Picture: Tatyana McGough
Reigning Kerry league and cup senior title holders Killarney Celtic FC have secured very significant funding for an exchange programme under the Erasmus+ Youth Mobility Scheme provided through Léargas.
It will enable members of the club to travel to Verrès, in the Italian Alpine province of Aosta, for the second time in three years, with the Italians having brought medieval pageantry to Killarney for last year’s St Patrick’s Day.
The 2025 exchange will strengthen the connections between the two towns and, on this occasion, the project is a youth mobility exchange established between Killarney Celtic and Verrès college ISILTEP.
An action-packed programme of cultural, social and physical activities will be organised for the Italian youths and the visitors, drawn from six Killarney Celtic teams at Under 13 and Under 16 levels.
The project was launched at Celtic Park this week with Ireland South MEP, Seán Kelly, joining club executive members and coaches to welcome the Erarmus+ funding.
Léargas manages international and national exchange programmes in education, youth and community work and vocational education and training and the value of the funding secured by Killarney Celtic-Verrès project is in of the order of €50,000.
This will be the first time an Irish sports club has availed of Youth Mobility Erasmus+ funding and the trip will see 30 Killarney Celtic children, group leaders and accompanying adults travel to Italy, via Switzerland, during the first week of the Easter holidays.
The exciting programme is being planned with great cooperation from Mayor of Verrès, Alessandro Giovenzi, and a group of Italian organisers, including local soccer club ASD River Plaine Evançon, working alongside Celtic executive members and coaches.
Killarney Celtic FC Chairman, Philip O’Callaghan, remarked: “We are extremely grateful to the Irish national agency Léargas for the opportunities it has provided to our club to apply for this funding strand, making this exchange a really exciting prospect”.
MEP Seán Kelly said he is delighted to see his hometown involved in an Erasmus+ mobility activity.
“I’d encourage other clubs and youth organisations in Kerry to follow the Killarney Celtic project closely with a view to establishing Erasmus opportunities of their own,” he said.
A small group of Killarney Celtic officials will travel to Verrès in early March as part of a preparatory visit to put the final logistical arrangements in place for what promises to be the trip of a lifetime for the boys and girls involved.
ISILTEP Principal, Antonella Dallou, is looking forward to more learning and partnerships for formal and informal learning with Killarney: “It is great to partner with Killarney town and Killarney Celtic in this Erasmus+ project and we hope it leads to many more opportunities for the youth in both our communities to learn from each other and to work out how they can tackle common problems and advance common opportunities”.
Verrès native but long-time Killarney resident and Celtic FC coach, Davide Mosca, said he hopes the Erasmus project will continue to strengthen the links between his native Aosta Valley and Killarney.
“There is so much benefit for both communities from making this relationship endure,” he remarked.
Killarney Celtic’s U16A boys’ coach, Brian Looney, has expertly guided the club through the Erasmus+ application process and securing funding.
“The project represents a great opportunity for our young people to have life-enhancing experiences. Erasmus+ is a great programme and full credit to people like MEP Seán Kelly who saw that Erasmus had potential beyond formal education,” he said.
“Although the application process can seem difficult, the training we got from Léargas was of huge value in building a funded project and we appreciate their encouragement,” Mr Looney added.
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