GAA board’s bid to honour first chairman for centenary celebrations

THE GAA in south Tipperary is on the hunt for relatives of its first-ever chairman.

But the regional board is having difficulty in tracing James Meehan’s next-of-kin.

The search has been extended to neighbouring Cork as the GAA board in the south of the county continues to celebrates its 100-year history.

Formed in 1907, the South Tipperary board want to acknowledge Mr Meehan’s contribution to the GAA.

He had been elected chairman following the board’s inauguration at a meeting in June 1907.

The current office holders plan to honour Mr Meehan’s memory by laying a wreath at his final place of rest and also present his relatives with a token of the board’s appreciation.

However, they’ve so far been unable to find any family members and now hope that there may be some descendants in Co Cork.

“He was also mayor of Clonmel in 1910, 1911 and 1912 and was the first chairman of the board but, sometime after that, he left Clonmel and we have no records of him whatsoever,” says Jimmy Collins of the south Tipperary board.

All of the other former board chairmen have been presented with medallions during the current centenary year. Wreaths have already been laid at the graves of some of the late office holders.

A niece of Mr Meehan had, until her death a few years ago, lived in Clonmel. Locals now believe that two other relatives, at the time, had travelled from Cork for her funeral. “So there must be some information in the Cork area,” said Mr Collins.

The south board had been founded at a meeting in Ryan’s Hotel (now McCarthy’s) at College Avenue, Clonmel, in 1907.

Anyone with information about the late Mr Meehan, who was a club member of Clonmel Emmets, should contact Mr Collins at 052-21643 or by post at Tobaraheena, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.