What’s On
What’s On In Wicklow
Check out the latest programmes and events Active Wicklow are running here
Upcoming Events
An Tochar GAA Club, Wicklow, Irish Deaf Society, Wicklow Sports and Recreation Partnership, The GAA, The Camogie Association, The Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and Wicklow GAA Health & Wellbeing Committee, on July 1st launched the Gaelic games #signmeup initiative. This initiative creates awareness of the challenges faced by those with hearing difficulties and encourages greater social inclusion by promoting use of Gaelic games related sign language in clubs.
Find all of our upcoming safeguarding courses, first aid and disability inclusion workshops here.
Operation Transformation
Operation Transformation is a National Health and Fitness Initiative run annually on RTE in conjunction with Sport Ireland. Each year the Local Sports Partnerships help people get active by holding a series of Operation Transformation walks. Keep an eye on this page for more updates!
| < 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 – 24.9 | Normal |
| 25 – 29.9 | Overweight |
| 30 – 34.9 | Obese |
| > 35 | Extremely Obese |
Parkrun Events
It’s free
Running in a parkrun event is totally free. You don’t pay to run, ever. And every event is organised by a group of local volunteers.
It’s for everyone
Whether you’re young or old, male or female, fit or unfit, able-bodied or not, you’re always welcome. It’s not about racing, it’s about running. Click here to find your local parkrun
Older Adults
Adults of all ages should be physically active, at a moderate intensity, for at least 30 minutes a day.
This is a 4-week home exercise initiative for Older Adults of all abilities. Over a 4-week period, the guidelines are to try and reach the minimum of 30 minutes of daily physical activity, as recommended in Ireland’s National Physical Activity Plan. Try to be active for 30 minutes in one go or for 3 bouts of 10 minutes at a time. A good idea would be to combine the exercises in this booklet with some other aerobic activity such as walking, cycling or gardening.
Age & Opportunity wants to inspire you and the people around you to reach your full potential as you age, no matter what age you are now. The novelist George Eliot said that “It is never too late to become what you might have been” and we encourage you to use this time you have to have dreams, to plan adventures and to join in with what is happening or, even better, to make something happen and let others join in with you.
At Age & Opportunity, we focus on three different strands that interest people:
- Physical Activity & Sport
- Arts & Culture
- Education & Engagement
We run programmes and events in each of these areas, often in partnership with organisations already in your area, such as Local Sports Partnerships, public libraries, arts centres, your local VEC or with Partnership Companies. You have probably heard about our biggest programmes, the Bealtaine arts festival and Go for Life, Ireland’s national sport programme for older people. We also have lots of other programmes and activities that we run or support. One of them might be just what you’re looking for.
Our Active Ageing course runs conjunction with Siel Bleu, Siel Bleu Ireland improves the quality of life of older adults, through fun and interactive, tailored exercise programmes. The classes will be approx. 1 hour long and aim to help improve mobility, flexibility and balance for participants. If you think this is something you would like to take part in, contact us:
School Programmes
Buntús Programmes are exciting programmes developed to support teachers and childcare practitioners in introducing young people to sport and physical activity. The programmes are rolled out through Sport Ireland’s network of Local Sports Partnerships. Sport Ireland recognises the major role that sport can play in the lives of young people. It is important that an enjoyable multi-sport and non-competitive model is used to introduce our children to sport that will complement and enhance both our school and community sport programmes.
For all Buntús programmes the programme is delivered in a package consisting of 3 components; the equipment, the resource cards and the training. The three key components of the programme are designed to provide easy to understand, and accessible support to give children a fun, but high quality, introduction to sport. The purpose of the course is to empower teachers and childcare practitioners to use the cards in their PE / physical activity sessions.
Buntús Start
Buntús Start is a comprehensive physical activity programme for children aged between 2-5 years old. It has been adopted from the Youth Sport Trust Programme Top Start in the UK. Buntús Start is delivered in partnership with the Health Services Executive or County Childcare Committee or a three way partnership.
Buntús Generic
Buntús Generic refers to Buntús Play and Spóirt programmes which are based on the Tops Play and Tops Multi-Sport programmes run by Youth Sport Trust in the UK. The Play bag is aimed at Junior Infants up to 2nd class and the Spóirt bag is aimed at 3rd to 6th class. However, the games on the cards can be adapted to suit the class’s ability. Buntús Generic complements the Games strand of the PE curriculum which is one of six strands.
Sport Specific Buntús
Sport Ireland provides Sport Specific Buntús programmes in association with some National Governing Bodies of Sport. Schools must have received Buntús Generic programme before receiving any of the Sports Specific programmes. The training is provided by the Regional Development Officers from the National Governing Bodies and specially trained Buntús tutors.
