JP’S €3.2m gift to GAA
Tycoon donates €3.2m to sport
RACING tycoon JP Mcmanus has donated €100,000 to every GAA county board in Ireland to distribute among clubs.
The Limerick businessman made the €3.2million gesture with a letter to each of the country’s 32 county boards, with the purpose of continuing the development of the sport.
The donation also comes off the back of Limerick’s All-ireland hurling championship win last month.
Carlow senior football manager Turlough O’brien has welcomed the donation as extremely valuable to smaller counties in particular.
His charges this year enjoyed a tremendous run in the championship, reaching the Leinster semi-final and proving that smaller counties with more limited resources can compete at a high level.
Mr O’brien told the Irish Mirror: “Fair play to him [ JP Mcmanus]. Any euro that is donated to the GAA is more than welcome. It’s hard enough to raise funds and smaller counties like ourselves, it will be valuable, €100,000 to Carlow means more than €100,000 to Dublin, I can tell you that.
“It will be welcomed with open arms by everybody.”
Mcmanus is a long-time sponsor of Limerick GAA and is heavily involved in sports such as horse racing and golf.
The GAA’S director of communications Alan Milton confirmed to the Irish Mirror members were unaware of the donation.
He said: “It’s an incredibly generous gesture – unrivalled and unparalleled.
“It’s unprecedented in that I don’t remember anything of this nature being done, but I think it will be very well received because it’s directed at our clubs.
“He’s an incredibly passionate sportsman and we all know of his passion for Limerick GAA, and this goes above and beyond that.”