John Browne is honoured by Rapparees-Starlights GAA club
THERE was a night of celebration on Friday night last in Bellefield GAA Complex as a special presentation was made to club chairman John Browne to mark his recent retirement from national politics and to applaud and acknowledge the contribution that he has made to the club, the town and the county during his years of political service.
John was presented with a portrait of himself by club president Larry Byrne and was hailed as one of the most loyal and dedicated servants of GAA in the county by ppeaker Pat Hall who recalled many of John’s exploits both on and off the hurling field.
Maria Nolan paid tribute to John’s total commitment to Bellefield and the Rapparees-Starlights saying that no matter what part of the world John was in on government business be it Brussels, Barcelona or Boston he would phone home asking ‘what was happening in the real world’ and the real world was always, she said, Bellefield and Enniscorthy.
County secretary Margaret Doyle deputising for county chairman Diarmuid Devereux thanked John for his years of loyal service to Wexford GAA saying that he could always be counted on to promote, enhance and progress any and every project that was beneficial to the county and the games and could always be relied on to further the cause when it came to seeking funding at national level. She wished John a very long and happy retirement and looked forward to his continued support of all things purple and gold.
County Council chairman Tony Dempsey said that John Browne was a GAA stalwart his entire life always asking what he could do for his club and his county and never the other way round. ‘The GAA needs people like John Browne if it is to thrive and continue into the future,’ Tony said and he was lavish in his praise of all that John and the Rapparees/Starlights committee had achieved with Bellefield being one of the best clubhouses in the country and the club playing a pivotal role in the Enniscorthy community.
John thanked organisers Pat Hall and Maria Nolan and all who had turned up making it a very special occasion for him and one that he would always remember. He hailed the GAA as a wonderful organisation saying that he had many, many fond memories to look back on.
He applauded the work being done at Bellefield by all the volunteers there especially those working with the underage both male and female. He had a special mention for his family, wife Judy, daughters Catriona and Judy Jnr. and son James while remembering daughter Andrea who was killed in 1998 in a tragic road accident.
He wished everyone a happy and enjoyable night and thanked them for their support over the years both politically and in the GAA and he promised to continue to work on behalf of the Rapparees/Starlights and Wexford.