Death of Munster GAA Council official

O'Callaghan's Mills' native Liam McInerney, president of the Munster GAA Council, was laid to rest.
A committed GAA man, he had served in a variety of positions for his club over the years, before joining the executive of Clare GAA and serving as the county's delegate to Munster Council for almost 20 years.
Speaking to the large gathering at the funeral mass in O'Callaghan's Mill, local club official and recently elected vice-chairman of Clare GAA, Joe Cooney outlined the late Mr McInerney's involvement in GAA affairs.
He was the son of a carpenter in the town land of Fox and Geese and was educated at O'Callaghan's Mills National School from where he went to Mungret College in Limerick.
Principally a rugby school, he played for them and for Munster in schools inter-provincials. When he re-turned to O'Callaghan's Mills, he joined the family business and spent his free time hurling and running, while he played football for Scariff.
He won a minor hurling medal with his club in 1950 and went on to play minor for Clare. He was on the O'Callaghan's Mills team that was beaten in the county senior final in 1954 by St Joseph's. Injury led to a pre-mature end to his playing days and he then turned his attention to refereeing.
In the 1960's, he became a supervisor at the chip-board factory and he also became active in the Labour Party, contesting the council elections in 1967 and 1974 without reaching the quota.
He served as chairman, secretary and treasurer of the O'Callaghan's Mills club before he progressed to become the county's delegate to the Munster Council in 1978, a position he held until 1995.
In the mid -70's, he joined the Department of school welfare, Tulla branch. He served on various committees in his native parish, including the development association and the tidy towns committee.
He served on the Clare county development team at a time when Cusack Park was being revamped, on the GAA's communications committee in Croke Park for three years and he was also a member of the games Administration Committee at national level. In February 1996, he was elected president of the Munster GAA Council, a position he held to the time of his death.
Members of the O'Callaghan's Mills' club, Clare GAA board and Munster Council formed a guard of honour at both the removal of remains and again at the burial next day.
Former GAA president Sean Kelly was among the attendance, as were former Munster Council officers Donie Nealon (secretary) and Fr Seamus Gardiner (PRO).

Courtesy of the Clare Champion 31/12/10 Tweet

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