The achievements of two-long standing Galway Hibernians coaches, Paddy Connolly and Joe O’Reilly, were celebrated by the Mayor of Galway City, Cllr. Mike Cubbard at a socially distanced Mayoral reception in Leisureland on Tuesday 15th June.
Both Paddy and Joe have been coaching with the club for decades and have shown an ongoing commitment to the development of young players in Galway City.
Paddy lives in Tirellan and his love of football coaching started off with his two sons Niall and Paul, who played football as young children in the green area beside their house. A lot of children started to join in the games and a friendly game was arranged with a group from the surrounding area with a local school.
Bridie, Paddy’s wife who recently passed (RIP), used to provide refreshments and lovely scones and wash jerseys for the children. Paddy has contributed to both footballing duties and to committee duties for the club, ensuring that things always run as smoothly as possible.
Joe, who hails from Castlepark, has dedicated almost fifty years of his life to the club, starting off as a player and also taking on a coaching role from the young age of fifteen. He now passes on his love of the game by working with a number of the club’s youth teams from the under-6’s upwards.
Joe has left a mark on the lives of so many people across the city and has been known to help former players with their coaching exams - even when they were coaching with so called rival clubs. Like Paddy, he has also been involved with the running of the club off of the pitch as a committee member.
Mayor Cubbard commented: “A number of weeks ago, at the Galway City Mayor’s Awards, I spoke about the vital role volunteers play in Galway City without ever asking for credit or recognition and these two men are proof of that.
"They are at the very centre of the club and their community. To put it simply, clubs such as Hibs and many other across the city would struggle to survive without the selflessness, dedication and commitment of volunteers and coaches like Paddy and Joe. I am delighted to pay tribute to their many years of work here today.”
In honour of their work, Paddy and Joe were presented with a Genesis Fine Arts footballer sculpture and a Presentation Scroll signed by Mayor Cubbard.
