GAA great Paddy O?Hara honoured at Queen?s

08 Jun 2007

Former BBC Commentator and Antrim GAA great Paddy O’Hara was honoured at Queen’s University last night, during the college’s Blues Sports Awards dinner.

 

The Blues Awards ceremony honours participants and achievers in sport from the past academic year.

 

O’Hara who starred with the Saffron County during their Ulster championship wins of 1946 and 1951 was presented with the Special Contribution to Sport Award for his long association with the Gaelic Football Club at the university.

 

James McCartan and the Sigerson Cup winning side of 2007 were the other big winner on the night, picking up the Coach of the Year and Sports Achievement Award

 

Born in Belfast, Paddy O’Hara played a key role in Ulster GAA over a fifty year period.  Between 1958 and 1972, he managed no less than six of the nine Ulster senior teams, including Antrim, Fermanagh, Down, Armagh, Donegal, and Derry (this is a record for a GAA manager), as well as numerous club sides.  With Fermanagh, he coached the team to win the county’s only All-Ireland success in 1957, before leading Queen’s to their first Sigerson Cup success in1958 and their second in 1964.  He also managed the Combined Universities to win the Railway Cup in 1972.

 

His association with Queen’s stretches to the present day, as he is an honorary vice president of the club and a patron of the GAA Academy.

 

The Sigerson Cup winning team of 2007 walked away with the Sports Achievement Award at the University’s annual sports dinner last night.  The team won the coveted title during the club’s 75th anniversary year, and completed the double for the first time in their history.

 

James McCartan, having managed the side in his fifth and final year in the role, won the Coach of the Year award.

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