GAA world pays tribute to Cormac The GAA world, in particular the Scor community, was in mourning as tributes were paid to the late Cormac McGill, who passed away. Leitrim GAA County Board Chairman Gerry McGovern attributed Leitrim's incredible run of success in Scor competitions, both at adult and juvenile level, to Cormac's influence. "Cormac's big thing, of course, was Irish culture, Irish music and the Irish language with the emphasis on Scor. And I think it is a tribute to the work of Cormac that Leitrim now jointly hold the position of most All-Ireland Scor titles won. "That is a tribute to Cormac and his very small committee who worked so hard to promote Scor and Irish culture throughout Leitrim. In the last number of years, Cormac was ill but he still managed to run Scor and even when he was in hospital, he was constantly in contact with Secretary Maura Mulvey or Sean O'Suilleabhain to make sure that Scor was being promoted. "I think one achievement that he got a lot of entertainment from was the fact that every club in Leitrim participated in Scor in the Millennium year, a great achievement for him and Leitrim. "Another achievement that gave him great enjoyment was Fenagh's All-Ireland victory this year. When they came back to Leitrim, there was a celebration in Dromod and it gave him great satisfaction as Fenagh would have been one of the club's Cormac nurtured and brought along. "Cormac was the driving force behind Cormac's participation in Scor and if a club wasn't taking part, there were constant reminders. "Cormac was also an officer of the Board for as long as I can remember and another aspect of his dedication to the GAA was his reporting of underage games. He kept in touch with juvenile games and it was a great boost for youngsters to see their name mentioned in the paper. "Of course, Cormac was a real Donegal man and when Donegal won the All-Ireland in 1992, they stopped off in Dromod on the way, especially for Cormac and I know that gave him great pride. "Cormac was a great Donegal man, a great Leitrim man and a great GAA man. On behalf of Leitrim GAA County Board, the clubs and all of the GAA supporters in the county, I would like to express our sympathy to Cormac's wife Mary, and family Fergal, Nessa and Ailbhe," said Mr McGovern. The Director General of the GAA, Liam Mulvihill, also paid tribute to Cormac McGill, saying "Cormac had borne a lengthy illness with bravery and stoicness. "He had served on the Leitrim County Board for several decades and through his work and influence the County won unprecedented success at Scor. "Cormac was a former Primary School principal and a well-known contributor to the Donegal Democratic, Longford Leader and Leitrim Observer. Cormac's son Fergal is the National Publications Officer for the GAA and was in Australia handling press affairs for the International Rules Tour when Cormac died." Mr. Mulvihill extended his sympathy to Cormac's wife, Mary, son Fergal and to his daughters Ailbhe and Nessa. As for the Observer sports staff, Cormac was an invaluable friend and colleague. On many a Monday, there were long phone calls between the Observer and Dromod, as match details were pored over, performances discussed and predictions debated. Of course, there was plenty of banter whenever the Dubs met Donegal but Cormac certainly never rubbed in 1992! As had been often said, Cormac was a larger than life figure and if there was anything that surpassed his love of Donegal, it was his love of Scor. And while Cormac always proclaimed his Donegal roots, there was no doubt that Leitrim and Cornacoola, in particular, held a special place in his heart. On behalf of all those who have covered GAA affairs in the county over the years, the staff of the Leitrim Observer would also like to offer our deepest sympathy to the McGill family on their loss. John Connolly Courtesy of The Leitrim Observer 28 October 2005 Tweet

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