ST ENDA’S, Glengormley welcomed GAA President Larry McCarthy to their club, located on the outer reaches of north Belfast, to officially open their state-of-the-art indoor facility Halla Éanna as well as re-dedicating the Gerry Devlin Park.
Gerry Devlin, who was a former chairman of the Hightown Road club, was gunned down by loyalist gunmen in December 1997 while leaving the premises.
Gerry, aged 36 at the time, would have been celebrating his 60th birthday. Members past and present descended on Naomh Éanna on Saturday afternoon where presentations were made to the club’s former hurling manager Terence McNaughton and ex-football managers Frank Fitzsimons and Pat Hughes.
Both management teams delivered county and provincial honours in recent times.
McCarthy was blown away by the three-pitch facility and the resilience of the club, particularly during the Troubles.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to see what the club has managed to do,” said Cork native McCarthy, who is in the first year of his presidency.
“And obviously it has come out of tragedy but, like the phoenix, it rose again. It’s a phenomenal facility and a phenomenal set-up in terms of the Irish school [on site] and the facilities. It’s actually mind-boggling in terms of what the club has managed to achieve. They can all do that and be county champions too.”
To mark the special occasion, club member Niall Murphy helped put together a 160-page commemorative booklet that celebrates the club’s amazing successes on and off the field over the last few years.
“This is the GAA,” McCarthy added.
“I don’t worry about the two percent [inter-county game] because there’s a whole industry looking after the two per cent. This is where it’s at. It’s credit to the families up here who have been the backbone of this club over the years.”
