Archive for category: General

The Tony McGowan 10K run and 3K family walk takes place this Sunday at 12noon in Drumshanbo For further details on the event please contact 086-8281412

Tony McGowan

Tony epitomised all that is good in voluntary work. Many groups and organisations benefited from his talents and from his generosity of time and spirit. From the early days of the St. Francis GAA club, founded in 1956, he was a member of all teams, including the trail-blazing Junior Football team that won the County Championship in 1963. He continued to play at Senior and Junior level into the early 70s, while increasing his involvement in the administration and coaching aspects of the game.

He served as Secretary of Leitrim County Board from 1971-80 and the Board’s Chairman from 1987-95. He was Joint Manager of the Leitrim Senior Team in 1989 and acted as a selector to PJ Carroll from 1990-92. One of his proudest moments was Leitrim’s Connacht Championship success of 1994. Tony served Allen Gaels as player, coach, Manager, secretary, chairman, Scór winner and club president through his lifetime. He founded Drumshanbo Athletics Club in 1980.

Tony was a person who  would look at a far horizon while others looked at the ground. His ideas became goals for his club, his parish, his county. It was his inspiration and enthusiasm that shaped fund – raising projects like the successful OSullivan Beare walk (265 miles) from Glengarriff (Co. Cork) to Drumshanbo in 1983, and the two fruitful concert tours of England undertaken by Drumshanbo people in 1985.

During his very active participation in voluntary work, Tony was blessed with the indispensable support, help and love of Phil, their children – Martin, Diarmaid, Eilish, Lorraine and Mairead – and Tonys brother, Eamonn.Tonys interest in many sports ranged from that of the admirer to that of the devotee, depending on the sport. Apart from Gaelic Games, one of the sports he loved and coached was Athletics. So, it is very appropriate that his life as a liberal giver of his many talents is remembered and honoured by The Tony Mc Gowan 10K Road Race.

Tony McGowan distinguished himself in the GAA and held the following positions for club and county.
Secretary Leitrim CLCG ‘71 – ‘80
Chairman Leitrim CLCG ‘87 – ‘95
Joint Manager of Leitrim senior team ‘89
Selector on Leitrim senior team ‘90 – ’92
Former player, Manager, secretary, chairman and President Allen Gaels GAA club.

16-Feb-13 by Colette Fox – PRO

Wayne McKeon picks up two awards following his dynamic displays for Leitrim in the FBD League.

Connacht GAA Writers Personality of Month for January

Midfielder Wayne McKeon has been rewarded for his superb displays in helping Leitrim win the Connacht GAA FBD Football League title by being selected as the Connacht GAA Writers Personality of the Month for January.

Wayne, who has switched from wing-back to midfield this year, was outstanding as his side saw off Roscommon, Mayo, GMIT and Sligo to win the Connacht GAA FBD Football League crown for the first time.

It was Leitrims first senior trophy since they won the 1994 Connacht title and the Ballinamore Seán OHeslins clubman was a pivotal figure in their success.

Irish Independent Sports Star of the Week

Whats seldom is wonderful, which is why no one begrudged Leitrim some early-season celebrations after they claimed Connachts FBD League title.  Beating Sligo to win what was only the fourth senior trophy in their history, and their first title in 19 years, gave the Division Four side a great pre-league boost.  And at the heart of everything was Ballinamore Seán OHeslins Wayne McKeon, their regular wing-back, who has been making a name for himself in a new midfield role that best showcases his great engine. (Article courtesy of the Irish Independent)

15-Feb-13 by Colette Fox – PRO

Supporters are advised that our media friends Shannonside have launched a new-look website, www.shannonside.ie

A full match report and post match interviews from Sundays game versus Clare in the Allianz League are available on it.

13-Feb-13 by Colette Fox – PRO

Leitrim kicks off its Gathering with a night in Croke Park that brought it all back home

There were a lot of reasons to love Leitrim in the Celtic Suite of the Cusack Stand in Croke Park on Wednesday evening last.

The night was officially about the launch of the 27^th annual fundraising drive of the Leitrim Supporter’s Club (Dublin branch). As a player I always appreciated the lengths these loyal supporters from ‘The Special Branch’ went to in order to attend every Leitrim match they could. At away games in Limerick in the cavernous Gaelic Park their shouts of support often shocked and shamed the few locals who came out to support the home team. In Waterford their green and gold flags stood out like tricolours in the middle of Carnivale in Rio. On our run to the final of the Tommy Murphy in 2006 they were there for the away wins over Tipperary and Carlow when the competition hadn’t even registered in the lives of many others from the county. Down through the years I became good friends with Eamon Duignan, who was at its helm for countless years, and Mike Feeney, who took over as chairman last year and when Mike asked myself and Fergal McGill to try and rustle up some more Dublin-based Leitrimites (particularly of a younger generation) to attend the event I was delighted to get involved.

