefit of the inhabitants’ area and its immediate environs without distinction of age, sex, race, political or other opinions, by associating with statutory authorities, voluntary organisations, institutions, business and inhabitants in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare, health, recreation and leisure activities, with the objective of improving conditions of life for the inhabitants.
In particular, Glór Uachtar Tíre works to nurture an Irish language community in Uachtar Tíre (Castlewellan and its environs, the ‘area of benefit’). The charity will undertake all legal actions to achieve this and anything that the directors deem beneficial to this aim.
Public Benefit Statement
The trustees of Glór Uachtar Tíre confirm that they have had regard to the NI Charity Commission’s Public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
The public benefit requirement has informed the activities of GUT in the year to 31[st] October 2023. In evaluating public benefit, the trustees note that membership of the society is open to all who share an interest in the Irish language. Whilst we would encourage those with interest to join our ranks we also strive to make our services and facilities available to those with no back ground in Irish.
The direct benefits which flow from our object or purpose includes increasing the opportunity for locals to either learn the Irish language or to attend social events at which they can speak it. The participants can either attend subsidised classes or they can enjoy lectures, social nights and finally they can participate by supporting Glór Uachtar Tíre in organising these events. These benefits are demonstrated by the growing class sizes that Glór Uachtar Tíre experiences year on year and the trend for the class sizes to be maintained throughout the year. Additionally, the benefits are demonstrated through feedback Glór Uachtar Tíre receives in our event feedback forms from participants and beneficiaries and by the level of uptake of our activities. The purposes of our charity will not lead to any harm. Glór Uachtar Tíre’s beneficiaries includes the general population living within south east Down including Newcastle, Castlewellan, Dundrum, Clough, Hilltown, Rathriland, Ballyward and the surrounding areas. A private benefit to trustees may arise from our programme of ongoing training programmes. Through this training trustees may gain skills and experience which are transferable to other settings. These benefits are incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to our beneficiaries.
Approved, adopted and signed on behalf of the Management Committee.
Chairman,
Wayne Pickering, 31[st] October, 2023