Long-serving Macroom GAA secretary retires

AT a very pleasant function in the Castle Hotel on Saturday night last, Macroom GAA Club marked the recent retirement of their long serving secretary, Pat O’Connell, with a presentation to him and to his wife, Peggy.  

Club chairman Joe Carroll praised the work that Pato (as he is popularly known) had done for Macroom GAA and also for the town of Macroom since becoming club secretary in 1992, 26 years ago. Pato, he said, was efficiency personified, and had dealt with weekly lotto, pitch bookings, grounds developments, grants procedures and procurements, as well as the every day workings of the club with its many teams.  

The chairman revealed that Pato had missed only one committee meeting in all of the 26 years he acted as secretary and Joe said that the Macroom club and the town of Macroom would be forever indebted to him for all he had done for both, saying that the bridge over the Sullane, a walkers favourite, linking the Castle Demesne to Tom Creedon Park  would never have been constructed without the determination and know-how of Pato.   

Joe made a suitable presentation to Pat and Peggy on behalf of the club and presented Peggy with a bouquet of flowers and wished them both well in the years to come.  A photographic tribute, compiled with the assistance of Seán McSweeney, was also presented to Pat.

Pat O’Connell, in reply, thanked the chairman for his kind words and said that he always was guided by the idea that, if possible, club developments should also benefit the townspeople generally as well. The riverside walkway around Tom Creedon Park and the bridge connecting Tom Creedon Park with the Castle Demesne were projects of which he was particularly proud.  

Pat thanked the officers of the club he had worked with down the years for all help given and praised their vision. The club facilities and infrastructure are in a good position, he thought, and he felt that the focus for the immediate years ahead should be on the adult and underage footballers and their development.  Pat concluded his remarks with a tribute to his wife Peggy and family, James, Sharon, Brendan and Caroline, all of whom had facilitated his work for the club.John O’Mahony, chairman of Macroom GAA Club, for the past six years, was also made a presentation for his long service to the club in various capacities, which still continues. Club president Conor Buttimer made the presentation to John and presented John’s wife, Carmel,  with a bouquet of flowers. 

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