By Dan Walsh at Samaritans St Patrick’s Park
Wexford GAA has teamed up with Samaritans and the suicide prevention charity has secured the naming rights of the second county ground, which will be known as Samaritans St Patrick’s Park for the next three years.
The new name and signage at the Enniscorthy ground was officially revealed this week by Michael Martin, Cathaoirleach, Wexford GAA, Sarah O’Toole, Executive Director of Samaritans Ireland, and Jonathan Neville, volunteer and Regional Director for Samaritans Ireland.
Wexford county stars Eoin Porter and Kevin Foley and senior football manager John Hegarty also attended, and they were joined by Samaritans volunteers from Arklow and Waterford, as well as others representing Wexford GAA.
Micheál Martin said; “Samaritans is one of the leading mental health charities in Ireland, and Wexford GAA is delighted to offer them naming rights of our second county ground to Samaritans free of charge. We want to create awareness of their work and highlight the support they offer to people of all ages who need emotional support.
“St Patrick’s Park is the most used county ground in Wexford, with more than 300 matches there last year, and more than 30,000 people through the turnstiles, for inter-county games, club finals, schools games, and LGFA and camogie matches. It is also the training base for the county minor and U20 teams,” added Mr Martin.
Wexford native Sarah O’Toole said the charity was delighted to be chosen by Wexford GAA for the naming rights at St Patrick’s Park. Samaritans has been the mental health partner of the GAA for the last 10 years and this initiative cements that partnership even more, making sure we are there at grassroots,” she said.
Ms. O’Toole concluded; “It is amazing that now our name and number can be seen by anyone attending a game at Samaritans St Patrick’s Park over the next three years. “We want everyone to remember that no matter how big or small a problem may seem, our trained volunteers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on freephone 116 123 or email joe@samaritans.ie”
HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK’S PARK; “In 1956, St Patrick’s Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society took charge of the running of the Boys’ Club in Enniscorthy. One year later, St Patrick’s Boys’ Club invested in two fields at Pearse Road, one converted into GAA pitch known as St Patrick’s Park, forever referred to locally as the New Park or simply the Boys’ Park. “August 1957 brought the glad tidings for local Gaels of the commencement of development of a new playing pitch for the youth of the town on a nine-acre site involving two fields at Parnell Avenue, following its purchase earlier that year. The fields, bought for £1,500, are parochial property and the new park is under the supervision of the local St Vincent de Paul Society. “Development work entailed considerable expenditure and at the time the considerable sum of £600 had been contributed by the people of the town, with the hope that further moneys would be raised for the project.” SOURCE; ‘The Ghosts of Bygone Days’ (1998), by Sean Whelan.
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