Cork GAA: Mick Leahy recognised for service to Castlemartyr

CASTLEMARTYR stalwart Mick Leahy was thrust into the spotlight recently as he was honoured with the club's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mick's award was, for many people, one of the high points of a gala night of celebration as the Castlemartyr GAA family finally got to celebrate their record-breaking back-to-back county hurling championship wins in 2021. 

The original function had to be postponed due to the covid pandemic, but club members and friends gathered in large numbers in the lavish surrounds of Castlemartyr Resort to hail the heroes of those county-winning days and also to pay tribute to a number of other teams from the club who brought home silverware over the past few years.

Mick Leahy's surprise presentation climaxed the formalities and the esteem in which he is held in the club was graphically illustrated as there was a spontaneous standing ovation to recognise his accolade.

KINGPINS

The man has done everything that has to be done in the line of duty for the club. He was at the helm as football manager in the 1980s when the Reds were the kingpins of junior football during a very competitive era in the Imokilly division. 

Off the field he served for an extended period as club secretary and later after stepping down, filled the role of assistant secretary. However, it is his 35-year unbroken stint as divisional board delegate that emphasizes Mick's remarkable dedication to the cause. 

Year after year, Mick flew the Castlemartyr flag in good times and bad times. Here, lifelong friends were made with people from across the barony, who all recognised Mick's outstanding qualities and his love of Castlemartyr GAA.

Naturally, after a number of lean years and even decades, recent successes have been a source of massive pride. Any Castlemartyr player lifting silverware brings great joy to Mick Leahy's heart. 

The fact that there were six cups on view at the recent celebratory function made it a real night to remember.

Then in recent years came the added bonus of seeing his grandsons emerge on the playing fields. Darragh was part of the Castlemartyr panel for the first time last year and also lined out for Midleton CBS in the Harty Cup this year, while Jack hit the headlines as a star man when Cork won the All-Ireland minor title in 2021 and of course, was instrumental in Dungourney's county intermediate win last year with his brother Mike.

Mick Leahy is still very much part of the fabric of Castlemartyr club and continues to be the first face many visitors meet on match days. There is rarely a club event where he is not in attendance and these last few days have seen him showered with congratulatory greetings by all whom he encounters. Dedicated club folk of the calibre of Mick Leahy are a very special breed and his colleagues know they have a special person in their midst.

Also at the recent dinner dance, there was the opportunity to acknowledge the work of another unsung hero in the shape of Willie Walsh, the man responsible for keeping the grounds and club pitches in top shape. Willie was named 2022 Club Person of the Year and he too got a rapturous reception. He spends endless hours each week giving of his time freely to care for the club pitches, which have received some rave reviews in recent times from visiting clubs and players. He has set a standard that is up with the very best anywhere in the land.

In other awards, Mike Kelly, last season's leading marksman in the PIHC, was named Player of the Year. The ace forward scored 1-64 in his team's campaign, which saw them go the full journey only to suffer late heartbreak to Inniscarra. 

Kelly also captained the Imokilly football team, was a key man on the divisional hurling team, helped his club reach a first JAFC final in 31 years and was called into the extended Cork senior hurling panel. So a hectic year in the past and the potential for much more of the same this season.

Among the other special formalities on the night was recognition for Ger and Mike Murnane. 

The duo have been a key part of manager Seamus Lawton's backroom team for the past number of years and it was a hugely popular gesture when they received a signed jersey from all the squad which was presented by joint captains Brian Lawton and Darragh Moran.