Westmeath GAA chief thanks Examiner for continued support

The newly commissioned Westmeath Examiner Cup was presented to the chair of Westmeath GAA Frank Mescall at the Westmeath Examiner Community and Sports Awards ceremony in the Mullingar Park Hotel on Thursday evening.

The Westmeath Examiner Cup has been presented to the champions of the Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship every year since 1963, when it was presented to Rickardstown captain John ‘Jobber’ McGrath.

The original cup was retained by St Brigid’s after their three-in-a-row was completed in 1972.

The second Westmeath Examiner Cup was retired in 2016 and is currently on display in Cusack park.

The third cup, which was presented for the first time in 2017, was retired at the end of last season when Raharney claimed their 15th SHC.

Speaking at the ceremony in the hotel on Thursday, Mr Mescall thanked Celtic Media and the Westmeath Examiner for their support over the decades.

“At this stage in my life, I am a bit into history and for the Westmeath Examiner to continue their sponsorship of our hurling championship is absolutely brilliant.

“In conjunction with that, it [the new Westmeath Examiner Cup] is an old cup. Believe it or believe not, old is best. It’s 70 or 80 years old, completely recommissioned. The silver in it is way beyond the silver you’d get in any modern cup.

“I know this because I picked it out myself. I went through a lot of cups. I visited 10 cup shops in the country and this one won my heart almost immediately when I saw it.

“It’s really good quality and it’s brilliant that we have the winners since 1950 engraved on it and we have space for another 50 for the upcoming worthy champions of our county.”