A rugby club in The Liberties in Dublin has said the area has been starved of sports facilities for many years.

Over 8,500 children living in the Dublin city centre area have no green spaces to play sports in.

A study by UCD professor Gerard Mills found it was the worst served of 93 areas in Dublin for green spaces.

Liberty Saints Rugby Club has been trying to fill the demand for sport in the area since its founding in 2015.

Starved of facilities

On The Pat Kenny Show today, Club President Tom Magee said the area has been starved of sports facilities his whole life.

“If you grew up in The Liberties you have two left feet and don’t know how to catch a ball,” he said.

“I’ve never had PE or chased pals around the pitch in a positive way, never owned a pair of football boots, and never got used to mucky knees or cut elbows.

“When sport was introduced to these kids, we went into all the schools and there was a huge attraction for what we were doing.”

Logistics

Mr Magee said there are some logistical issues to having a rugby club without a home ground.

“Playing rugby in The Liberties is not something you’d see happening any day of the week," he said.

"Then again, sport generally is not available to anyone in the area.

“All of our matches are on an away basis; we train in an area the size of two tennis courts in the back of a local primary school.

“It’s really the only area in the whole of Dublin 8 - a community for 8,500 children and 65,000 people.”

Parental involvement

Mr Magee said getting the backing of parents also proved difficult.

“Where it became trickier would have been when it came to parental involvement,” he said.

“With kids going back with mucky tracksuits and having early starts on a Saturday morning - there’s an element of input required from parents.

“They need to have their gear washed, their gumshields ready, and that was something they weren’t used to before.”

Challenges

Despite facing no shortage of challenges, Mr Magee is proud of the success the club is having on young lives in the area.

“We have been contacted by local teachers, Guards, community workers who have been saying ‘What has happened to these young people?’” he said.

“One guy in particular who had been particularly troublesome in school, they could not believe the change rugby has had on him.

“He was no longer acting the fool in class; he didn’t have to act out or be noticed all the time.”

Struggling

Mr Magee said there are other issues in Dublin 8 too.

“More people from Dublin 8 end up in Mountjoy Prison than anywhere in the State,” he said.

“It has the highest young female suicide rate in the country.

“There are breweries, hospitals, addiction centres, and student accommodation here – we cater for everyone except our own children.”

Local campaigners in The Liberties are currently engaging with Dublin City Council to try and bring sporting facilities to the area.

They have identified potential sites for green areas at  St Teresa's Gardens and Marrowbone Lane.

Main image: Young boys playing rugby. Image: Rachel Torres / Alamy Stock Photo