THE LATE PAT MCCARTHY WAS FITTINGLY INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME

The great and the good of Road Bowling took centre stage at the annual Bol Chumann awards night on Saturday last and despite the very bad weather a fine crowd attended and seventy five percent of the players were there to receive their awards. The female player of the year award went to Geraldine Curtin on her back to back county wins of 2023 and 2024, but the all-Ireland title has eluded her and will have to wait for another year. The male player of the year went to James O’Donovan for his wonderful individual Gold medal Moors achievement in Neuharlingersiel, Germany in May, James has given his life to bowling since he won an u-12 all-Ireland at Lyre in 1999, with some GAA thrown in, he has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Brendan and father Declan, but that County senior title that he has come so near to winning on occasions, in 2010 and again in 2020, he has yet to get his hands on. The personality of the year went to Castletown bowling club president Jimmy Hennessy, Jimmy has given a lifetime to bowling and was a player of note in his day, Jimmy is also vice chairman of the Mid Cork region, he has passed the interest of road bowling on to his grandchildren Aoibhe, Anna, Leah, Grace, Rosie and Lily who have gone on to win county titles of which he is very proud and has even got his son in law involved, Jimmy’s son John passed away in 2005 and Jimmy put a memorial cup up in his honour for the Novice E championship, Jimmy’s other passion is drag hunting, he was a popular recipient on the night.

 

There was a joint presentation of The Hall of Fame from both Bol Chumann Ard Mhaca and Bol Chumann Cork, with the late Pat McCarthy, who passed away in September, honoured.

In its Citation Bol Chumann Cork, hailed Pat for his outstanding contribution to the sport over several decades. He served as PRO of Bol Chumann for close on two decades, during which time he transformed the role and also became one of the preeminent authorities on the sport and the association. No major decision was made in that time without his detailed and considered input. His annual reports are legendary for their level of detail and analysis and now form an essential part of the archive of the sport that needs to be carefully preserved. He was also the bowling correspondent for the Southern Star, His weekly columns were considered the ultimate account of happenings in the sport. He also contributed to a range of their publications on the sport. Apart from all of this he was a dedicated club man. He orchestrated everything in the Reenascreena Bowling Club up to the very end of his life. He was also an active competitor in the sport. Pat McCarthy, a native of Drinagh, was of bowling and for bowling throughout his adult life. He leaves a wake of virtue, a legacy of achievement and a void that will never be filled.

 

Meanwhile, the Bol chumann Northern Branch also announced that the Armagh construction Hall of Fame Award for 2024 goes to the late Pat McCarthy. In their citation, they said Pat was a tireless worker and a wonderful ambassador in all aspects of the sport of bowling. His contribution to the sport especially as PRO for over two decades cannot be overstated. In his role, he covered every major bowling event in the four corners of this island and indeed further afield. He was a man of utmost integrity who was highly respected on the roads of Armagh where his bowling coverage was always carried with complete impartiality. His sad passing has left a huge void in the association not only here in his native Cork but also in Armagh. The Northern Branch are truly honoured to induct the name of the late Pat McCarthy into the annuals of the Armagh Construction Hall of Fame.

 

Deirdre McCarthy, Pat’s daughter on accepting the award on behalf of her brother Brian and all the McCarthy Family thanked both organisations for their very thoughtful gesture, of her dad she said that he was a very humble man and would be totally embarrassed by this award, she said that bowling was his life, Sunday after Sunday week in week out, even their Christmas day dinner had to be organised around his Reenascreena scores. She said of his Southern Star reports that they were a two to three hour job on a Sunday night, Monday morning, precision was everything to him. He had wonderful friends made through bowling over the years. And he enjoyed immensely when travelling to the European countries or his trips to Armagh. We know you miss him dearly, but none more so than his family. Thank you so much for this award.