Sam Maguire to take part in Athlone St Patrick’s Day parade!
Athlone GAA Club has secured a very special guest, The Sam Maguire Cup, the most famous and sought-after trophy in the GAA, to display as part of its 2024 St Patrick’s Day parade celebrations.
This year's parade in Athlone will take place on Monday, March 18, starting at 2pm as part of the Croi na hEireann festival.
'Sam' will be featuring in the Dublin parade on March 17, before being brought to the Midlands for display in the parade here the following day.
Athlone GAA chairperson Fiachra McLoughlin said: "This is a significant coup for us, and really all the credit for this goes to our vice-chairperson, Darren Magee."
Athlone GAA's vice-chairperson Darren Magee is a former Dublin inter-county star who won an All-Ireland club medal in 2009 playing in midfield for Kilmacud Crokes.
Darren now resides in Coosan and is married to Deirdre Sweeney, daughter of Kathleen and the late Tony Sweeney, of Creaghduff, Coosan.
Darren is currently Westmeath GAA Games Manager and also runs a successful coffee business – Spill The Beans – on Castle Street in Athlone, close to the St Patrick’s Day viewing stand in the Square.
"To have the actual cup in Athlone is going to be really special," continued McLoughlin. "Every St Patrick's Day parade in the country would like to have Sam!"
Paul Cunningham and Niamh Molloy, Athlone GAA coaches for underage teams, are leading the club's St Patrick's Day preparations.
Paul said: “As well as Sam we also have another few fun ideas and plans. There will be a surprise or two – we are looking to bring a nice bit of colour and fun to the parade, and music too.
"Also, there will be an opportunity for members to come back to our clubhouse afterwards and for the children to have their photo taken with Sam."
Cllr Frankie Keena, Treasurer of the Athlone Croí na hEireann Festival Committee, said: "The momentum for the parade is building nicely now and we have a lot of entries, including the sports clubs like Athlone GAA, so we hope everyone gets out to support the parade. It's great to have Sam Maguire on board!"
Athlone GAA caters for boys and girls from age 3-4 upwards right up to adult teams with a total of 32 teams entered into competitive leagues and championships this year. They have recently started a 'Cubs Club' on Saturday mornings, for 3-4 year olds, and a 'Tigers Club' on Sunday mornings for 5-6 year olds.
Anyone interested in joining should contact Robbie on 087-1411361 or Mandy on 086-1082162.
The ladies side of the Athlone GAA club is growing very strongly and Athlone were crowned Westmeath LGFA Junior champions last year – they will be competing the in the Westmeath Intermediate Championship this summer.
In 2024, for the first time ever, Athlone GAA has two ladies' teams entered at adult level this year.
"That's something we are very proud of, it's a real milestone," said McLoughlin. "The coaching team, led by former Athlone star John Molloy, are doing a fantastic job there and we hope to be bringing more silverware back to Athlone from the ladies side over the coming years."