Hall of Fame
Mike Finnerty
ONE of the longest serving GAA officials and reporters in the country, Billy Horan, will join The Mayo News/O’Neills Club Stars ‘Hall of Fame’ next month.
The 82 year-old from Ballinrobe was selected for the prestigious accolade by the Club Stars judging panel because of his lifelong service and commitment to the GAA as an officer and administrator at club and county level, and his promotion of Gaelic Games in local papers, including The Mayo News, for more than 60 years.
Billy Horan will be presented with the award on Friday, December 11 at the charity fund-raising event in Knockranny House Hotel, Westport.
All proceeds from this year’s awards are being donated to Cystic Fibrosis West and the Mayo Rape Crisis Centre, two charities that continue to provide vital support services in the West of Ireland.
Billy Horan has held the positions of Chairman of Ballinrobe GAA Club, Chairman of the South Mayo Board, and PRO and President of the Mayo GAA Board during a long and illustrious career, and also served as Secretary of Connacht Scór.
At present, he remains PRO of both the Ballinrobe GAA Club and the South Mayo Board.
Having worked as a secondary school teacher, Billy retired from his post at Ballinrobe Community School in 1998 but has continued to report on club football, colleges and county matches of all grades for the three ‘paid-for’ newspapers in Mayo.
Billy’s late father, who was well-known as both an administrator and a referee, also played for Mayo and won an All-Ireland Junior medal.
Back in 1952 (the year of the Big Snow) Billy Horan become the Ballinrobe correspondent for The Mayo News and often recalls that his first article was an account of a seven-a-side tournament in the town. He has compiled the local notes for this paper ever since.
Billy lives in Ballinrobe, and is married to Ina. They have five children, Michael, Liz, Liam, Sara and Maurice, who is a former Mayo minor, under 21 and senior footballer.
The Club Stars Team of the Year — and five replacements — will be revealed on the night, as well as the ‘Players of the Year’ in the Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football Championships respectively.
The ‘Young Player of the Year’, ‘Personality of the Year’, ‘Volunteer of the Year’, ‘Hurling Recognition Award’ and Special Achievement award winners will also be honoured for their endeavours.
Castlebar duo named top bosses
MEANWHILE, Castlebar Mitchels’ joint managers Declan O’Reilly and Declan Shaw have been selected as the joint winners of this year’s ‘Manager of the Year’ accolade.
O’Reilly and Shaw were chosen for their outstanding achievement in leading Castlebar Mitchels to their second Mayo SFC title in three seasons, along with their selectors Eamonn ‘Benji’ Smith and Michael Durkan.
“To come in and reclaim the Moclair Cup in their first season in charge is a fabulous achievement by the two lads,” commented John Casey, a member of the Club Stars judging panel.
“They got Castlebar playing some really good football again and to win the league and championship double proves just how impressive they were all year.”
