Charlestown's day of pride and poignancy 

Sunday, June 2nd, 2024, will be a day and date long etched in the minds and hearts of all associated with the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club and the community of Charlestown. It was the day when An Taoiseach Simon Harris officially opened the Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Walkway to wonderful acclaim as people came from far and wide to attend the occasion and be associated with such a wonderful event.

It was a proud, if poignant, day for the Horkan family with Colm’s father Marty, sister Deirdre, brothers Brendan, Dermot and Padraig all present with their families and extended families. There was a palpable sense of emotion in the air as the project was the culmination of four years of hard work and toil with the new facility drawing gasps of admiration and acclaim from all who were lucky enough to be there for what was a magnificent spectacle.

The Horkan family were genuinely moved at the response and reaction of the community as club members, supporters, players and members of the community all rowed in to make sure everything went smoothly. Various jobs were boxed off and completed ensuring everything went off without a hitch, and this it duly did as the community and club came together in unison and put their best foot forward with admirable intent.

The pitch and walkway are a monument and testament to a committee of terrific people who brought their own skillset to the project as they shared a collective vision and ambition to honour a person who was the quintessential club and community man. Com exhibited the many outstanding qualities we all strive to display in his daily interactions with people in and out of uniform. He was many things to many people but it was his sense of decency, loyalty, kindness and willingness to engage and help others that made him the special man he was and endeared him to so many as he carried himself with dignity and humility and lived his life in the best way he knew how.

The pitch and walkway will be a tremendous addition to the Sarsfields club and the community at large. It`s a splendid piece of ground and special mention and tributes must be given to the main contractor, Joe Prunty of Prunty Pitches, who nurtured, nursed and nourished the piece of ground through each and every stage with the finished product a validation of his expertise and knowledge as he and his hardworking team deserve every commendation for their hard work and dedication.

Donal Healy was the master of ceremonies on the day and did an excellent job, ensuring that everything ran to script as he introduced some of the keynote speakers to a very receptive and appreciative audience There were a number of dignitaries present including Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, Ministers of State Alan Dillon and Dara Calleary, MEP Maria Walsh, Michael Ring TD, Senator Lisa Chambers, as well as a host of county councillors of all political persuasions.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was in attendance along with a number of other high-ranking Gardaí as people came from all corners and communities to be associated with the occasion.

Chairman of the Sarsfields Liam Breheny delivered a brilliant speech, hitting all the high notes in giving a full and eloquent synopsis of the many stages the project went through and the long hours of discussion and debate on how to honour the memory of Colm in a way that would leave a lasting legacy to a man who enjoyed some of his finest moments in the club colours in Fr O`Hara Park.

Liam’s delivery was concise, accurate and very much attuned to the spirit and mood of the day with community and ability of the GAA to move people like no other a constant reference to his splendidly crafted address. He also paid special tribute to Colm’s cousin, Bosco Walsh, who gave his total and unstinting backing to the project from day one and provided the injection of capital that gave it a lift-off and the momentum to fly so to speak.

Liam spoke at length of the many fundraising events the club and committee hosted to raise money for the project and spoke of the support and donations that flowed in from all over the world as the project caught the imagination and attracted support from so many. He thanked the East Mayo Athletics Club for their superb organisation of the annual Colm Horkan Memorial Run, which continues to flourish with this year’s event marking the fourth staging. The best part of €150,000 has been raised so far, which is a quite staggering total and one all parties should be immensely proud of.

Liam also paid tribute to his pitch committee for their help and support and was at pains to thank club treasurer Tom McLoughlin for the calm and measured way he managed the pitch and walkway finances while keeping the club’s balance sheet on an even keel, which was no mean achievement and one that deserves the highest possible praise.

An Taoiseach Simon Harris was next to the podium and he gave an impressive address that touched on family, community and the outstanding work An Garda Síochána do in their day-to-day quest to keep our citizens safe at all times. His address was genuine, warm and sincere as he paid tribute to Colm’s dedicated service to the uniform where diligence, integrity and discretion were his hallmarks as he executed his duties with circumspection and levelheadedness at all times.

An Taoiseach spoke with true feeling and eloquence and left nobody in any doubt of his respect for the what the Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club have achieved to mark the contribution of a man who was steeped in his club colours and carried himself with such distinction in and out of the job. Mr Harris was fulsome in his praise of the Horkan family and the determination and dignity they have displayed in keeping Colm’s memory very much to the forefront of their daily actions and interactions. The pain of his loss continues to hit hard but they have shown tremendous resilience and tenacity and this was something Mr Harris was very keen to point out, with their backing for this project a key remainder of how a community rallies around their own in times of real need and crisis.

The Taoiseach’s speech captured the mood perfectly on what was a joyous, if poignant, occasion with the town and surrounding communities turning out in big numbers to support and help out in any way they could. Mr Harris received a super round of applause for his touching and warm delivery with local parish priest Fr Tommy Johnson blessing the special monument erected to mark the new pitch and walkway.

An Taoiseach and Colm’s father Marty cut the ribbon on the new pitch, which paved the way for a number of exhibition games featuring the county final teams of 2001 and 2009 taking on a Masters selection that featured a number of stellar names with the likes of Liam McHale, Michael Moyles, Colm McManamon, Noel and Ray Connelly, Kevin Cahill, Sligo’s Paul Taylor and Adrian Marren, Kenneth Mortimer and Paul Finlay all turning out and providing some real highlights with Mayo legends John Maughan and Ray Dempsey running the line expertly as they moved their charges around smartly, thus conserving their energy levels with great care!

The Sarsfields also had plenty of quality in their ranks with the final score a matter of some conjecture with handshakes and smiles around dominating the after-match conversation.

The Charlestown Sarsfields ladies took on their Garda counterparts in another interesting challenge with the final game on the menu featuring the current Charlestown Sarsfields senior team pitting their wits against a strong Garda selection with the odd intruder or two as Colm Boyle, Keith Higgins, Patrick Naughton, Ruairi Brennan, Adrian Marren, Andy Moran and Declan Sweeney all showed their class in various dispatches and gave the Sarsfields a real run for their money in a game that witnessed some high-quality scores.

Hats off to Karl Murray, John Niland and John Gilmartin who shared the refereeing duties and they had a relatively easy day with no need for cards or lectures of any kind.

There was food provided for all teams with Susi’s Bistro serving up some quality food with some tasty treats also on offer, which went down very well with all who availed of the splendid menu. Well done to Eileen Morrisroe and her hard-working team who had the CBD Sports Complex in fine fettle with good service very much the order of the day.

The club is very grateful to the many volunteers who came from all corners of the community and beyond who helped out with parking and stewarding, all of which proved a crucial part in the overall success of the day. Many thanks to all the neighbouring clubs who came forward to help out in any way, their contributions were noted and very much appreciated.

The club would like to thank everybody who helped out in any way as the park and grounds were a hive of activity in the lead-up to the official opening. People came forward in their droves to help out and the day itself had a real family feel with bouncy castles and barbeques all adding enormously to the whole sense of occasion.

The club and community have done Colm’s memory proud with the new pitch and walkway a resounding tribute to a man who will always command a special place in the hearts and minds of Sarsfields and Charlestown people the world over.