List of former County Board Officers

[ryot]

Would anyone have a List of County Board Officers from over the years or a link to such information ??

I am just interested in the history and bits of info like when Rory O'Brien, John Dowling were County Sec and who were before them.

Ditto for County Chair, Treasurer( Andy Gallagher, Mick Verney ??) etc.

I tried a Google search to no avail.

[Plain of the Herbs]

The Seir Kieran history certainly contained a list of former chairmen and secretaries. Ricey Scully and PJ Cunningham's centenary history (the one with the green, white and gold cover) possibly has one.

[ryot]

Thanks PoH.

I will follow up on the Ricey Scully and PJ Cunningham book.

[SearingDrive]

I can't account for them all, but anecdotally I believe Fr. Vaughan was Chair in the 50's and 60's, when Offaly footballers made the breakthrough in Leinster. He was a Clareman, who was PP or Curate in Offaly.

Going back about 100 years, the late PD Crowley,a native of West Cork, and NT in Killeigh, was I think Secretary of the Co.Board. No doubt POTH will be able to confirm this from his forensic knowledge.
Rody O'Brien and Ml. Verney were Secretary and Treasurer during Fr. Vaughan's term in the chair.

Hope this helps, apologies for the qualifications.

[Plain of the Herbs]

As far as I can make out from Music of the Ash the following are those who have held the office of Chairman of Offaly County Board GAA (some of the early chairmen are incomplete): -

1892 – Fr O’Loughlin CC (Killeigh)
1893 – 1898 – Charles Doorley (Meelaghans)
1899 – 1904 – John Dooley (Killyon)
1909 – Fr Charles Culligan (Kinnitty)
1911 – John Condron, then Fr Gibbons (Rahan)
1912 – 1914 – Fr MJ Crowe (Birr)
1915 – 1918 – Fr MJ Crowe, then Fr O’Kennedy (Coolderry)
1919 – Fr O’Kennedy
1920 – 1925 – Laurence Molloy (Drumcullen)
1926 – 1927 – Seán Robbins (Birr)
1928 – 1933 – Fr Keegan CC (Clara)
1934 – PD Crowley (Killeigh)
1935 – 1942 – Seán Robbins (Birr)
1943 – 1950 – Jimmy Flaherty (Tullamore)
1951 – 1968 – Fr Ned Vaughan (Coolderry, Birr)
1969 – 1973 – Fr McWey (Edenderry)
1974 – Alo Kelly (Tullamore)
1975 – 1984 – Fr Seán Heaney (Mucklagh)
1985 – 1988 – Paudge Mulhare (St Rynagh’s)
1989 – 2002 – Brendan Ward (Durrow)
2003 – 2004 – Tommy Byrne (Gracefield)
2005 – 2007 – Ollie Daly (Ballycumber)
2008 – 2012 – Pat Teehan (Coolderry)
2013 - Pádraig Boland (Ferbane)

[Plain of the Herbs]

According to Music of the Ash the following are the former Secretaries

1886 – 1888 – Jim Kemmy (Frankford)
1892 – John Guinan (Killyon)
1893 – 1898 – RP Dolan, then Patrick Healy (Ballycumber)
1899 – 1904 – Patrick Healy
1909 – 1914 Joseph P Dunne (Tullamore)
1915 – 1918 – Jimmy Corrigan (Seir Kieran)
1919 – Paddy Corrigan (Seir Kieran)
1920 – 1921 – Hugh Corrigan (Seir Kieran), then Michael Kelly
1922 – 1954 – Stephen Cloonan (Tullamore)
1955 – 1964 – Rody O’Brien (Tullamore)
1955 – 1986 – John Dowling (Tullamore)
1987 – 1990 – Brother Sylvester (Clara)
1991 - 2007 - Christy Todd (Ballycommon)
2008 – 2012 – Martin Boland (Raheen)
2012 - Tommy Byrne (Gracefield)

[ryot]

[quote="SearingDrive"]

Fr. Vaughan was Chair in the 50's and 60's,.
Rody O'Brien and Ml. Verney were Secretary and Treasurer during Fr. Vaughan's term in the chair.

Hope this helps, apologies for the qualifications.

I remember Fr Edmund with the booming voice when as a teenager I attended a County Convention.

[SearingDrive]

Fr. Vaughan was Chair in the 50's and 60's,.
Rody O'Brien and Ml. Verney were Secretary and Treasurer during Fr. Vaughan's term in the chair.

Hope this helps, apologies for the qualifications.

I remember Fr Edmund with the booming voice when as a teenager I attended a County Convention.

Unforgettable experience! As POTH states, the late PD Crowley was Charman of Offaly Co. Board, and not Secretary as i thought.
He died at the early age of 51 in 1936.

[SK72]

Thanks, POH, for your several complimentary references to my book. It's hard to come up with a watertight listing for County Board officers, especially during the time of the "unofficial" County Committee (1886 to 1893), when the more Fenian-minded Offaly Gaels sided with Parnell and the Clergy were dead set against them. The Royal Irish Constabulary were taking an interest as well.

However the name of the first chairman should be remembered. This was Rev Thomas Langan who was chairman of the King's County Committee, GAA from 1886 to 1888. I think he was curate in Banagher at the time. He was born in July 1855 in Legan Co Longford and ordained at the Irish College in Rome in 1878. He died in Moate in 1951, and on the day of his funeral the national flag was at half mast in the town.

Some more detail is in the Midland Tribune of April 14th 1951:
"Passing of Ireland's oldest priest
"In announcing prayers for the repose of the soul of Rt Rev Monsignor Langan, DD PP VG, Moate, at Ferbane on Sunday, Rev J Earley PP said that an historic figure had passed from amongst them, a venerable churchman had gone to his reward, a cultured and much-admired gentleman had been lost to society...
In his youth he had known and conversed with survivors of the Battle of Ballinamuck in 1798 (the Year of the French)."
[…] In his youth he had known and conversed with survivors of the Battle of Ballinamuck in 1798 (the Year of the French).”
Monsignor Langan was born in July 1855 in Legan, Co Longford, and ordained at the Irish College in Rome in 1878. He was the first chairman of the Offaly County Board of the GAA. The National Flag was at half mast in Moate on the day of his funeral.