Pastimes and Hobbies - Gafa Le...

Articles29/05/2009

Meet a young girl for whom swimming has played a very important role in her life. Aisling Ní Mhaolagáin learned to swim when she was very young in her local swimming pool in Gweedore, County Donegal. When her father was being treated for cancer in hospital Aisling decided to raise money for the cancer unit, to help her father. She organised a sponsored swim, and she raised over five thousand euro. Through her favourite pastime she helped the hospital that cared for her father, even though he sadly died. This is her story:

Cumann na mBunscol is an organisation that runs GAA schemes for primary school children. Among the schemes is the Mini-Sevens initiaitive, which puts together teams to play at half-time of inter-county championship matches. Christopher Duggan from Gweedore in Co. Donegal had the opportunity to play in his county jersey through this scheme - he describes his experience in this clip:

Irish dancing is a pastime enjoyed by boys and girls across Ireland and often in other countries with an Irish diaspora. For many it is nothing more than a childhood pastime, one which they look back on with fondness as they grow older, but for some, Irish dancing becomes a passion which they never give up, encouraging them on to compete, to teach and to win medals and trophies, and a lucky few earn places with stage shows like Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Many become teachers and adjudicators with one of the two Irish dancing authorities, An Comhdháil or An Coimisiún le Rincí Gaelacha. One such passionate dancer is Eimhear Nig Uiginn, who puts into words her love of dancing in this clip, and her hopes to make a living from her favourite pastime.

Many people have a love of music, particularly of playing music. It is a unique pastime, in that it is not limited by age or fitness like many sporting pastimes. For these young people, music is a pastime that will stay with them forever:
Ciara Ní Bhaoill loves to play the drums in her own home, but she also plays the flute in a marching band, and manages to master the two musical styles effectively. She dreams of making a living from music and being successful. She loves music because she meets new friends and people who share her affinity for the pastime, and enjoys taking part in competitions, even when she doesn’t win. Listen to her story:

Áine McGeeney has had a love for music, especially traditional music, since she was a young girl. She is an accomplished player of the flute, fiddle and tin whistle, and when she attended a flute workshop a few years ago, she had the opportunity of meeting Kevin Crawford from Irish traditional group Lúnasa. Since then she has taken a keen interest in the music of Lúnasa, and goes to their concerts regularly. She also teaches music to young children, and she would like to study music at university, but ultimately she would like to travel the world as a professional musician.

Cónall Mac Floinn has a passion for rock music. He plays the guitar and sings in his group ‘Subtle Approach’, at regular gigs in pubs in his hometown. However, because of the demands of school, the lads do not manage to perform as often as they would like. They play a selection of songs by their favourite groups that the audience enjoy. Cónall would love to have the opportunity to play professionally

Handball is not as widely played as other GAA sports, but among its followers it is believed to be one of the fastest and most skillful games in the country. The game was played outside against a wall centuries ago, but the modern game is usually played in a squash court. There are over 170 clubs in Ireland, but the game is played in Mexico, America, Australia and other countries too. Aisling Ní Raghailligh prefers handball to any other sport, and she would recommend it to everyone!

Sailing is a peaceful pastime for some people, as it can be very tranquil out on the water. For people who live near the sea or a lake, sailing is a common pastime. Barra Mac Giolla Bhuí lives in Warrenpoint, beside the sea, and loves to sail. He first awakened his interest in sailing when he went out on the water with the family of his friend, and has continued with the sport since then. Barra needs to be very fit, as sailing is a physically-demanding pastime, but when he is sailing on the waters around Warrenpoint, he feels great serenity reflected in the beauty of the County Down landscape.