Emotional return to Castleconnell for hero Lee
Sinead Culliton, Dunkerrin, Co Offaly welcomes Andy Lee to Castleconnell.
Andy Lee making his way through the hundreds of people lined the street at Castleconnell. Pictures: Liam Burke
By Colm O’Connor
It may have taken 109 years but no one in Castleconnell was complaining about the wait for their latest world champion.
WBO middleweight boxing star Andy Lee was last night honoured with a colourful and emotional reception in his home village.
Led by a parade featuring various local children’s sports teams, Lee, in a vintage Jaguar, passed some of the landmarks that welcomed Castleconnell’s last global conquering hero John Enright.
Enright was feted after winning the world fly fishing championship in Central Park, New York in 1906 with a cast of 152ft of a 20 foot rod.
And in another nod to history the procession was also lined by fans with burning sods of turf — a scene which often welcomed another famous village son, Mick Mackey, during the golden age of Limerick hurling.
The event was organised and funded solely by local involvement, led by parish priest Fr Brendan Kyne, a close friend of Lee.
Organising committee member Declan Gill admitted it was an emotional occasion in the community.
“The tradition in Castleconnell was to have burning sods of turf to welcome home sporting heroes.
“We were renowned as being a fishing village and a hurling village. Now we can rightly claim to be a boxing village.
“This was a wonderful community effort and huge praise must go to Fr Brendan for what was undertaken.
“Given Andy had the civic reception in Limerick City the week after his fight and then with the Christmas break, the planning for this only began last Sunday.
“But it just goes to show you the regard in which Andy is held around here.
“He first arrived here when he was 12 and has been a proud Castleconnell man ever since. He has a great sense of place and never forgets Castleconnell.”
Lee was presented with an oil painting by local artist Barbara Hartigan while his wife Maud and mother Anne were also honoured on the night.
Lee, 30, claimed his title with the surprise stoppage of Russia’s Matt Korobov on December 13. Talks are ongoing about the details of his title defence against English fighter Billy Joe Saunders.
In a statement, the World Boxing Organisation said the pair had “30 days” from the date of Lee’s win to negotiate an agreement for a bout.
Meanwhile Michael Conlan is an injury doubt ahead of the opening bell for the Irish Elite Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin on Friday.
The Belfast-born Olympic bronze medallist, the defending Elite bantamweight champion, picked up a thumb injury on his right hand in sparring.
The Elite Championships are being held early this year to facilitate Olympic qualifiers in regular amateur boxing, the World Series of Boxing (WSB) and AIBA Pro Boxing (APB).
Conlan’s coach and dad, John, said that they are awaiting medical advice to determine if his son, who boxes out of the St John Bosco Boxing Club, will be fit to defend his 56kg belt.
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