As sure as the seagulls followed the trawler, the permanently offended were off the blocks quicker than Usain Bolt with their conspiracy theories.
No such thing as acknowledging that John P. McManus is just a genuinely generous person. Decency doesn’t have ulterior motives. The knockers and begrudgers need to do their research.
JP McManus has done more for employment in this country and the Irish economy than all those who moan and give out about him put together. Yes, when you’re in horse racing to the scale he is (300 horses with 33 different trainers in Ireland according to latest figures available, as well as bloodstock in training in the UK and France) it is of course a business above all else.
However, what people choose to ignore when it suits is the fact that JP and his family are genuine sports fans. Nothing more, nothing less. That and very proud Limerick and Irish people.
As evidenced by his support for places such as Thomond Park, home of Munster Rugby, Markets Field – where Limerick FC operate from – and the University of Limerick.
However, it’s a mark of the character of the man and his family that, such has been the joy derived from their native county’s domination of hurling in recent years that their instinct has been to give something back.
Not just to the Treaty County itself either. Remember, in what I think was 2018, the man from Martinstown gifted every County Board in the country €100,000 apiece. Last week, the family went even further by donating €1M to each of the Boards. That’s €32M in total.
Leaving aside the stink kicked up by the ‘Tax Dodge’ brigade, the boost to the GAA in general couldn’t have come at a better time. For the Association’s need to sell itself to its own disciples has never been greater.
In the past week alone, we have seen Rory Beggan of Monaghan, Wicklow’s Mark Jackson and Charlie Smith from Down offered trials for American Football and promising Minor footballers Noah Byrne and Paddy Curry (Dublin) and Tomas Farthing of Galway being called in the Irish U-19 rugby squad hot on the heels of Cork U-20 hurler Ben O’Connor beginning to make waves with the oval ball in the red of Munster.
I will openly admit that, for a long time, my belief would have been that something needed to be done to stop the likes of the IRFU and/or the Australian Football League from pilfering the best young talent in the GAA.
To be fair to those two organisations, all they can do is look after their own sports’ interests. Which, in turn, puts the onus on the GAA to look after ALL of their players. You can’t blame the latter for exploring professionally run sports and the trappings that go along with them.
It is my belief – and has been for a long time – that senior inter county players need to be properly looked after. You know what I mean without typing it out again. No doubt some of you reading this will be consumed with thoughts and talk of elitism.
But here’s the thing, to my mind you’d be right. And it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. For, as unpalatable as it might be to some, at that level, whether with male or female players, the commitment required is professional in all but name.
Maybe, however, the McManus money offers the Brains Trust a way of ensuring players get their just rewards without, say, crossing the rubicon of individually paying players. It surely should open the door to a much needed and deserved increase in expenses divested to players. To make it some way commensurate to the effort expended in pursuance of glory for the love of their town and county.
Whilst acknowledging that Meath appear to be ahead of the posse in this area, generally speaking, figures quoted from most counties are paltry enough. That is, of course, for male players. The figure for lady footballers and camogie players is so bad it’s not just inadequate, it’s insulting. The last figure seen by yours truly was five cents per mile. You wouldn’t offer it to somebody walking your dog, let alone anything more arduous.
Now, while heartfelt commiserations must of course be extended to the mighty ladies of Na Fianna after – for the second time in a matter of weeks – the Enfield/Baconstown combination valiantly fell on their collective sword, again, you would be hard pressed not to feel they were hard done by owing to their circumstances over the past month or so.
That said, on the day, last Sunday, it would have to be conceded that their opponents, Clanmaurice of Kerry had the edge over Niall Burke’s brave warriors. Even though the black and ambers opened the brighter with points from Amy Carey and Aedin Slattery.
However, even before the short whistle the Kerry outfit had attained parity for themselves via points from Patrice Diggin (three frees) before Jingle Bell Rock filled the Drumcondra air with a bit of Festive cheer as the teams took a break.
The very accurate Digan then gave the ladies from The Kingdom the lead early in the second half and thereafter they took a grip on proceedings that our gallant representatives were never able to dislodge. Indeed, with Digan and Jackie Horgan doing most of the damage, it was very much a case of deja vu as the same duo had given Kerry the edge in the National League Final earlier in the year.
A heartbreaking end to the year for Na Fianna but a season of which they can be immensely proud. Looking at the bigger picture, hopefully some good will come from the shabby way in which they were treated at the back end of the year. Even if it’s to only ensure such a farce never happens again.
I know that following my last mention of that issue, the point was, correctly made that, in effect, it wasn’t a matter for the GAA per se as the LGFA and the Camogie Association are separate entities. But is that not the crux of the issue? They are both considered to be GAA sports – as are Handball and Rounders – surely a bit of joined up forward thinking would serve everybody’s best interests.
We could all learn a lot from the South Liberties clubman.
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