GALLERY: Mullingar natives honoured at Westmeath NY GAA Club dinner dance
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Westmeath NY senior footballers Boidu Sayeh, Sean Moore and Israel Ilunga.Image 2 of 16
Darragh Ó Sé , Trevor Holloway and Joan Henchy.Image 3 of 16
Maeve, Joan, Pearse and Denis Corroon.Image 4 of 16
Ned and Patricia Moore.Image 5 of 16
Pearse Corroon, David Nohilly (chairperson, Mullingar Shamrocks), Willie Lowry and Spike Fagan.Image 6 of 16
Israel Ilunga and Boidu Sayeh with the New York Senior Football Championship Cup.Image 7 of 16
Darragh Ó Sé and John Moore. John and Darragh were reuniting 28 years on from Darragh winning a NY senior medal in midfield under John for Westmeath in 1996.Image 8 of 16
Martin Moore with Tom Nugent, president of Westmeath NY Club. Tom was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NY Board on Friday night.Image 9 of 16
Westmeath NY senior footballers Stephen Nolan, Rob Wharton and Gavin O’Brien with Sinead Murray, Linda Murphy and Lauren McCormack.Image 10 of 16
Kelly Keane, Linda Murphy and Lauren McCormack.Image 11 of 16
Frank Kavanagh and Darragh Darragh Ó Sé.Image 12 of 16
Orla Kirby, Jackie Kerr and Christine Moore with Westmeath NY senior footballer Dan O’Sullivan.Image 13 of 16
Westmeath NY senior county champion players pictured with club president John Nugent and John Moore.Image 14 of 16
Dervil Carey and Christine Moore.Image 15 of 16
Vinny and Megan Gavin. The former St Loman’s player is Westmeath NY senior football manager.Image 16 of 16
Tom Hunt, Killian Butler, Pearse Corroon, Spike Fagan and Denis Corroon.The Westmeath New York GAA Hurling and Football Club recently honoured their 2023 senior championship winning team at the club’s annual dinner dance held in the magnificent Surf Club on the Sound venue in New Rochelle, New York.
President Tom Nugent and chairperson Jeff Farrell presided over what was undoubtedly the finest social occasion in the club’s history. Legendary ESPN commentator Tommy Smyth from Knockbridge, County Louth was a superb MC; Frank Mescall, chairperson of Westmeath County Committee was a special guest, as was Joan Henchy, the New York County Committee chairperson.
Both addressed the assembled guests and complimented the club members’ for their wonderful promotional work of the GAA in the city. The pastor of St Barnabas Parish, New York, Rev Brendan Fitzgerald was also a special guest as was legendary Kerry footballer, Darragh Ó Sé and his wife Amy. Darragh was a key member of the Westmeath team that won the New York senior championship for the first time in 1996.
On the night special tribute was paid to two exceptional individuals for their remarkable contributions to Westmeath GAA in New York. Frank Kavanagh was the guest of honour. After emigrating to the USA in the mid-1980s ‘Big Frank’ was one of those who revived the Westmeath club. Frank won a senior championship medal in 1996 and was the Player of the Year in what was the greatest year of the club. John Moore was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. John has dedicated over 30 years of service to the GAA in New York and his sons Seán and Gareth have also represented the Westmeath NY club.
John has sponsored the Westmeath NY footballers for long periods throughout the club’s history, with his business New York Contracting in the 1990s and with the club’s current sponsor, the MooreGroup since 2016. And, of course, he has successfully managed the football team for many years. Both John and Frank addressed the guests; Frank spoke with great pride of his young days in Mullingar and particularly growing up in old Springfield, Mullingar.
It was also a special night for the former Castledaly player, Trevor Holloway, who served as chairperson of the club in 2022 and 2023. Trevor is now the club’s assistant chairperson helping with fundraising and organising various events. His dedication to the cause was recognised by the members who nominated the Castledaly man as the Clubman of the Year.
The memory of one of the club’s great workers, Delvin-native Dermot J Kenny is preserved annually as the Dermot Kenny Memorial Award is presented to the Hurler of the Year. David Mangan was the latest to receive the honour. Darragh Carmody was honoured as Senior Footballer of the Year and Ger McPartland received the Junior Footballer of the Year award.
Almost 400 guests attended the function; Mullingar Shamrocks members were there in numbers to recognise the fact that two of the club’s former members were honoured for their contribution to promoting the GAA and in particular keeping the Westmeath name to the forefront in the world of the New York GAA. Several members of the Moore and Kavanagh families also made the journey across the Atlantic to attend what was a wonderful social occasion that showcased Westmeath NY GAA at its very best.