Cork GAA has celebrated the outstanding success of its third annual Community Clean Up Day, which took place on Saturday April 11th 2026, with over 100 clubs from across the county taking part to make a real difference in their local communities, despite challenging weather conditions on the day.

The initiative, delivered in collaboration with An Taisce, Tidy Towns, Cork County Council and Cork City Council, once again demonstrated the power of collective action, with clubs members, players, volunteers and families coming together to clean GAA grounds, towns, villages, beaches and community spaces throughout Cork.

Building on the momentum of previous years, the 2026 event saw record participation levels, with clubs bringing great energy, pride and community spirit to the day. From underage teams to senior players, the day highlighted the important role GAA clubs play in their communities.

As part of this year’s initiative, Cork GAA also ran a county-wide competition to recognise the outstanding efforts of participating clubs. Entries were assessed across a number of areas including social media engagement, ingenuity, volume of waste collected and overall community involvement.

The competition was divided into three categories, senior, intermediate and junior, with one winning club selected from each. The winning clubs were:

• Senior: Sarsfields
• Intermediate: Russell Rovers
• Junior: Oliver Plunketts

Each winner was presented with a signed Cork jersey during half time of the Cork footballers opening championship match against Limerick on Sunday April 12th. The jerseys where presented by Pat Horgan, Cork GAA Chairman, and Enda Buckley, County Sustainability Officer.

Enda Buckley, County Sustainability Officer, added:

“We are very grateful for the continued support of our key partners, particularly Cork County Council and Cork City Council, whose ongoing commitment plays a vital role in enabling the success and growth of the Clean Up Day each year.

The Community Clean Up Day has become a central part of Cork GAA’s Sustainability Vision, helping to promote environmental responsibility, strengthen community engagement and make a lasting positive impact across the county.

Our ambition is to continue growing this initiative year on year, with participation from all clubs right across the county.”

Pat Horgan, Cork GAA Chairman, said:

“I would like to congratulate all of the winning clubs and everyone who took part in this year’s Clean Up Day. The conditions were far from easy, and it was great to see so many clubs braving the elements and showing real commitment to their communities.

Initiatives like this are hugely important for Cork GAA, helping to protect our environment while also bringing people together and strengthening the connection between our clubs and their local areas.”