23/09/2026
From 134 Donations in 1960… to 700+ in 2026
A Journey Through Time – and a Reminder of Why We Fundraise
Off on a different journey this time – a journey down memory lane.
As our Walkathon draws towards its conclusion this weekend, we thought it might be worth taking a step back in time — all the way back to 1960, just three years after White's Cross GAA, LGFA & Camogie Club came into existence.
That was the year the fledgling club embarked on its first major fundraiser.
We don't know a huge amount about the fundraiser itself. The details of exactly what form it took are, sadly, a little sketchy. One thing we can say with certainty, however, is that there were no online sponsorship pages, QR codes or social media posts involved! 😄
What was wonderfully well documented is the support that local people gave.
The names and addresses of contributors were recorded, along with the amount they donated. Each contributor received a receipt, with a corresponding stub retained in the club's cash book. And when the records are added up, they reveal an impressive 134 individual contributions.
For a young rural GAA club in 1960, that represented an enormous level of community support.
And here's where it gets really interesting…
Looking closely at those old ticket stubs, a remarkable piece of social history begins to emerge.
There are so many familiar surnames.
Names of families whose sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are still part of White’s Cross GAA today.
It prompts some fascinating questions.
What made those people put their hard-earned money into this new club?
Could they possibly have imagined what White’s Cross would become?
Could they have foreseen their children — or grandchildren and great-grandchildren — one day benefiting from the foundations they were helping to lay?
Could they have imagined a club with its own grounds, dressing rooms and hot-water showers, floodlighting, artificial pitches, walkways, outdoor gym facilities, a hurling wall… and, yes, even robot lawnmowers (yip - installed this week)!
Could they ever have imagined a fundraiser where €35,000+ could be raised without a single note or coin changing hands — and involving more than 727 separate contributions (and still counting)?
Probably not.
And yet, without their support, none of what followed would have been possible.
One name in particular brings this story full circle.
Back in 2016, the late Niall Forde (RIP) kindly loaned this scribe a remarkable scrapbook documenting his time as a White’s Cross player and club officer.
Among the treasures inside were old newspaper reports, match results and photographs from the early years of the club.
There were also four original cash books from the January 1960 fundraiser, documenting all 134 contributions.
And written by hand on those books? NF... yes Niall Forde.
A young man helping to safeguard the records of White’s Cross's first major fundraising effort.
Could Niall, back then, ever have imagined where that journey would lead?
Could he have envisaged that decades later his own granddaughter would be part of a club whose members were once again fundraising for its future?
And perhaps the most fitting part of this story is that, as our latest fundraiser comes towards its conclusion, the family who have raised the most for our 2026 Walkathon is the Forde Family.
To Conor Forde, Jum, C.J. and Abbie — míle buíochas. 💚
1960. 2026. Different times. Same spirit.
The currency has changed.
The technology has changed.
The size and scale of the Club has changed.
But one thing hasn't changed:
White’s Cross GAA still depends on its people.
The people who believed in the club in 1960 helped create the foundations we are standing on today.
Now it's our turn.
With our membership growing and the demands on our facilities increasing, securing and developing a second full-size playing field is the next major step in White’s Cross GAA's journey.
The people who supported the Club 65 years ago could never have known exactly where their contribution would lead.
We have the benefit of knowing what is possible — and the responsibility of helping to shape what comes next.
So let's continue the journey.
Support the future of White’s Cross GAA at:
👉 www.whitescrossgaa.fundmajor.com
From 134 contributions in 1960… to 700+ and counting in 2026.
Different generations. Same club. Same spirit. Our future. 💚🤍
