The GAA has praised the “remarkable gesture of support” from billionaire JP McManus after the Co Limerick businessman announced a donation of €1 million to each of Ireland’s 32 county boards.
The huge boost follows a similar act of generosity from Mr McManus in 2018, when he gave each county board €100,000.
One of the richest people in Ireland, Mr McManus is reportedly worth around €2.6 billion, and his incredible €32m gift to Gaelic games was inspired by the success of his beloved Limerick senior hurlers, who have been All-Ireland champions for the last four years in a row.
His 2018 gift followed Limerick’s All-Ireland win that ended the side’s 45-year wait to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup.
Congratulations to Limerick who are 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions! pic.twitter.com/dg3kFn19Aa
— The GAA (@officialgaa) July 23, 2023
RTÉ reported that Mr McManus wrote in a letter to the boards that following Limerick’s success “we have seen the joy that this can bring on and off the field and how it enhances the spirit, camaraderie and confidence of communities, urban and rural”.
He added: “My family and I greatly value the spirit and meaning of community and our GAA, Camogie and Ladies Gaelic Football clubs who are at the heart of communities right throughout the island.”
Read more:
JP McManus’s ‘incredible’ €3.2m gift to GAA clubs roundly cheered
JP McManus makes ‘unprecedented’ cash donation to GAA clubs
In a statement, GAA president Larry McCarthy and director general Tom Ryan said: “We would like to place on record our sincere gratitude to JP McManus and his family for yet another remarkable gesture of support.
“Clubs across the island benefitted greatly from the generosity of JP and his family in 2018, and we know that the funds were put to very good use at the time.
“His support of the GAA at many levels is well documented and our units will once again rejoice in the generosity of the McManus family and use the funds to assist in their hugely important work at the heart of communities.”
President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, Mícheál Naughton, said the gift was made at an “important time for clubs, when costs are increasing significantly”.
“We all know how much JP loves Gaelic games and this money will provide invaluable support to clubs at grassroots levels across the country,” he said.
