Ireland Lights Up

The GAA’s popular ‘Ireland Lights Up’ initiative returns in January 2024 in partnership with RTE’s Operation Transformation, Get Ireland Walking and the Irish Life “My Life” app.

‘Ireland Lights Up’ encourages GAA clubs across the 32 counties to light up and bring communities together to walk and talk in a safe environment during the dark winter evenings. As ever, a club participating in Ireland Lights Up will be showcased each week on RTE’s Operation Transformation.

In 2023, over 1000 GAA clubs signed up for Ireland Lights Up helping tens of thousands of participants improve their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Clubs also recruited over 29,600 walkers to participate in the ‘Every Steps Counts Challenge’ delivered through the ‘MyLife’ app, in partnership with the Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs programme. Participants walked over 5,500,000 kms during the five-week challenge.

Registrations for the 2024 ‘Ireland Lights Up’ and ‘Every Step Counts’ MyLife Challenge opens today! Click here to register Ireland Lights Up & Every Step Counts Registration 2024. Ireland Lights Up commences on Wednesday, January 10th, to coincide with the broadcast of the second episode of Operation Transformation on RTE.

To register your club for Ireland Light Up and the MyLife Healthy Clubs Steps Challenge, use the following link: Ireland Lights Up & Every Step Counts Registration 2024

To find out more about MyLife and download the App, use the following link: Health & Wellbeing App – MyLife App by Irish Life

‘Ireland Lights Up’ Additional Info for Clubs:

• Ireland Lights Up will run from January 10, 2024. Participating clubs are asked to host a community walk for up to 6 weeks, for the duration of the Operation Transformation show. Clubs can determine their own schedule depending on volunteer capacity.

• Clubs that complete the registration process for Ireland Lights Up and adhere to the necessary criteria will be covered by Get Ireland Walking's insurance for all walk leaders. Irrespective of GAA membership status, leaders and participants are not covered by the GAA Injury Benefit Fund for this initiative.

• To put an accurate figure on the number of walkers that participate in Ireland Lights Up in 2024, clubs will be asked to report their participant numbers weekly. They will also be considered as host club for the launch of Ireland Lights Up 2025 (which involves a visit from RTE’s Operation Transformation)

‘Every Step Counts Challenge’ Additional Info for Clubs:

• The challenge will commence on the MyLife App on January 8th and run for five weeks until midnight on the 12th of February. Participating clubs will be encouraged to register as many interested club and community members on the App in advance of this. (Any club that registered in 2023 will be auto-enrolled again this year. If already on the MyLife App from previous Steps Challenges, individuals will have to register for the new 2024 challenge on the App.)

• MyLife allows participants and clubs to track their participation in the challenge through regional and national league tables while also measuring the positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

• As ever clubs will be in with a chance to win cash prizes for their club by participating in Every Step Counts challenge.

• All GAA clubs can get involved in the Steps Challenge (irrespective of having a walking track facility) and are automatically registered when they register for ‘Ireland Lights Up’. Participation in the challenge is, of course, at a club’s discretion.

Please direct any Ireland Lights Up queries to stephen.quinn@gaa.ie