Jackie Napier honoured at President’s Awards night
Jackie Napier honoured at awards bash in Croke Park
JACKIE NAPIER has been to Croke Park many times throughout his sporting life. He has played many roles there – stewarded at All-Irelands and on other occasions, been on the line in various capacities for Wicklow hurling teams, represented his county at Central Council level for a number of years and, occasionally, he has even attended as a spectator.
He is no stranger to Croke Park nor is Croke Park anyway strange to him.
Jack was back in Croke Park on Friday night last but this time it was different.
The occasion was the presentation of the 2018 GAA President’s Awards in 12 different categories to people who have made an outstanding voluntary contribution to the GAA over a prolonged period. Jackie Napier was one of those people and he received his award for his commitment and dedication beyond the call of duty to Bray Emmets and Wicklow hurling over a lifetime.
A special banquet was held in the Hogan Suite in Croke Park at which all recipients from all over Ireland, plus one from Argentina, were presented with an inscribed 9 carat Celtic Cross in recognition of their services.
TG4 recorded the entire proceedings and broadcast an hourlong programme on Saturday. No doubt it will be repeated along the way.
Jackie was joined at the banquet by a big contingent of family and friends from Bray and Wicklow who were there to wish Jackie and his family well and who were all delighted that Wicklow’s “Mr Hurling” was at long last receiving due recognition for his dedicated service.
There to support him were his wife Josie, son Martin and daughter Mary, his sister Ann Geraghty and her husband Niall from Clarinbridge in Galway, and his brother Michael who came up from Cork.
Jack has always been very loyal to Bray Emmets and they turned out in force to repay that loyalty.
Among their contingent were Frances Stephenson, John Henderson, Liam McGraynor, Martin and Annie Rosney, Brenda Maloney, Dave Barry, Colm McDonagh, Dermot O’Brien, Pat Wogan, Paul Cunningham, Garry Prunty and Pat Lee.
Also there from the wider GAA community in Wicklow were County Chairman Martin Fitzgerald and Patricia, Martin Coleman and Pat, Philip, Marie and Molly Doyle from Aughrim, Andy O’Brien and Anne, plus Kilcoole stalwart Charlie Keddy, County Secretary Chris O’Connor, County President Fr Liam Dunne along with his brother Jimmy, Mick O’Hagan, Tom Byrne and John Kelly from Arklow.
A fourth Wicklow table brought up the vanguard.
Here we had Dave Barrett, Joe McElheron, Tommy and Jane Coleman, Alice and Liam O’Loughlin, Pat Mitchell, Dave Murray, plus Eamon Murray and his wife Jean.
The recording of the entire event by TG4 was most impressive and ran from beginning to end without a hitch.
The recipients all received their awards from outgoing GAA President Aogán O’Fearghail.