Joe McDonagh
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Joseph McDonagh () (November 1953 – 20 May 2016) was an Irish hurler and, later,
Gaelic games Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...
administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...
, who served as the
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of the
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
from 1997 until 2000. He played hurling with his club
Ballinderreen Ballinderreen (), also Ballindereen, is a village located on the N67 road (Ireland), N67 road between Kilcolgan and Kinvara in south County Galway, Ireland. Location and name Ballinderreen village is approximately 22 km south of Galway ...
and the Galway senior team. He was also chief executive of
Foras na Gaeilge (, " Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the rol ...
from 2002 to 2006 and chairman of the same organisation from 2015 to 2016. The
Joe McDonagh Cup The Joe McDonagh Cup () is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the second-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier t ...
and the ''Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha'' (Joe McDonagh Foundation) are named after him.


Early life and education

Born in
Tuam Tuam (; , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midland Region, Ireland, midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. The town is in a civil parishe ...
,
County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
, McDonagh was introduced to hurling by his father, a long-serving Gaelic games administrator and schoolteacher. He developed his hurling skills at Coláiste Éinde, while also excelling at
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
as a result of the coaching of teacher
Enda Colleran Enda Colleran (May 1942 – 8 April 2004) was an Irish Gaelic footballer and manager who played for the Mountbellew–Moylough club and at senior level for the Galway county team. Career A native of Moylough, Colleran's Gaelic football prowe ...
. With
University College Galway The University of Galway () is a public university, public research university located in the city of Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Ga ...
(UCG), McDonagh played both Gaelic football and hurling and was a
Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup () is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideac ...
medal winner as a postgraduate student in 1977. He was also a regular on the
Sigerson Cup The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. T ...
team in his time there, playing in five of the football competitions. He had previously won a Freshers hurling medal in 1972 and earned his B.A. from the university in 1975. His son, Eoin, also played in six Fizgibbon Cups for UCG. McDonagh was a linguist who was fluent in three languages (Irish, English and Welsh). He went on to complete an M.A. in Celtic Studies McDonagh worked as an Irish teacher in Coláiste Éinde in Galway City for 16 years.


Sports career


Club

McDonagh enjoyed a lengthy club hurling career with
Ballinderreen Ballinderreen (), also Ballindereen, is a village located on the N67 road (Ireland), N67 road between Kilcolgan and Kinvara in south County Galway, Ireland. Location and name Ballinderreen village is approximately 22 km south of Galway ...
, while he also played Gaelic football with Cortoon Shamrocks and
Barna Barna (Bearna officially and in Irish) is a coastal village on the R336 regional road in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. 7 km west of the centre of Galway city, it has become a satellite village of Galway. The village is Irish speaki ...
. McDonagh captained his club
Ballinderreen Ballinderreen (), also Ballindereen, is a village located on the N67 road (Ireland), N67 road between Kilcolgan and Kinvara in south County Galway, Ireland. Location and name Ballinderreen village is approximately 22 km south of Galway ...
to the 1978
Galway Senior Hurling Championship The Galway Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Brooks Galway Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Galway County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the ...
Final. They faced neighbouring club
Ardrahan Ardrahan () is a village and civil parish in County Galway, Ireland. History Richard de Burgo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today. The churchyard wall cont ...
. Played in Ballinasloe, the match ended in a draw, Ballinderreen 0-16 Ardrahan 2–10. After a close match in the replay, McDonagh's side lost by 2–14 to 2–18. Towards the latter end of his hurling career, Joe captained his side to win the Galway Junior B hurling Championship in 1996.


Inter-county

McDonagh made his début on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Galway minor team. An
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
runner-up in this grade, he later won an
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
medal with the under-21 team. McDonagh made his senior début during the 1972-73 league. He went on to play a key role for Galway during a breakthrough era, and won one
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
medal as a non-playing substitute in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
and one
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
medal. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. One of the most iconic moments associated with McDonagh is his rendition of "The West's Awake" from the Hogan Stand in Croke Park after winning that All-Ireland with Galway in 1980. RTÉ commentator
Michael O'Hehir Michael James Hehir (also known as Michael O'Hehir and ; 2 June 1920 – 24 November 1996) was an Irish hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and ...
responded: "Well done Joe McDonagh". Throughout his career McDonagh made 15 championship appearances for Galway. His retirement came following the conclusion of the 1983 championship. In 2005, the ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' named him amongst its substitutes in its list of "The Men Who Changed the Face of Galway Hurling".


Inter-provincial

As a member of the
Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
inter-provincial team at various times throughout his career, McDonagh won two
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
medals.


Retirement from sport and later life

In retirement from playing McDonagh became involved in the administrative affairs of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He was elected to the Galway County Board as Irish Officer in 1979 and went on to represent Galway on the Central Council in 1988, being appointed to the chair of the hurling work group on his first day. Runner-up to
Jack Boothman John Henry "Jack" Boothman (12 October 1935 – 10 May 2016) was the 31st president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) between 1994 and 1997. He was an active member of his local Blessington GAA club in County Wicklow. He was chairman of ...
in the 1993 election for the position, he subsequently became the 32nd president of the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1997 and 2000. McDonagh became chief executive officer of Galway Vocational Committee in 2006. He later became chief executive officer of the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education Board from 2013 2015. McDonagh was Chief Executive of
Foras na Gaeilge (, " Irish Institute"; ) is a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 2 December 1999, assuming the rol ...
from 2002 to 2006. Foras na Gaeilge became an all-Ireland crossborder body during this time, as part of the
Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
. He later was a member of Foras na Gaeilge's Board from 2011 to 2015 and became chairman of the board in December 2015. McDonagh died on 20 May 2016, following a short illness. Invited to attend a reunion with his teammates at his university in November 2015, he was unable to attend as he had been in hospital with what was thought to be
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
. The illness was later discovered to be cancer, which ultimately proved
terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...
. His son, Eoin, delivering an oration at the funeral mass, quoted O'Hehir in concluding: "Well done Joe McDonagh".


Eponym

The
Joe McDonagh Cup The Joe McDonagh Cup () is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. The cup forms the second-tier of Hurling for senior county teams (the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship is the first-tier t ...
was created in 2017 as the new second tier senior inter-county championship in hurling after the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. It was contested for the first time in 2018. ''Fondúireacht Sheosaimh Mhic Dhonncha'', a funding scheme to support GAA clubs to promote and develop the Irish language, was established by the GAA and Glór na nGael in his memory.


Honours


Player

;University College Galway *
Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup () is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideac ...
: 1977 ;Ballinderreen *Galway Junior B Hurling Championship: 1996 (c) ;Galway *
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...
:
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
*
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
: 1974-75 *
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the oneills.com GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). ...
:
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
;Connacht *
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
:
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
,
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...


Individual

;Awards *
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
(1): 1976


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonagh, Joe 1953 births 2016 deaths Alumni of the University of Galway Ballinderreen hurlers Connacht inter-provincial hurlers Deaths from cancer in the Republic of Ireland Dual players Galway County Board administrators Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers Galway inter-county hurlers University of Galway Gaelic footballers University of Galway hurlers People educated at Coláiste Éinde Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association 20th-century Irish sportsmen