Good number of GAA President's Awards come west
The GAA has confirmed the recipients for Gradaim an Uachtaráin 2022, and a number of the recipients hail from the west of Ireland.
These prestigious annual awards, organised with the support of AIB and broadcast by TG4 tomorrow (Friday) at 10.20 p.m., affords Uachtarán CLG with an opportunity to acknowledge outstanding commitment and long service across the club and county network.
The 11 GAA President's Awards are going to a cross-section of people who have shared the common theme of making an inspirational impact on their code and also their club and community.
Uachtarán CLG Larry McCarthy said: “The GAA is about games, but it is people who make the GAA what it is. The GAA President's Awards is an opportunity for the association to acknowledge a group of inspirational people who have made an outstanding contribution towards the success of Gaelic games.
“They are, in many respects, ambassadors for the tens of thousands of volunteers who dedicate themselves to the promotion of Gaelic games at club, school and county levels and who we are so fortunate to call our own.
“Their work is not motivated by recognition – but that is why it is all the more important to appreciate the work that they do and celebrate the fact the GAA is the better for it.
“I’d also like to thank AIB for their support of these awards and their long-standing support of the GAA, and also acknowledge TG4 who since their foundation have played a crucial role in the promotion of our games.”
The 11 awards are made on a provincial and code basis. As well as Gaeilge, Education and International Awards, the presentation of the annual Dermot Earley Family Award will also be made.
The winner of the Connacht Award is James Holohan of Drumreilly GAA Club, Co. Leitrim. His citation reads: “Every child in Leitrim knows Jimmy Holohan from his time as a GPO. He knows every player in the county and has been a player, selector and manager of several Drumreilly teams and the county team. He was a highly skilled and respected coach at all levels and his work as a Games Promotion Officer – whether in schools, clubs, or Croke Park Play & Stay days – was always of the highest quality.
“Since retiring as a GPO, Jimmy is to be regularly found as a reliable steward at Leitrim GAA games and all over the province as a Connacht GAA steward. His legacy from his GPO work is in passing on his love of our games to new generations of players, helping build their skills and their connection with their club. It is this commitment to others that has made him such a popular selection. He has planted many acorns at club, school and county level and Leitrim GAA will reap the rewards of that work for many years to come and be all the stronger for it.”
The Camogie Award winner is Marie O'Brien of Four Roads GAA Club, Co. Roscommon. She has been involved with Four Roads Camogie Club since it was founded in 1971 and was part of the club’s team that won a very first junior county title in 1973 and then won senior titles in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Marie was full-back on the team which won the Connacht junior final in 1975.
When she finished her playing career, Marie got involved in administration and coaching at club, county and provincial levels and served in a variety of positions, from chairperson of Four Roads Camogie Club to chairperson and treasurer of Roscommon County Board and chairperson of the Connacht Council, while she has also served on the Ard Chomhairle. Marie has also acted as Roscommon and Connacht child welfare officer.
Dedicated to the promotion of camogie, she has served for many years as chairperson, leading the club to the first county final as well as the All-Ireland success in 2010. She was a selector on the Roscommon junior camogie team which reached its first ever All-Ireland final in 1995 and has trained numerous underage club teams down the years with enormous success, particularly at Under 14 level.
The International Award is also going to a west of Ireland Gael. Since arriving in London from Killimor, Co. Galway, in 1967, Brendie O'Brien has been involved with St. Gabriel’s Hurling Club. From his playing days he covered all the administrative positions in the club and was a county committee delegate. During the 1990s he worked with the underage hurlers, which he cites as one of his most enjoyable times in the GAA.
Brendie served as an officer and on many sub-committees as chairperson and member in London GAA, and brought great clarity and knowledge to all situations. He was heavily involved in the redevelopment of Ruislip from inception to completion.
He served as central council delegate, chairperson and secretary of the provincial council of Britain GAA. He was one of the main forces behind the setting-up of the All-Britain Championships (ABCs), the greatest event to promote Gaelic games in Britain.
In addition to being vice-president of the association, Brendie was also a member of a number of overseas committees and chairperson of Féile na nGael. He is still involved in working and volunteering with St. Gabriel’s, London and the Provincial Council of Britain, and will be willing to complete any task needed to assist and promote Gaelic games with the same commitment he always gave.
The other provincial award winners are as follows: Leinster – Tommy Murphy, Round Towers GAA Club and Kildare kit man; Ulster – Malcolm McFarlane, Bredagh GAA Club, South Belfast; Munster – Pat English, Galtee Gaels GAA Club, Limerick.
The remaining winners are: Handball Award – Billy Love, Clogh GAA Handball Club, Co. Kilkenny; Ladies Football Award – Fiona Crotty, Laffan Ballymacarbry LGFA, Co. Waterford; Education Award – John Lenihan, University of Limerick; Gradaim Gaeilge – Seán Mac Cana, Wolfetones, Derrymacnash CLG, Co. Armagh; Dermot Earley Family Award – the Rock family, Dublin, who have an association with Croke Park that can be traced back for more than 100 years, a family which both on and off the field have been involved in some of the most important moments in Irish and GAA history.