Right in the bustling hub of Portlaoise, where one is more likely to encounter a stray sheep than a traffic light, stands the spirited headquarters of TIFAM Magazine. Not your average glossy page-turner, this one is stitched together with love and the occasional misfired arrow, all thanks to a merry band of volunteers. These folks aren’t just enthusiasts; they’re the archery-addled heroes the Midlands didn’t know they needed.
With each edition, TIFAM does more than just promote archery—it champions a rollicking tale of community and flying arrows, where everyone from the newbie with quivering hands to the seasoned archer with a quiver full of arrows finds a voice. It’s a place where stories of near misses, bullseyes, and that one time someone’s cat chased the target are shared with equal fervor.
Broadcasting from Portlaoise, the magazine is as central as you can get without standing in a field surrounded by sheep and archers—which, incidentally, is where some of our meetings are held. Through its pages, TIFAM unites archers from across Ireland and beyond, proving that the spirit of camaraderie can indeed survive the occasional arrow to the knee. So whether you’re here to learn the ropes or just enjoy the tales of archery antics, TIFAM is your go-to guide, ensuring every archer’s journey is just as thrilling as a medieval saga, only with fewer dragons and more misplaced arrows.
The Irish Field Archery Monthly is Ireland’s first NON-PROFIT periodical dedicated to archery, with the statutory aim of promoting the sport of archery and working towards its inclusivity. We are an independent publication for the archery community on the island of Ireland and beyond.
Our product is not so much the printed magazine or its electronic form, but the idea behind its creation! TIFAM is unique for many reasons, first and foremost because of its non-commercial nature. However, it would be an unfair simplification to include our mission (as we believe it cannot be called otherwise) under the term non-profit. Every idea has a purpose and TIFAM is a concept, a light in the darkness that leads us to our goal of making archery better.
We are trying to achieve this on many levels and with many tools. Our core product is the message, the written and spoken word as a means of rendering the aforementioned idea. We create dreams, but we also give our READERS, or rather we should call them PARTICIPANTS, PARTNERS of our journey, the possibility of making them come true.
Whether it is through the immediacy of language and image, where we encourage people to write about things that are important to them on their journeys, or by telling their stories in our pages, through our hearts and minds thus becoming an advocate for their cause.
This happens in both real and virtual space, on many planes at once. We believe in the inclusivity of sports and beliefs, which is why we work to integrate communities. This happens in the course of inspiring and organising events, both sporting and charitable, and in most cases at the interface between the two activities.
Hence, to conclude this ‘mini manifesto’: we might say that our objectives are different and have little to do with the prevailing profit-maximising drive of today. We see the world and its needs through the lens of those close to us, and this is rarely matched by a business approach. Besides, notions of the common good and social justice have always stood in contrast to fiscal calculations aimed at generating needs in order to secure opportunities for capital expansion. Which does not prevent the capitalisation of dreams from being combined with capital growth. The point is in the approach to capital accumulation, in other words in the ethics of work and conduct, and in particular in the ethics of building and setting goals that are meaningful and socially viable.
Unique features we offer:
- TIFAM is a form of media that operates on many different planes simultaneously with inclusive access to any channels – where every member of the community has a voice, both as a commentator and as a creator, which we encourage perpetually!
- We make a real impact on the development of sport, increased integration, intercultural exchange, the possibility to promote local communities, both in terms of sport and in a broader sense – stimulation of regional development, access to knowledge and self-education.
- We foster equal opportunities in education and career planning, especially for the youngest members of the archery community. Promotion of a healthy lifestyle, improvement of physical fitness and accumulation of experience and knowledge. The possibility of a planned development and a consistent pursuit of goals. We encourage the youth and children to write articles on our pages, we have (our own) youth reporters in the editorial team and we showcase their example to inspire the youth and children, who always have a place on our pages for their agenda.
Benefits to our audiences:
- The main benefit for our audiences is participation in the creative process, which cannot be defined in just a few sentences. It is an intrinsic value in itself and has different effects and implications for each individual.
- Is it possible to put a price on health, or the acquired knowledge, or how can one value the future that opens up for a young person after having found his or her calling in sport or writing?
- TIFAM offers more than a measurable gain – we are creating the future, building it brick by brick, and our beneficiaries (with our help) are laying the foundations for their tomorrows. This makes us a unique creation in the contemporary background of the media both in Ireland and abroad.
PUBLISHER
TIFAM (THE IRISH FIELD ARCHERY MONTHLY) COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE
Company Reg No: 732212. Phone Number: +353 83 472 29 22
Mailing address:
8 Abbey Court,
Abbeyleix Road,
Portlaoise, Co. Laois
R32NP9W
EDITOR - IN - CHIEF
(TIFAM CLG Secretary for year 2023-2025)
Marcin Malek
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR
Lynn Ellingworth
COLUMNIST/EDITOR
(TIFAM CLG Chair Person for year 2023-2025)
Colleen Moore
COLUMNIST/EDITOR
(TIFAM CLG Treasurer for year 2023-2025)
Owen Reynolds
COLUMNIST/EDITOR
(TIFAM CLG PRO for year 2023-2025)
Andrew Wayland
COLUMNIST/EDITOR
(TIFAM CLG Ordinary committee member for year 2023-2025)
Matt Latimer
REPORTER
(TIFAM CLG Ordinary committee member for year 2023-2025)
Ken Farrell
