St Patrick's clubman Downes named Limerick Leader Pride of the Parish

FOLLOWING an amazing response to our ‘Pride of the Parish’ competition, the Limerick Leader can now reveal the winners as Tom ‘Guzzler’ Downes of St Patrick’s GAA Club.

Tom saw off stiff competition from all the other eight entries to come out on top of the online vote on the Limerick Leader website, which closed on Friday, October 16.

The current St Patrick’s chairman was delighted to be named as the WhiteBox Property Developments ‘Pride of the Parish’ with the club about to celebrate their 140th anniversary.

"I didn't expect to be nominated in the first place,” said Tom after learning of being crowned ‘Pride of the Parish’. “When I was, it was a nice honour.

“It's a nice thing to achieve. I suppose as volunteers, clubs wouldn't exist without them, you know.

“The GAA, I guess the biggest family in the world, isn't it? No matter where you go, the GAA is the common denominator.

“For about 52 years I have been involved with the club. But yeah, I've made great friends and over the last few weeks, people getting in contact saying they voted for me, it’s been great.

“It's a nice recognition it's something that a lot of people out there were voting for all the nominations. I'm just lucky to have won.”

Tom is a true great of local GAA within Limerick city and perhaps was best described by his own clubs’ nomination for the competition.

“Tom has given a huge part of his life to St Patrick’s GAA. He served the club for many years as a player in both hurling and football before progressing into the role where he is most at home — on the sideline, supporting and guiding St Patrick’s teams at both underage and adult level, in both codes.

“Over the years, Tom has served the club in many different roles on the committee and shows no sign of slowing down. He continues to give an enormous amount of his time and energy to St Patrick’s GAA.

“What makes Tom truly deserving of this recognition is not just the amount of work he does, but the manner in which he does it.

“He carries out every role with incredible commitment, humility, courtesy and the utmost respect for everyone he meets.

“Tom is universally loved and hugely respected within St Patrick’s and beyond. Whether dealing with players, coaches, parents, committee members, opposing teams, mentors or supporters, Tom is always approachable, friendly and fair.

“It would be difficult to find anyone who has a bad word to say about him. He never looks for praise or recognition. He simply gets on with whatever needs to be done for the betterment of St Patrick’s GAA.

“He is the type of person who is always there, quietly working behind the scenes, making sure the club and its teams have everything they need.

“Tom Downes is the heart and soul of St Patrick’s GAA. His dedication, loyalty, kindness and years of service have made an enormous contribution to our club and to the people within it.”

The Limerick Leader would like to thank all those who voted in the ‘Pride of the Parish’ competition and especially the nominated clubs for getting involved in the competition.