Having Seamus O’Rourke as our special guest was always going to draw a crowd and make the night an easy sell so we set about getting a bit of a buzz going on Facebook and we asked those we knew from Leitrim to ask those they knew from Leitrim to come along to Croke Park and be part of what we were sure would be a great night. It’s always hard to know how many people to expect for such a night and as Mike said in his address when he first came into the Celtic Suite he was worried there were too many seats laid out (about 200) and the place would look empty if they weren’t all occupied. But by the time Seamus took the mic and had the room erupting in outrageous laughter at his equally outrageous renditions and recitations there were an additional 20 or 30 people taking up the standing room only at the back. (When you factor in the fanatics from home who boarded a bus to make the trip to Dublin, or the three men from my own club – Gareth and Simon Foley and Micheal McGowan – who drove the round six hour round trip from Kinlough, you get a fuller feel for the sort of fantastic supporters Leitrim has to boast about.)

While the night was primarily about kick starting one of the most vital annual elements of fundraising that ensures the Leitrim County Board can cater for the needs of its various teams, as with most gatherings of Leitrim people it was about much more than just that. It was a great inter-generational gathering of locals and natives and emigrants and migrants who have an unbreakable common bond that binds them all together – a fervent love for the place they call home no matter where they now might live: Leitrim. (In fact you say it was, in our own special way, Leitrim’s first unofficial event as part of The Gathering.) On the social media page I created to publicise the event and recruit some new souls I wrote a short piece about what it means to follow Leitrim and to come from our fine wee county. Some people in attendance last Wednesday who had seen it suggested I should reproduce it in my Observer column for the benefit of those who do not engage in such silly pursuits as social media. So here it is:

‘This isnt just about the GAA, its about identity. Its about why you always cheer for the underdog; its about haydogs and tipping trailers; its about believing in something thats worth believing in; its about coming from the best little county in the whole feckin country; its about community; its about standing on the hairy shoulders of our forefathers; its about knowing your neighbours instead of fearing them; its about the craic down the back of the bus; its about Lough Melvin and Lough Allen; its about 27 and 94; its about cultured culchies; its about Sheemore; its about always being the first person from Leitrim one of your new friends has ever met; its about all the backs we broke in the bog; its about 2,000 people singing inappropriate songs in Cartown after the semi-final in 2000; its about being sentimental for square bales; its about Ruined Liver; its about training in the Pheonix Park with Frank Darcy; its about Love Leitrim; its about being part of the biggest clan in the Big Smoke; its about New York in May; it’s about the Mart in Dowra; its about the shortest coastline on the island; its about John McGahern and knowing what it means to be blessed amongst women; its about trying to see the driver of every car you see around the country with an LM number plate in case you know them; its about the mighty Shannon; its about An Dobharchú; it’s about the first salmon of the year; its about invisible St. Patricks Day Parades in Keshcarrigan; its about the Hideout Bar on the 3rd Sunday of September; it’s about Fenagh Abbey; its about knowing the worth of a good pair of wellies; its about the Lurganboys on Tour; its about Charlie and his Rock n Roll kids; its about doing it for all the people that wish they were still back home in Lovely Leitrim; and most importantly it’s about the Boys in green and Gold.’

24-Jan-13 by Colin Regan

Leitrim GAA Supporters Launch – Croke Park 16th January 2013

For the first time in its distinguished history the 27th Year of the Supporters Club was launched in the wonderful Croke Park Stadium on Thursday night last. There has been many great launches over the years but Thursday night saw the largest ever attendance at a launch. It was wonderful to see so many younger supporters present. MC for the night was Dublin Chairman Mike Feeney.

Speakers included Joe Flynn (Chairman of Leitrim Co Board), Enda Stenson (Chairman Leitrim Co Council) George Dugdale and Barney Breen (Team Managers). The club was launched by award winning actor, playwright, director and former Carrigallen & Leitrim footballer Seamus O Rourke.

Seamus had the audience in the palm of his hand telling his stories, including his visit to Croke Park in 1994, his 7 a side adventure to the ‘big pitch’ in Kildare and the long walk from the dressing room to the pitch which left him exhausted. Seamus told a great story about buying football boots in O Brien’s in Ballinamore and fitting on ‘Ollie Honeyman boots, Beezer McKiernan boots, Ciaran Mahon boots before he settled for ‘Mickey Quinn boots with the ‘spring in them’. Seamus felt the ‘there was a fault in the spring in his boots’ as they were not as good as in Mickey Quinn’s. 

After George and Barney addressed the audience a number of supporters spoke including Dermot Gallagher, Padraic White, Des McHugh, and Paddy Gaffney. 

Members of the Leitrim team Emlyn Mulligan (Captain), Gerry Hickey and Robbie Lowe also attended. 

Among the audience were Leitrim legend Packy McGarty who celebrates his 80th birthday in April. Former playing colleagues of Packy, Ben Wrynne, Fr Tom Colreavy and Kevin O Malley also attended. Attending for the first time was Gerry Logan (Ballinamore & Donegal). Well known Leitrim supporters decked out in their Leitrim Scórves Martina Grehan (Ferbane) and Mary Bohan (Kilcock) also made the journey to the launch.

Those who attended really enjoyed a very special night. The mood of everybody leaving Croke Park was positive and after many years in negative mood at long last things were turning for the better. Leitrim Supporters are looking forward to the year ahead. 

Finally a special word of thanks to Fergal McGill in Croke Park who facilitated the event happening in Croke Park.

21-Jan-13 by Eamonn Duignan