‘Collins Cup’ gets positive Munster response
GAA President Sean Kelly claimed earlier this week that the Association’s failure to name a stadium or major trophy after the Irish revolutionary was “a major historical omission” on its part.
Kelly went on to say that his proposal was not politically motivated and Collins is almost unique in that he has always been equally respected by people on both sides of the age-old Civil War debate.
“I wouldn’t see any taboos over it myself,” said Munster Council Secretary Simon Moroney yesterday. “I’m not aware of any issues people might have with it in this day and age. If it was proposed by people that we should name a trophy after him, or anyone else for that matter, it would be something the council would take on board.”
Collins was heavily involved in the GAA prior to his death. He played hurling while he also served as an administrator in England.
Moroney added: “I know from county level that what usually happens is that individual families come forward to propose certain competitions be named after certain people. If it gets the consent of the county board or whoever, then that’s all there is to it.
“It doesn’t happen too frequently. The intermediate and junior competitions were added for hurling and football recently, and we brought in the Waterford Crystal Cup as our secondary hurling competition in Munster this year, but they are exceptions.”
It is however within any provincial council’s power to kick-start such a procedure themselves and there is a precedent for just that in Leinster, who named their provincial football trophy after the Delaney family from Stradbally in County Laois only two years ago.
“What happened at the time was we set up a sub-committee to come up with a name for the trophy,” explained Michael Reynolds, administrative officer for the Leinster Council.
“I don’t think there was any formal discussions or proposals given in but they would have sought views from various people on it. In the end it was decided to name it the Delaney Cup, after the brothers and uncle who all played for Laois and Leinster.”
Meanwhile, a delegation of players and county board officials from Tyrone are to parade the Sam Maguire Cup before a Scottish Premier League game at the home ground of Celtic Football Club later this month.
The All-Ireland champions will visit Celtic Park and take to the pitch with the trophy before Celtic’s game with Dundee United on January 28.
The Red Hands’ Glasgow trip follows a celebration banquet on January 13 at the Armagh City Hotel to celebrate Tyrone’s second All-Ireland success in three seasons.
The banquet is being organised by ‘Club Tyrone’, a supporter-backed body that provides financial support for all of Tyrone’s representative sides. The group’s 500 members generate up to £250,000 (€360,000) a year for GAA in the county.
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