Ellard award for ‘labour of love’

“ONE long, beautiful, bountiful labour of love” — the words of retired sports journalist Michael Ellard at a function in Cork yesterday, summing a career extending over four decades with the Irish Examiner and Evening Echo.

He was responding to his selection as the June winner of the Ambassador Hotel sponsored Northside and District Sports award in association with Gerald McCarthy awards and gifts.

Joining him in the celebration, along with Lord Mayor Michael O’Connell and County Mayor Kevin Murphy, were former newspaper colleagues, Cork GAA chairman Jerry O’Sullivan, ex-Munster Council PRO Jim Forbes and a wide circle of friends. GAA President Christy Cooney sent his apologies.

Former Cork great Denis Coughlan, chairman of the adjudicating panel, recalled how himself and Ellard played at U13 level with the North Mon and later with the Cork U21 football squad which contested the 1965 All-Ireland final.

Commenting that Ellard had a unique way of describing sports accomplishments — “some would call it flowery, others would describe it as very nice” — he recalled something written about him after he hadn’t played particularly well in a game.

“What Michael said was that I suffered from ‘a youthful lack of concentration... I have never forgotten it,’’ he commented.

Irish Examiner Sports Editor Tony Leen remarked that Ellard would be remembered not just for “his prowess with the English language, but for his human qualities.

“Michael did not have a bad bone in his body,’’ he said. “He never lost his dignity as a person and that is the thing most of all we will miss in the Examiner.”

County Board chairman Jerry O’Sullivan said that ‘in his own inimitable way’ he was an institution in the GAA in Cork and an institution in the Examiner.’ “Michael reported on every aspect of the games. He was respectful of everybody; you knew he was not going to say anything that was out of order.’’