Before: the charred interior of Ballybeg GAA's Clubhouse. After: Splendidly refurbished by the end of August.

Before: the charred interior of Ballybeg GAA's Clubhouse. After: Splendidly refurbished by the end of August.


“Utter emptiness” is the sole phrase used by Brick by Brick fundraiser Willie Moore to describe the weekend that witnessed the destruction of Saint Saviours GAA Clubhouse, Boxing/Soccer Club and Youth Club.
Today, less than seven months after the arson attack, the Ballybeg community stands triumphant, readying for the official opening of the complex on Tuesday, October 20th.
While Willie was away on the night of the initial Youth Club fire, it was the second and most devastating attack on the GAA and Boxing Clubhouses that stands strongest in the community stalwart’s memory.
“I got a phone call at 3am that Saturday, and you know something’s not right when your phone rings at the time. It was then I discovered that the Club was alight. I’m not an emotional man, but I broke down after that news.”
As the smoke settled, Willie recalls a Ballybeg community in freefall. “We came from this emotional high to hitting rock bottom – the hardest part was telling the kids that their social outlet had been burned to a cinder.”
Ollie Ryan, caretaker at St. Saviours GAA grounds, moves events forward a few days, recounting how people rallied around the Club to stage a scheduled match at the grounds.
“We had the ESB on site two days after the fire to provide emergency lighting for the pitch and car park,” he says, before quipping: “Soon after that we had a portakabin donated so the lads wouldn’t have tog out from their car boots!”
Though the fire may have seemed like an attack on the clubs alone, the people of Ballybeg took the incident as an assault on the fabric their tight-knit community. Taking a united front was vital, and thankfully, it was one that the individuals of Ballybeg pulled off in remarkable style.
“The fundraising can trace its routes back to a cake sale that raised €1,200 in a few hours,” said Willie. “It was an absolute credit to the three women who organised it.”
The events of late January didn’t just motivate a parish, they inspired a nation. “The response from outside Ballybeg was an inspiration,” he added, enthused by the charity shown.
“The FAI’s John Delaney was straight onboard – he pulled €2,000 together, while Carrick United collected €700. St. Pauls also deserve credit – really though, there’s just too many to list out individually.”
Once sufficient cash was raised to commence the rebuild, those most closely linked the clubs began to clear what remained among the ashes.
“We lost everything – there was nothing left to spare,” says Willie, before Ollie interjects: “Everything save for the walls and a few steel girders had to go.”
“The loss of our Club photos was probably the most upsetting, but luckily The Munster Express helped us get some of those memories back thanks to their archive.”
An immense sense of pride emanates from both parties as they walk through the details of the rebuilt Clubhouses.
“The new building is almost identical to the one it replaced, with the exception that everything is built to a higher specification than the original twenty-year-old building,” notes Ollie, before describing the state-of-the-art-projector and sound system installed inside the GAA Clubhouse – an installation which Ollie says should “make for some interesting post-match analysis!”
After a €100,000 spend and seven months of construction, spirits are high, but those at the forefront of the community’s development are unwilling to rest on their laurels.
The local Youth Club, also destroyed by the attack, has yet to be renovated, while other buildings, including Ryan’s Pub, remain derelict.
It’s a problem that Willie and the local community are determined to remedy, a will that has led to some lively debate with Waterford City & County Council.
“While the working relationship between the Council and us is great, there have been some heated exchanges…still, we’ll always fight for what’s right for Ballybeg.”