Harry’s GAA essay scores a win in national competition
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AN impassioned essay on the importance of the GAA penned by a transition year student at Meánscoil Gharman has gained him national attention after winning a national competition.
Harry Clavin’s essay ‘ The GAA is at the heart of who we are’ was selected as the Senior Category winner of the GAA Museum’s Secondary Schools writing competition. In the piece, he discusses the huge imprint the GAA has had on his family and how from the moment he was born weighing an impressive 9 pounds 8 ounces, the family’s immediate reaction was that he’d make ‘a fine full-back some day’!
Concluding the piece and speaking of what the GAA means to him, he says: ‘In its core set of values, the GAA outlines its dedication to enriching the lives of its members and active lifelong participation by all members of society. My Dad’s family, and by family I mean the wider GAA community, embodies this sentiment. They live, breathe and die by these values. I am proud to have GAA blood flowing through my veins.’
While hundreds of entries were received, Harry’s stood out for the panel of talent-spotting experts which included professional writers Paul Howard, Fiona Looney and Sean Love. The transition year attended a special presentation lunch in Croke Park where he also got the opportunity to go on a ‘ behind the scenes tour’ of the home of GAA.