Marie and Patsy: Our two new Honorary Presidents
We honoured two more great Mullingar Shamrocks people at the recent AGM when Marie Burke and Patsy Rylands were added to our list of Honorary Presidents, the first females to receive the honour. Marie has been honoured for her many contributions to the Mullingar Shamrocks story and in particular for her role in developing Ladies football in the club.
Patsy Rylands has never wavered in her support for Mullingar Shamrocks over the years and is elevated to the Honorary Presidency for her extraordinary contribution to Scór. Patsy has been involved in Scór as a competitor and as a mentor and coach particularly in the Figure Dancing discipline and in Scór na nÓg since Scór was a baby. Our list of Scór county titles is incomplete but in 1981 our Figure Dancing team won the title (and defended it in 1982) with Patsy dancing with Sheila Moynihan, Shirley and Margaret Mullen, Peter Glennon, Colman Moynihan, George Coyle, and Danny Devaney. It is safe to say that Patsy hasn’t missed a Scór beat since 1981 and she was in Castlebar at the recent All-Ireland senior final supporting our quiz team and no doubt planning to win that elusive Scór All-Ireland Figure Dancing title. And of course Patsy’s daughter Janette also became a Scór Figure Dancing Champion winning titles in 1998, and four-in-a-row titles from 2000-2003.
Both Marie and Patsy are members of great GAA families. Patsy is a native of Mucklagh, County Offaly. Patsy’s brother Seán Kilroy was a gifted forward and one of the most talented footballers ever in the parish, who was on the Offaly senior football team which won the Leinster title in 1969 against Kildare and went on to play Kerry in the All-Ireland final losing out on a 0-10 to 0-7 scoreline. Only injury prevented Seán from going on to All-Ireland success in 1971 and 1972 with the same group of players. He was also a member of the Offaly team which won the Leinster Under-21 football title in 1968. That team was beaten by Derry in the All-Ireland final, 3-9 to 1-9. Sean later played senior football for Longford and soccer for Longford Town when his work brought him to Lanesboro.
Marie’s father, the legendary Bill Delaney from Stradbally, County Laois, is a football all-time-great. Bill and his three brothers Mick, Chris and Jack were members of the Laois team that were defeated by Mayo back in 1936 when Mayo won their first Al-Ireland title prior to the curse being imposed. The Delaney brothers won 18 Railway Cup medals between them at a time when the completion was the second most important competition in the GAA. Bill Delaney was there too when Mayo won the last All-Ireland title in 1951 as he refereed the final. It’s a shame they didn’t stop for that funeral when bringing the Sam Maguire back to Mayo!
Marie’s late husband, the much respected Mick, served Mullingar Shamrocks at many levels including at officer level as Secretary and PRO. Micheál and Lisa have won a great collection of medals representing Shamrocks and Westmeath (not forgetting Lisa’s camogie exploits with Raharney); Micheál was a member of the Westmeath team that won the All-Ireland Under-21 title in 1999 and was still under age and playing when Westmeath retained the Leinster title in 2000, making Micheál a member of a very small group of Westmeath footballers with 2 Leinster Under-21 medals. Marie’s grandchildren Jack and Ben Shaw, and MJ and Josh Burke are maintaining the family tradition and when MJ and Josh first lined out for Mullingar Shamrocks, Marie was on hand to honour the occasion.
However, the honouring of Patsy and Marie is not because of any family history, it is because of the substantial contribution both have made to Mullingar Shamrocks welfare and wellbeing over the years.
Congratulations, ladies on an honour well deserved.
