New in town or looking for a new hobby?

A local digital media designer has put together a handy, free website listing many of the established and newer clubs open to members on Leeside.

From rowing, running, and cycling to poetry, Irish language speaking, roller skating, and knitting, corkclubs.ie is a simple resource that allows visitors to browse various clubs and find out more about joining.

Patrick Hayes came up with the idea for the website after spotting a variety of club events on Yay Cork. With approximately one in five people in Ireland reporting that they feel lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’, he spotted an easy way to help people forge new friendships.

“I got randomly invited to tag rugby 18 months ago, just as COVID restrictions were easing,” he explains.

“I hummed and hawed about going, but I tried it and fell in love with it. Throughout the summer we went for pints after matches and formed such a lovely group. We went on trips together and nights out, it was so good for my mental health and I could sense it in others.”

‘I’d love it if the whole of Cork got behind it’

Patrick (25), who has a degree in digital media design, felt the website could have a much broader appeal too.

“I was chatting with a good few older family members who were saying they knew lots of retirees that were bored and if only they had an outlet or a social club they could get involved in it would add some excitement to their weeks.”

Having investigated, Patrick found that there were plenty of clubs in Cork but they were difficult to find because club websites don’t tend to rank highly on Google.

Starting with a list of ten running clubs he found on Yay Cork, Patrick began adding clubs to his website, creating a form so other club members could add their own details too.

Here’s a quick video on how it works:

“It’s got some traction on Reddit and people have started to add clubs. I’d love it if the whole of Cork got behind it to make an unreal list for everyone to make use of.”

The best response so far has been from people who have moved back to Cork or newly moved here.” he added.

Visit corkclubs.ie to check out the latest additions or add your own club to the mix.