DUIGNAN
Damn the Liveline brigade, McManus is investing in the game’s grassroots
Ignore Liveline cranks, JP McManus has good of the GAA at heart
‘THIS OFFERS A LITTLE BIT OF HAPPINESS TO ALL CLUBS IN IRELAND’
JP McMANUS was just 22 years of age when Limerick won the All-Ireland in 1973. At that time, he was a machine operator in Limerick and could be found driving a JCB. He was, and still is, a big member of the South Liberties club, even taking on the role of chairman at such a young age. His great friends in life are hurling men, heroes from that winning team – the likes of Eamonn Grimes, Pat Hartigan, and Joe McKenna. Walter Shanahan, another proud South Liberties man, is a close business associate. If you look at the horses McManus named – Grimes, Pat Hartigan, Joe Mac – and has had ridden by jockeys wearing the famous green and gold hoops of his club, it all goes back to hurling, the club, and that sense of place.
That link to South Liberties and Limerick is not something that has sprung up since the county won the All-Ireland. It’s McManus, remember, who was smuggled into the winning dressing room at Croke Park in ’73 via a window.
A lot has happened in the meantime. He’s 67 now, gone from JCB driver to a billionaire. Why he chose to become a tax exile? I don’t know. But he made the decision to run his business through Geneva in Switzerland.
The €3.2 million donation that has become a national talking point – a cheque for €100,000 for each county board to be split evenly between their individual clubs – deserves to be taken in context. Over the last 25 years, he has given of the order of €225 million to Irish charities, a phenomenal figure. A lot of those that received funding are based in Limerick or in the mid-west and range from hospitals, to drug addiction schemes, to cancer societies, and regeneration projects.
He has been funding an All-Ireland scholarship programme since 2007. In a rare interview with the Limerick Leader a few years back, he spoke of how he didn’t go to school for too long himself and how important a good education system is. So after a breakfast meeting with former Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, he made it happen where he would fund 125 college scholarships a year, for the less privileged members of society. Each valued at €6,750 each.
And it’s a 32-county, all-Ireland project. Made up of a minimum of two from each county which is 64, the next 48 from all over Ireland, regardless of county, then the next 13 from Northern Ireland. That works out at funding of about €843,750 a year.
He extended it in 2017 for another 10 years. That is some investment in third level. I’m not sure exactly what the criteria is but I know one young fella who received the scholarship. From a family who are in the squeezed middle, where most of us are living, who was able to go on and do medicine because of it when his family simply wouldn’t have been able to afford it. You can argue that he should have stayed in Ireland this past 20 years rather than being a tax exile but you could say it was deliberate, that he decided: ‘I’m going to live outside, and invest directly.’ We’re too quick to jump on the bandwagon and try and find fault. Some of the Liveline outrage was so misplaced. If he happened to listen to any of it, I’m sure he’s wondering, ‘Why did I bother putting my head above the parapet?’ Because it’s not like him to look for publicity. He keeps his counsel and invests his money behind the scenes. This gesture was in keeping with a celebration of Limerick winning the All-Ireland. Here is a guy who helped clear the debt on the stand at the Gaelic Grounds, a full €5 million worth, one day after a league match.
He doesn’t have to spend his money on sport or scholarships or charitable donation. But he does.
Take the JP pro-am, all the money goes back to good causes.
This latest donation offers a little bit of joy to every club in Ireland. In some clubs it will all make a difference because so many are under the cosh, finance-wise.
The GAA talks about all its intercounty revenues going back to the clubs. But it goes back in terms of projects, developments, centres of excellence.
You wonder about the red tape, whether there is civil service element to it where €100 goes in and maybe a percentage of it comes back.
Well, McManus just went and did it rather than talking about it. Sent a cheque directly.
Could the GAA afford to make a similar gesture from central funds every year? Imagine the message that would send out to how they value clubs.
Some clubs are so wealthy it won’t make much of an impression. For so many more – as the reaction has shown – it has been well received.
When I took over as minor chairman of Ballinamere-Durrow, we had no money. We were trying to run race nights. Going around outside the community asking lads to give €100 for this or that, people who had no connection to the club.
I pushed to change our membership, to increase it to €50 a child, €125 a family, rather than a token amount – to put a value on a child getting training all year round in a safe environment.
We now have 350 members and take in around €16,000 on our registration night. It’s hard but clubs need to look at being more self-sufficient rather than constantly going around with a begging bowl.
The reaction to JP McManus’ gesture has been brilliant in Offaly. We have 41 clubs, who are all going to get €2,439 – a not insignificant amount for many clubs.
Limerick winning the All-Ireland has been a massive feelgood story. You saw JP in the dressing room, lifting the cup, and what it meant. For someone who doesn’t like the attention, this is a simple gesture.
Then you have the Liveline brigade trying to pick holes in it from a gender point of view, asking where is the cut for ladies football or camogie? Clubs generally share their facilities so they can make a decision as to how best to use it.
I think the negative reaction does show there is anger in Irish society. There are people working hard to keep a roof over their head, and there is a level of bitterness over the divisions in society.
But McManus is doing his bit, the benevolent fund an example of trying to help people who are going through tough times. His brother Gerry is one of the main sponsors of the Limerick development squads.
Whether right or wrong, I have huge respect for him.
Just look at what he has done for national hunt racing in this country, the money that goes into bloodstock.
And there are so many natural links between racing and the GAA community.
There are a lot of wealthy people in the world who don’t want to give it away. In my view, he is a great man who has done a lot for the country.
It starts with your club and finishes with your club. He has never forgotten where his roots are.
For him, it always comes back to the club. And in this case, every club in Ireland.