Lovely hurling... JP donates €3.2m to county boards

HIS county claimed the All-Ireland but now everyone is a winner thanks to JP McManus.

The Limerick billionaire has donated €100,000 to every GAA county board in Ireland to be divided equally among local clubs.

The grand gesture will see €3.2million distributed and has been made on the back of Limerick’s All-Ireland hurling title win this year

Mr McManus has been a main sponsor of Limerick GAA for years and is heavily involved in sport, including horseracing and the annual JP McManus Pro-Am golf tournament at Adare Manor, which he owns. Mr McManus was toasted in the Limerick dressing room after the All-Ireland hurling final win over Galway.

A spokesman for the GAA has described the donation as ‘unprecedented’ and an ‘incredible gesture’.

MEP for Ireland South and former GAA president, Seán Kelly, has welcomed the donation. Mr Kelly praised Mr McManus for his generosity and noted the importance of such an injection of funds to county boards across the county.

He said: ‘This is a gesture of extraordinary generosity from JP, who has always been a huge supporter of our games.

‘The donation of €3.2million, to be divided among the 32 counties, shows how much JP cares about the GAA and how much he wants to see it continue to grow and develop. As former GAA president, and indeed county chairperson, I know how beneficial this will be to county boards around the country.’

He added: ‘This additional funding will help counties to invest in the development of the games, improve their facilities, and bring their teams to the next levels.’

Mr McManus increased his personal wealth by almost €80million last year, according to the latest Rich List.

The list, estimates the businessman and his family are now worth €1.15billion.

One of the main reasons for the increase was the €175million profit he earned on the €1billion sale of Vendome Saint-Honore, an office and retail building close to the Ritz hotel in Paris.

The building, which he co-owned with fellow racing tycoon, John Magnier, was sold to Norway’s sovereign wealth fund.