Raharney man honoured by New York GAA

Proud Raharney man Tom Nugent was recently honoured by the Greater New York GAA Board when he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the board’s 90th Annual Banquet held in the magnificent Westchester Manor, Hastings, New York.

Tom has resided in New York since the mid-1980s and has been associated with the Westmeath New York Hurling and Football Club since his arrival in the city that never sleeps.

He joined the Westmeath Club in 1985 and as a hurling man was instrumental in the formation of the Westmeath Hurling Club in 1986. He was centrally involved in both the football and hurling club during their golden age from 1990 to 1993 and in 1996 when the club won the senior hurling and football double for the only time in the club’s history.

When the Westmeath New York Hurling Club disbanded, Tom joined the Galway Hurling Club and also helped establish the Bronx Warriors Hurling Club. His legendary ability to recruit players and his contact with the Bronx Warriors were instrumental factors in the reform of the Westmeath Hurling Club. Guided by Tom, the club won the New York junior hurling title in 2019 and 2021. Most recently, Tom was involved with the Westmeath New York senior football team who won the senior championship in 2023.

Apart from his immense contribution to the Westmeath club, Tom has held a number of positions with the New York Board, including vice-president, custodian, treasurer and as a member of the CCC.

In accepting the award, Tom spoke of how the GAA has progressed in New York since he first stepped foot in Gaelic Park. “It is fair to say that the venue was not in great shape and now we are in the final stages of building a brand new clubhouse with our playing field in great condition,” he said.

He also spoke of the progress New York have made on the playing front: “When I began to make Gaelic Park my second home, we competed every year in the All-Ireland minor championship in football. Now we take part every year in the Connacht Championship, as Leitrim know very well. We are in the Tailteann Cup and travel every year to play in the All-Ireland junior championship with a team of New York born players. And we won the All-Ireland title last year.

“In hurling, we now take part in the Connacht League, the winning players are here tonight. Next year we compete in the Lory Meagher Cup. None of that could have been imagined 40 or so years ago when I landed in Gaelic Park, to me the greatest sports venue in New York.”

Tom dedicated the award to all the volunteers who contribute so much to the wellbeing of the GAA in New York and had special words of praise for his “great friends” in the Westmeath club, John Moore, Gerry Reilly and Mick Stones, who presented Tom with a signed Westmeath jersey to mark the occasion.

The long-serving president of the Westmeath club reserved his final words of thanks for the club:

“Some of my best days in Gaelic Park have been the great days of Westmeath victories, none better than that day in 1996 when we won both the senior hurling and football titles – 2023 wasn’t bad either, when we won the senior football title.

“Working with and for Westmeath has been great, the wheeling and dealing for players, keeping a watch-out for likely recruits who might be travelling to New York for a summer or in search of employment and even slipping the odd illegal player under the radar despite the vigilance of the board officers!

“Where would we be without the New York GAA?

“ I am proud to have served. The maroon is well represented here tonight with Galway men, but lads I’m going to tell you now the real Marron and White belongs to Iarmhí.”