St. Peter’s GAA Club has historically played a pivotal role in local community life for successive generations within the Warrenpoint area since its foundation over 100 years ago in 1888. The Club has a proven record of voluntary endeavour and community commitment, in the provision of sporting and cultural activity.
Over this period the Club has developed club facilities including Clubrooms at Mary Street, Warrenpoint, and a playing field at Moygannon Park through the tireless voluntary efforts of members and the support of the local community.
The Clubrooms have been used in the past by a variety of local voluntary and community organisations from all traditions and the Club is proud of its commitment to cross community relations. Each year a Family Fun Day is organised in August as part of the Maiden of the Mourns International Festival.
In 2002, the club hosted a very successful Raceday at Fairyhouse Race Course on Easter Tuesday.
Current membership incorporating senior and youth members exceeds 500 people. St. Peter’s Social Club continues to prove popular with members and friends, and has hosted many events in support of local charities.
In December 2009, a new Social Committee under the Chairmanship of Aisling McGivern was founded and already a number of very successful community events such as a Santa Saturday and Book Sale have been organised.
In June 2010, the club launched a Community and Wellbeing Taskforce under the leadership of Ann McGeeney, Katrina McKernan and Joanne Tinnelly. The group organised a number of pioneering events in its first year including Healthy Food promotions and healthy living initiatives including the creation of a new “Walk and Talk” group in consultation with Walshs Pharmacy, each Wednesday evening. In addition the club became the first GAA club to host a community engagement consultation forum with the Newry and Mourne District Policing Partnership on 9 December 2010.
It was a great recognition and honour for CPN to be have been chosen as a mentor club along with St. Finbarr’s Cork for the National GAA Healthy Club Initiative which was launched at Croke Park on 11 March 2013. The club believes that this honour was a result of the excellent health promotion and community outreach activities already undertaken prior to March 2013 as part of the club’s five year Development Plan, launched on 30 March 2010.
The club Health and Wellbeing Officer Katrina Kernan and the club Community Outreach Officer Ann McGeeney jointly gave a presentation in Croke Park on the 11 March 2013 outlining the rationale behind CPN Health and Wellbeing Initiatives and community outreach and samples of actives organised.
Post the launch of the National GAA Healthy Club Project on 11 March 2013, Cumann Pheadair Naofa formed a Core CPN Healthy Club Project Steering Group jointly led by Katrina Kernan and Ann McGeeney supported by Club Secretary Eoin Magennis, Club Treasurer Brendan Malone, Club School Liaison Officer Anne McCormack and Club Chairman / Development Officer Feargal McCormack. The Focus Group decided that from a CPN perspective it would be beneficial to integrate our Healthy Club and Community Initiatives together and the Joint Lead Facilitators of the project would be the Club Health and Wellbeing Officer Katrina Kernan and the Club Community Development Outreach Officer Ann McGenney. It was agreed that these two people would combine and undertake the roles of “Project Leader” and “Project Administrator”.
The CPN Healthy Club Project was subsequently launched to a full house in the clubrooms, Mary Street on 21 May 2013 when Ann McGeeney and Katrina Kernan gave a joint powerpoint presentation on the objectives of the CPN Healthy Club Project and also summarising key findings from the CPN online survey and identifying potential projects going forward.
One of the initiatives noted as a success, was the CPN 10k 125 Run on the Bay, which had been held the previous Sunday 19 May 2013. As a result, this event itself which had been a follow on to a pilot 10k run by the club Community Health & Wellbeing Task Force on 30 December 2012, it was decided to further develop the concept of a CPN 10k Run on the Bay in 2014.
Gemma Murphy, a qualified Social Worker was appointed CPN Alcohol, Substance and Abuse Officer (ASAP Officer) in April 2013. Prior to Gemma taking on this role the duties of the club ASAP Officer were carried out by Katrina Kernan, Club Health & Wellbeing Officer.
As part of the Club Healthy Club Project to support positive mental health with our youth membership, CPN hosted a B+ Positive Mental Health Project in partnership with PIPS Newry for under 14 gaelic football, hurling, camogie, ladies gaelic football, Irish drama group and dancing members on two Wednesday evenings 25th of September and 2nd October 2013.
In 2018 and 2019, the club organised two very successful Operation Transformation programmes as part of the Healthy Club Initiative.
As part of the CPN Healthy Club Project, the club organised a seminar on “Tips for Parents, on how to beat Cyber Bully” by renowned speaker Wayne Denner in the clubrooms, Mary Street on Wednesday 16 October 2013.
In late June 2013, it was agreed following consultation with Seamus Murphy to appoint Seamus, a former CPN Chairman, an active club member as the new CPN Social Initiative Co-ordinator.
The Club Social Initiative was registered with the National GAA Initiative. An outline proposal for the CPN Social Initiative were agreed and as a result the CPN Social Initiative was launched in the Clubrooms, Mary Street on 28 August 2013.
The CPN Social Initiative Project is targeted at people aged 50 years and older to address the needs of this age group. The four core areas of events and activities were identified namely:
- Social gatherings;
- Group trips;
- Health; and
- Promotional education.
The inaugural CPN Social initiative outing to Croke Park on Warrenpoint General Holiday on Monday 9 September 2013 was a great success.
The CPN Social Initiative also organised a number of social events in the clubrooms, Mary Street and was pro-active in the support of the CPN Blues Golf Society inaugural challenge with close neighbours Rostevor for players of the 1970’s era in November 2013.