Currently the Buntús Sports Specific programmes available to schools are Buntús Soccer run by the FAI, Buntús Badminton run by Badminton Ireland and Buntús Golf run by Junior Golf Ireland.
Our One Million Step Challenge has proven to be a hugely popular programme. Schools are supplied with step counters for a week and challenged to reach one million steps between a group of students. To add an element of competition, the teachers are also challenged to do the same and the winning group is whoever has walked more steps.
Wicklow LSP supply step counters and tracking charts and will deliver an overview to students at the beginning of the programme.
The One Million Step Challenge is a great asset to all schools who are hoping to achieve their Active School Flag award in the coming year. If you would like to take part in the One Million Step Challenge, please contact us onwicklow.sp@wicklowcoco.ie. Schools that have taken part already are welcome to take part again.
Bike Week is a celebration and promotion of all that’s great about bikes and cycling. Held over a week in June of each year with bike themed events organised by local authorities, community groups and cycling groups throughout Ireland. Cycling is fun. Did you know that
- Anyone from 6 to 100 year olds can ride a bike;
- Its a perfect chance to spend quality time with family;
- Biking is a very flexible form of exercise.
From free bike checks, fun cycles, lunchtime city rides, heritage cycles, electric bike races, school cycling events, bike festivals, road races and much more.
There’s something for every age and ability. Join the fun at this year’s Bike Week. Where will your bike take you? Watch our Bike Week 2017 Video
The Irish Tug of War Association and Wicklow Sports Partnership have teamed up to roll out our very successful Primary School Tug of War Programme in 2018. The aim of the programme is to introduce 3rd & 4th class primary school children to the Sport of Tug of War in a supportive environment. In return for full commitment to the programme, each school will receive a Coaching.
For more infomation or if your school would like to take part, contact us on wicklowlsp@wicklowcoco.ie
Watch our Tug of war Video:
Sportshall Athletics is an indoor form of track and field for children between the ages of 4 and 16. Sportshall is an exciting indoor programme of adapted athletics activities. It provides fun ways to build core skills and is renowned for its exhilarating team competitions.
The programme focuses on fitness and multi-skill development providing grounding for all sports. It is totally inclusive, encourages children to get fit and promotes friendship whilst having lots of fun. There is a maximum of 6 and minimum of 4 on each team and one team at each of the stations.
For more infomation or if your school would like to take part, contact us on wicklowlsp@wicklowcoco.ie
We host an annual Basketball Blitz where primary schools are invited to play in a non competitive tournament againt other local schools.
If this is something your school would like to take part in, please contact us on wicklowlsp@wicklowcoco.ie
Get Ireland Walking
Get Ireland Walking is an initiative of the Sport Ireland, funded by Healthy Ireland, supported by Mountaineering Ireland, the Irish Heart Foundation, HSE Health Promotion and Improvement, Age and Opportunity, Gaelic Athletic Association, Ireland Active, Arthritis Ireland and others. It aims to maximise the number of people participating in walking – for health, wellbeing and fitness – throughout Ireland.
At Get Ireland Walking we can help you set-up and run a walking group and do so in a way that makes it satisfying and rewarding for you and fun for all the walkers in the group. We’ve got a wealth of support and information for walking groups, and this page runs through our quick-start guides on the key topics for groups.
Wicklow is blessed with some of Ireland’s most scenic landscape and sceneries. From Mountains to Sea, Wicklow offers a variety of marked trails to suit all types of Walkers.
Community Coaching
The Community Coaching Programme is focused on assisting unemployed people to gain employment, coaching, volunteering and further education opportunities in the sports sector for example as coaches, referees, physical activity leaders etc.
It will provide the participants with practical and theoretical sport-related skills and help them find relevant work experience in their local community. It will also contribute to the promotion of both physical and mental health amongst participants and in the community through the subsequent employment and/or volunteering work carried out by participants.
The course will provide specialised sports-focused training and education for jobseekers. Work experience opportunities in NGBs, Clubs, Schools, etc will be built in to the programme.
LSPs will be rolling out the courses locally with Local Employment Offices, Education and Training Boards, NGBs and other partners. The Community Coaching Programme is funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund. The programme will be advertised in late 2017 and begin in early 2018.
Katie Taylor Bursary
The Katie Taylor Bursary was established in 2013 by Wicklow County Council to honour the remarkable success of Olympic Champion boxer and Bray native, Katie Taylor.
There have been 8 winners of the bursary to date.
Past winners of the bursary include:
| Year | Name |
| 2013 | Laura Kavanagh |
| 2014 | Amy Murphy |
| 2015 | Jessica Hunt |
| 2016 | Naoise Sheridan |
| 2017 | Emer Kelly |
| 2018 | Amy Wall |
| 2019 | Katie Ann O’Neill |