The story of a local GAA club told through the people who make it what it is, as Association President set to visit, Graham Clifford reports.
On a Wednesday afternoon, with autumn’s shadow quickly descending over the Blackwater Valley, there’s a brief sliding doors moment as 85-year-old Tommy O’Brien Senior and 5-year-old Ben O’Connor greet each other at the entrance to the main pitch.
They are both here for the same reason. To get their portraits taken by local photographer Sean Sharpe for a media campaign ahead of the visit of GAA President Jarlath Burns this Friday evening, September 20th.
Ben has his hurl, Tommy his smile. Eight decades may separate them, but both share a love for this club and all it offers. Tommy was once in Ben’s small shoes – sliding doors.
For Tommy, Fermoy GAA has in, many ways, been his life.
Save for a few months when he went to London for work as a much younger man this town, and this club, have provided the backdrop to a happy life. One he shared for many years with his wife Amy, who sadly passed away in 2020.
“I grew up on Casement Row, just beside the GAA grounds. My earliest memories are of trying to climb the external wall to get in to play. The gates were always locked back then in the ‘40s. I recall the groundsman Ned O’Keefe would regale us with stories of playing with Fermoy decades earlier,” explains Tommy.
Full story & pictures in this week’s Print & Digital Edition
