It's over a quarter of a century now since Con McCormack emigrated to New York. The Rosemount native has forged a successful life for himself as the proprietor of McCormack Painting and Kelly Ryan's Irish Bar & Grill in Riverdale, but he has never forgotten his Westmeath roots. He's still an avid supporter of the Maroon & White and both of Con's children, Ryan and Kelly, have played for the NY Celtics over the years. Con's daughter, Kelly, is maintaining the proud family tradition by playing juvenile ladies football with New York - an activity which has resulted in numerous GAA trips home for the McCormack family.

As the saying goes, you can take the man out of Westmeath but you'll never take Westmeath out of the man. In this instance, the man in question is Con McCormack from Rosemount. Con has been domiciled in the States as a successful, self-made businessman for 26 years now but he remains an avid Westmeath man through and through.
He's still a keen supporter of gaelic games and nowhere is this more evident than in the impressive representative honours of his daughter, Kelly, who has lined out regularly for New York at U14 and U16 levels. Kelly Ryan's has also been the proud sponsor of jerseys and / or tracksuits for many of these young NY teams, as well as sponsoring various NY Celtics teams over the years.
Con is extremely supportive of both of his children. Providing encouragement and support to Kelly has resulted in many trips home to the native sod, which has been a pleasure for Con … the man from Rosemount simply can't get enough of Ireland and gaelic football. Con himself played club football back home up as far as U16 level.
Times were tough in Ireland back in 1984 when a young Con McCormack took the decision to head for the US of A. The state of the economy was almost a mirror image of what we're experiencing now and a generation of Irish people got on the boat and sought the bright lights of New York, London or other far-flung destinations to try to earn a living. Prospects at home were non-existent. Con had just turned 20. What he lacked in years he compensated for with hope and determination. Against the odds, he has forged a great life for himself in NY.
Ten years ago, he took over The Fergus Two Bar and refurbished it, renaming it Kelly Ryan's Irish Bar & Grill. The Riverdale venue has been a resounding success during the intervening decade, comprising a popular bar and sumptuous restaurant as well as a catering hall for private parties. Kelly Ryan's (which is named after Con's two children) caters predominantly for the local Irish and Irish-American community but benefits from a varied trade.
Con also runs his own painting contracting business - McCormack Painting. He is married to an American girl - Ann - and the couple have two teenagers, Kelly and Ryan. Though he had little option but to leave Ireland all those years ago, Con admits that he's content with his new life across the Atlantic: "I like it here. Things have worked out well for me. The economy isn't quite as strong as it was but we're doing okay and I'm happy with how things are going. It's a little bit different than Rosemount and everything is a lot faster over here!"
Despite the fact that he has put down roots in New York, Con stays in touch with his Irish heritage as much as possible. His daughter's involvement in the GAA enables him to do this, as he explains: "I go back to Ireland at least once a year. Kelly has played for New York at underage for the last five years. Our family travelled back over for Feile four times and Kelly actually captained the New York U14s in the last of those years, 2009. We were back in Ireland again in 2010 as she was playing at home for the New York U16s."
On one occasion, Con's brother Peter organised a challenge game between the New York Feile team and the Moate U14s when they traveled to Kildare for Feile.
Kelly played her junior football with Celtics and played with the Na Fianna senior team during the year, winning the New York ladies championship during the summer of 2010. She has a good interest in football and also plays soccer and basketball. Con's son Ryan, who is very proud of his Irish roots, also played for the NY Celtics through U-18 level and began playing American football when he entered high school. Ryan loves to travel to Ireland to support his sister and to spend time on the family farm in Rosemount.
Of course, New York is a popular and common destination for many GAA clubs and county teams these days and Kelly Ryan's Irish Bar & Grill is a popular haunt for the Irish in NY, regularly hosting GAA folk. "We had the Roscommon club's Dinner Dance in Kelly Ryan's and we've also hosted club meetings and benefit nights, etc.," Con confirms. "We've hosted a number of teams who've come out from Ireland. We had the Westmeath hurling team here when they were over and we've also had the Mayo footballers."
Con continues to follow the fortunes of his beloved Maroon & White and he was a very happy man when they made history in 2004 by capturing a first-ever Leinster SFC under the guidance of Paidi O Se. That was a magnificent occasion for Westmeath people all around the world and the breakthrough was celebrated accordingly.
The Lake County haven't managed to add to that success but they've a favourable draw in Leinster this year so Con is hopeful they can at least progress to the provincial final under new manager Pat Flanagan. The hurlers have been knocking on the door of late, too, and Con also sends his best wishes to Kevin Martin's charges. If there's any coverage, he'll watch the matches in a local steakhouse in the company of fellow Westmeath men like Philip Slevin, Gerry Browne, the Spellmans, the Quinns and the Kirbys, - or else he'll follow their progress online.
Who knows, he might even get to take in a live match as he travels home regularly to visit his parents, who still live in Rosemount. Like I said, you can't take Westmeath out of the man. Tweet

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