Sports fanatic is GalwayÕs answer to JP McManus

Date Published: {J}

HE has been described as the JP McManus of Galway sport by hurling legend John Connolly, but that, in itself, hardly does justice to the contribution Pat McDonagh of Supermac’s has made to the sporting and social fabric of life west of the Shannon.

Indeed, when it comes to supporting his own, the Killimordaly native has rarely been found wanting. If the budget of his national franchise allows it, then he will endeavour to oblige – as the Galway hurlers, Galway United and many other sporting organisations will gladly testify to.

Although McDonagh has yet to finalise his sponsorship budget for 2011 – still, it is almost a given the Supermac’s brand name will once again furnish the Galway hurlers’ jersey for a 21st year – he has already, this year, backed the prestigious Galway Sports Stars Awards ceremony, which took place with much aplomb in the Ardilaun Hotel in January.

McDonagh says he was delighted to back the venture, particularly given he is such a sports enthusiast. “Sport is a thing I enjoy and it doesn’t really matter what sort of sport it is. I think sport is very important, especially for young people to be involved in,” says the former national schoolteacher.

“Even from my teaching days, if kids don’t get involved in sport from an earlier age, they can lose out in a lot of ways. It teaches them an awful lot of things that you can’t always teach in the classroom, such as discipline, work ethic and looking after your health.”

Indeed, McDonagh, himself, has recently re-entered the sports arena, taking on the role of a selector with the Killimordaly intermediate hurling team. “So far, it’s good,” beams the successful businessman, who joins a management set-up that includes boss Tom Monaghan and trainer Gerry Dempsey.

“It’s enjoyable and it’s challenging. I think the lads are enjoying the training, which is awfully important. They have to enjoy what they are at as well to achieve the results at the end of the day. Like any sport or any business, though, you have to make the self sacrifices to achieve your goal and you have to put in the effort, endure the pain and be prepared to sacrifice the little things in order to achieve the bigger prize.”

Of course, many clubs out there – be they GAA, soccer, rugby or whatever – are facing many challenges at present, such as the threat of mass emigration, recruiting volunteers or grappling with financial constraints. McDonagh says Killimordaly is no different.

“Finance is a big issue in a lot of clubs. The cost of running a club can be fairly serious. In our own club, for example, it costs in excess of €100,000 to run it, I would say. I haven’t got the figures on me at the minute, but that is a fairly heavy commitment. Now, granted, we built the wall ball last year and that was certainly an investment. So, that and emigration are going to be the biggest challenges facing clubs over the next few years.”

McDonagh is equally as passionate about the Galway hurlers and that has been reflected in the massive financial commitment his company has made to the county’s hurling representatives for over two decades. He says he has seen some great times, although he laments the long wait for the return of the Liam McCarthy Cup back to the banks of the Corrib.

“We haven’t been far away from it at times,” continues McDonagh, “but to win an All-Ireland, it takes everyone to be singing off the same hymn sheet and everyone in it for the same goal. Whether it is the County Board or the team management or the team themselves or the supporters or the sponsors or whatever, unity of purpose is what helps any team – or any business – to succeed. That hasn’t always been there and I think we have paid a serious price at times for that.”

However, he believes, in recent times, there has been a move to nurture a harmony across the hurling spectrum and he predicts that senior success could well be in the county’s grasp “inside the next couple of years”. He adds: “You also need a bit of luck on your side, because you can have injuries or there might be some other distraction.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.