'He would be acutely aware of the impact of decisions': Acting CMO hails from a GAA family

“He’s an excellent character, a great clubman. He knows the GAA inside out and his whole family is steeped in it." Picture: Leah Farrell / Rollingnews.ie

Chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn comes from a family steeped in GAA history and those in his home club in Galway say that decisions to play matches behind closed doors would not be taken likely.

Glynn played underage football for Claregalway and his brothers have lined out for the club as they made their way in the past two decades from intermediate to become a force at senior level.

Indeed, the family fruit and vegetable business run by his parents George and Mary at Lydican in the parish are the main sponsors of the Claregalway side who will be hoping to reach the quarter-finals of the Galway SFC when they take on Tuam Stars the weekend after next.

Claregalway made it to the last eight before being beaten by Corofin by five points in 2011 and next weekend’s match, one of the biggest in the club’s history, would ordinarily have attracted several thousand as it is a winner-takes-all contest but it will now be played behind closed doors like every other game in the country.

Glynn, along with younger brothers Conor and Darragh, played for Claregalway as they re-established themselves with a strong underage structure and the current acting CMO was an accomplished wing-back.

A move to Cistercian College in Roscrea for secondary school and university education in Dublin and Scotland put paid to his promising GAA career, but he is fondly remembered and highly regarded in the club.

“He was an excellent footballer,” said current treasurer Tony Stephens, who coached him at underage level.

“He’s an excellent character, a great clubman. He knows the GAA inside out and his whole family is steeped in it.

“He wouldn’t be making decisions lightly,” he added.

Jim Cuddy, who is an Independent councillor with Galway County Council, knows a couple of generations of the Glynn family and lives near them in Lydican.

“They have always been involved in the GAA and just about everything else in the parish as well. Ronan’s parents George and Mary support everything, his uncles Padraig and Sean live across from me and they too are involved in the GAA.

“Ronan knows all about the GAA and its role in this country and he knows the impact of decisions being made. He wouldn’t be making any of those decisions lightly, he would know what’s involved.

“It’s not just GAA. His family have been great supporters of the drama festival. There’s a long drama tradition here in Claregalway, they won the All-Ireland a couple of years ago. But there was no drama festival this year and the restrictions will continue to have an impact.

“GAA is big here. Carnmore, which is the hurling side of the parish, are also going well, winning the county minor last year and Ronan would be acutely aware of the impact of decisions. He knows what he’s talking about, he knows rural Ireland and wouldn’t be taking any of these decisions only that he knows they are required,” he said.