The Irish Foundation for Archery and Mentorship has announced the formation of a new traditional field archery club at The Derries Woodlands near Ballybrittas, inviting members of the public to discover and take part in the sport of archery.
Operating under the international umbrella of Traditional Archers International, TIFAM Archers has recently secured a woodland recreational licence from Coillte, establishing a dedicated base for traditional field archery training, woodland shooting courses, community gatherings, and future international events.
Located only minutes from M7 Exit 15, The Derries Woodlands offers convenient access for participants travelling from Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Emo, Ballybrittas, Monasterevin, Kildare Town, Rathangan, Abbeyleix, Stradbally, Newbridge, Athy, Clonaslee, and surrounding Midlands communities. The club is therefore within comfortable driving distance for a large part of Laois, Kildare, and Offaly.
TIFAM warmly invites complete beginners to join the club. Full training and guidance will be provided, with new members taught everything they need to know in order to take part safely and confidently. The club is open to everyone aged 4 to 104, making it a welcoming place for families, young people, adults, and seniors.
The club also extends a special invitation to seasoned archers who would like to help form the core of this new traditional archery community. Experienced archers are encouraged to become part of the club’s early leadership team, helping to shape its training culture, support beginners, assist with woodland shooting courses, and build a strong foundation for traditional archery in the Midlands.
Members will practise and compete in accordance with TAI sporting regulations and the enduring spirit of traditional archery.
To make the sport as accessible as possible, TIFAM has announced that, throughout the first year of the club’s operation, there will be no membership fees or insurance payments required. Full insurance cover for year-round archery activities, including woodland and indoor practice, as well as participation connected to ETO activities, is already in place.
The organisation is also seeking volunteers willing to assist with the preparation and organisation of the ETO – European Traditional Open, a major international traditional archery tournament scheduled to take place in Portlaoise from 17 to 21 May 2027.
TIFAM hopes the initiative will help develop traditional archery within the region while creating a welcoming environment centred on outdoor activity, mentorship, heritage, and international sporting exchange.
TIFAM is formally registered with Traditional Archers International as an affiliated association. For this reason, the invitation is extended not only to individual archers, but also to existing archery clubs throughout the Midlands and across Ireland that are interested in developing traditional archery under the TIFAM umbrella and in accordance with TAI sporting regulations, principles, and international standards of competition.
Anyone wishing to join TIFAM Archers is asked to register online here: Join TIFAM Archers
It is very important that all prospective members include their full contact details when registering, especially their phone number and email address. These details will be used to contact everyone directly and to arrange the first general meeting of the club. Once enough people have registered, TIFAM will call a general meeting to bring everyone together, discuss the next steps, and begin forming the working structure of the club.
All interested archers, future archers, seasoned archers, volunteers, and archery clubs are encouraged to register online and make contact.
Contact:
Marcin
Phone: +353 83 472 2922
Email: editor@tifam.ie
Andrew
Phone: +353 87 675 8087
Email: Chair_person@tifam.ie
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