Glengoole Community Group Report:
A plaque, commemorating Tipperary athlete Patsy Fitzgerald, will to be unveiled in Glengoole on this coming Easter Sunday, 27th March 2016 at 12:00 noon. Many of our readers will remember that this event was postponed on December 27th last due to a local bereavement.
L-R (Pic.1) Patsy Fitzgerald in earlier times. (Pic.2) Jim Fogarty (Coolcroo), Patsy Fitzgerald, Gerry Darmody (old colleague of Patsy) and Paddy Coman (Coolcroo) at Coolcroo AC “Gathering Night”.
It is most appropriate that one of Tipperary’s greatest athletes should be honoured in his native village. Patsy was the star of cross-country and middle distance running in the 1940’s and ’50’s. His amazing success story commenced in the mid 1940’s, but it was the spring of 1947, at Mount Merrion in Dublin, when, as a 17-year-old youth, Patsy spread-eagled the field to win the NACA (I) All Ireland Senior Cross Country championship, over a then 9 miles course.
Patsy afterwards went on to win no less than thirty two All Ireland medals in his chosen sport, over a twenty year period; latter a record that surely will never be equalled or indeed surpassed.
The organisers, Glengoole Community Group, extend an open invitation and a ‘Cead Mile Failte’, to all who would wish to attend for this unveiling event; in particular all old athletes. It will be a great sporting occasion to honour this famous athlete, who made the leading athletic headlines all those years ago.
On Easter Sunday next, the unassuming Patsy will indeed relish this plaque which perpetuates his past victories, just on his doorstep, and will, no doubt, reminisce with many of his old colleagues and former adversaries in attendance from that Golden Age of Tipperary cross country running.
A special souvenir booklet will also be available to all on the day.
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