Leisure must be liberating, school told

TRUE LEISURE should be a process involving freedom, self-discovery and growth, the Parnell Summer School in Co Wicklow heard yesterday.

Addressing the theme of the summer school – Leisure and Recreation in Ireland – chief executive of the Odyssey Trust in Belfast Robert Fitzpatrick invited the audience to reflect on whether the Irish were a people of leisure.

The Odyssey Trust is the owner of the Odyssey Arena, a leisure complex in Belfast which enjoys charitable status. It promotes cross-cultural interaction through leisure, sport and entertainment.

In a subsequent round-table discussion, Mr Fitzpatrick maintained true leisure should be liberating, fostering greater understanding of oneself and one’s development.

The school also heard Dr Jennifer Kelly of NUI Maynooth outline a study of “associational” culture in Ireland, which claimed people were interested in aligning themselves to organisations and associations in Ireland throughout the 19th century.

Earlier, Dr Tom Hunt of Mullingar delivered the annual Parnell Lecture, Sport, Parnell and Ireland, which charted Charles Stewart Parnell’s sporting ability as a cricketer and the origins of cricket in Ireland. Mr Hunt outlined Parnell’s association with cricket as well as the GAA, and said his involvement was significant to their development.

The school continues until Friday. This morning it will hear a presentation from Christy Cooney, president of the GAA, marking the association’s 125th anniversary.