Steve paid his dues
April 30, 2011Steve Hanratty was enjoying an illustrious club and county career when - unexpectedly, in 1985, at the age of 25 - he emigrated. The Castletown man built a new life for himself in the USA, eventually leaving gaelic games behind him. But he still remembers those days fondly, pulling on the maroon shirt and rubbing shoulders with the best players in Ireland.
Steve's love of the GAA was nurtured from an early age at St Michael's College, Omeath under the watchful eye of Fr Martin Kenny from Mountbellew, County Galway. Whilst studying here, he received the Sportsman of the Year award. He went on to represent Athlone Regional College, competing in national deciders in both codes and picking up another Sportsman of the Year accolade.
His talents really came to fruition while playing football and hurling with Castletown-Geoghegan and St Malachys; the dual star accumulated numerous juvenile and senior championship honours in both codes including senior hurling championships in 1979 and '82 and a senior football knockout title in '81. He represented Westmeath at all underage levels in both codes and was on the county senior football squad from 1980-85.
During a short spell in Boston, Steve collected a senior hurling championship with Tipperary in 1985. He moved to New York in 1986 and was a founder member of the Westmeath hurling club there, serving as player, president and trainer for a few years. He also played football for Connemara Gaels and Westmeath in NY.
When, in the late 1980s, Steve Hanratty moved to Georgia, his links with the GAA were severed. As CEO of Dolmen Corporation, he now lives in Savannah with his wife Imelda, son Sean and daughter Elaine. As he was performing so well in both codes with club and county, did he leave Ireland with a heavy heart all those years ago?
"Well, it was only supposed to be for the summer of '85 and I ended up staying. Gerry McGrath, a friend of mine from Tipp had asked me to go to Boston to play for the Tipperary hurling team. The economy at home was bad, so I just stayed in the States," he reflects.
"I don't remember anyone at the airport trying to pull the suitcases off me! But, as I said, it was only meant to be for a few months and the county would already have been out of all competitions when I left. However, Castletown and the Malachys were both going well … but the same fate befell a lot of my former colleagues at the time and a high percentage of those players emigrated."
The flying forward had packed a lot of action into the 25 years before he emigrated. "At one stage I was on nine different teams at the same time," he attests. "I was playing U21 football and hurling at club and county level; senior club football and hurling; senior football with the county; and I was representing Athlone Regional College in both codes. I would go from training or playing with the college straight to the club or county."
Was it too much football and hurling? Was there a danger of burn-out? "To an extent, it could wear you out, as it probably was a cause of some serious injuries I received. You could have a college game in Cork on a Saturday and a county game in Donegal on the Sunday but you were young and flying fit and you loved every minute of it!"
Steve especially enjoyed his involvement with the Westmeath hurling club in New York. "There was a great level of commitment and passion within the club," he recalls enthusiastically. "We got to a semi-final in our first year and we got to the final the following year. There was a great bond between the members in the club and we tended to stick with our New York based players while other teams were bringing in big guns from Ireland at the time."
During his three years in the Big Apple, Steve also played football for Connemara Gaels before joining Westmeath when they were founded. His GAA career came to a premature end when he relocated to Georgia - a move that was job-related.
Along with two business partners from Carlow - Davis and Fintan Fleming - Steve has developed a new crowd control vehicle which is being promoted on a worldwide scale with a view to possibly providing the service to the United Nations, the Olympics and World Cups etc. He has never lost touch with his Westmeath roots, pointing out:
"I try to go home at least once a year and I always try to take in as many games as possible when I'm back. I have a nephew and niece - Keith and Ciara Scally - playing for Tyrrellspass and I also try to see the Westmeath football and hurling teams, so timing is everything.
"When I'm not home, I'll either watch the matches on the internet or I'll go up to New York and meet up with some of my Westmeath friends who are still there - the likes of Willie Lowry, Gerry O'Reilly, Brendan and James Kirby - and we'll watch the game together.
"The GAA is still a big part of my life and I have developed a lot of lifelong friends - not just within Castletown and Westmeath but from every county in Ireland. That's something that you cherish and try to hold on to."
Steve has held onto many of his mementos and has two hurls strategically placed in his office, as well as framed pictures of teams he represented.
Looking forward to Westmeath's participation in this summer's Leinster SFC and SHC, he concludes: "They've each got a reasonable draw and I'm looking forward to coming home to support them. I plan my trips home around those games and I'm passionate about all Westmeath teams, from the kids right up. Westmeath GAA was good to me and will always be close to my heart." Tweet
