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Killeavy St Monnina’s and Crossmaglen Rangers meet in the Senior Championship final at the Box-It Athletic Grounds this Sunday 18 October, with two foster families supporting opposite sides. Anita and Joe Feenan will be behind Killeavy, while Jim and Michelle McConville will be in the stands for Crossmaglen. Between them the couples have more than 34 years of fostering experience.
Anita and Joe will be cheering on their son-in-law Ciaron O’Hanlon, who plays for Killeavy while Jim and Michelle will be backing their son Cian in the Crossmaglen jersey. The final is a big occasion for the community, and both are using it to encourage others to think about fostering.
Fostering has been part of life for the Feenans for 24 years. Their journey began when the youngest of their four children was seven. Anita felt fortunate to have a loving home and a spare bedroom and decided to find out more, despite having no previous connections to foster care. Her first attempt to find the right contact did not go to plan, as she rang a number from the Yellow Pages and discovered she had reached the benefits office. She was redirected to the Family Placement Team in Dromalane in their local Trust area, which is now accessed through HSC NI Adoption and Foster Care.
Over the years Anita and Joe have provided emergency, short-break, short-term and long-term care, mainly supporting teenagers aged 12 to 16. One emergency placement was meant to last three days, but the 10-year-old boy who arrived stayed for four years. Anita says that lasting sense of belonging is one of the things she treasures most. She loves seeing young people settle into family life, relax and begin to call the house their home, and she enjoys seeing former foster children return as adults, sometimes with partners and children of their own.
“Our foster family love sports. We are very proud of the GAA. It is a brilliant organisation. It includes all children and young people from all backgrounds. The young people in our care love the excitement of the days out at County football. A few young people have played Gaelic throughout the years. It’s great to see them socialising with other young people and it helps to build their confidence.” Anita said.
She added: “Our local team is Whitecross and our four grandchildren play. We will be cheering Killeavy on in the Senior Championship final this weekend. Fingers crossed for our son-in-law Ciaron O’Hanlon who plays for Killeavy. He and our daughter Hannah are a massive support to us in fostering. They always help out when needed and care for the young people if we are away for the day or overnight.
“We have experienced many rewards to fostering. Firstly, we have gained a family. We love seeing young people who we have cared for, coming back to visit us as adults. They come with their partners, wives or children. A young man who stayed with us between the ages of 13 and 24 is now the Godfather to one of our grandchildren. Also, we love seeing how they have developed into good citizens with careers. It’s rewarding to know we have made a difference to their lives.”
Anita’s advice for anyone thinking of fostering is to ask plenty of questions.
“Don’t overthink the role. The first few years I tried to be the perfect Foster Carer, stressing over homework and worrying, ‘Are we doing a good enough job?’. Then a Social Worker advised us to relax and just provide a safe environment and treat the children as we would our own. This was great advice.
“I would encourage anyone interested in fostering to give it a go. What’s the worst thing that could happen? All children deserve a safe, loving home.”
Jim and Michelle McConville have been fostering for more than 10 years. They felt it was the right time to offer another child a safe and welcoming place to stay when their own children were growing up. Both work full-time and found that short-break fostering suited their family. It allows them to care for school-age children and teenagers at weekends, during holidays and over the summer, giving full-time foster carers a break while providing children with new experiences, happy memories and a sense of normality. For Michelle, one of the greatest rewards is building trust and helping children feel that someone is firmly in their corner.
Sport is one way the family helps children find their feet.
“We are a big GAA family like most around here. We follow our local clubs and follow Armagh closely. Sport is at the heart of our community - it brings people together and gives the kids a real sense of belonging and identity.
“When a child first comes to stay with us, sport is a brilliant icebreaker. Whether it’s GAA, soccer or anything else, it gives us an easy, neutral topic to chat about and it helps them feel included straight away.
She added: “We try to get to matches whenever we can, especially local games. The children we care for love the atmosphere - the buzz of the crowd, cheering on their team, and just being part of something big. For many of them it’s about feeling part of the community and having fun with friends and family.”
Michelle is looking forward to watching Cian in the final.
“The Crossmaglen and Killeavy final is a massive occasion for South Armagh - two great clubs with fantastic community spirit. No matter who wins, it should be a great final. It’s great to hear that there’s foster families on both sides. It shows fostering is everywhere in our communities and can be part of family life.
“My advice to anyone thinking about fostering would be - just make that first enquiry. You don’t need to know all the answers, and you don’t need to offer every type of care. If you can offer a safe, kind and stable space, even for one weekend per month, you can make a huge difference. Providing short breaks has changed our family for the better.”
Ulster GAA continues to lend its support to HSC NI Foster Care by encouraging its members and supporters to consider fostering. Anyone interested can call HSC NI Foster Care on 0800 0720 137 or visit adoptionandfostercare.hscni.net for more information.
