The GAA statesman who came to the rescue of a small club in its hour of need
Back in the late 1970s I was chairman of a small rural club, Sairséal Liagáin, in Co Longford.
We purchased land in an ideal location in our village and the plan was to develop our pitch and dressingrooms complex on the site.
Money wasn’t too plentiful at that time (pre-Celtic Tiger) and having used up all the usual options in fundraising, we were anxiously waiting for, and very dependent on, the GAA purchase grants and loans.
Progress in this department was quite slow and the bank was really putting on the pressure. To say we were sweating would be an understatement.
I met Con Murphy at a function in Longford. He listened to my sad tale and undertook to “look into the matter.” Within a week our prayers were answered — a cheque arrived to take all of us, including the bank manager, out of our misery.
I wrote to Con to thank him for his intervention — a word from the GAA president obviously had an immediate effect.
He replied with such modesty, saying we were entitled to our funding, should have had our application dealt with much sooner and his intervention should not have been necessary.
He was only too glad to be able to help us in our endeavours to provide a suitable GAA headquarters for our club.
Since then I had always considered him a man of substance, honour, humility and principle. In recent years I served as chairman of Longford GAA County Board and met Con on many occasions. I always admired him as a true elder statesman of the GAA.
This despite the fact that we would have had opposite views on many policy issues, none more so than in the debate over the opening of Croke Park. He debated his point of view with passion and belief, and for this I admired him all the more.
I was saddened by his passing and I extend my sympathy to his wife and family. Ar deis Dé go raibh an anam.
JJ Ward
Glack
Co Longford
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