Colm McEvoy has maintained his high involvement with the local GAA scene, despite the demands of his job as Chief Executive Officer of Cavan VEC (Vocational Education Committee). 

Since settling in Cavan nearly 20 years ago, Cavan VEC CEO and Laois native, Colm McEvoy has immersed himself in the local GAA scene and has earned a reputation as one of the shrewdest team managers around. 
Colm has managed/trained a host of club sides in both Cavan and Meath and this year managed the Cavan Camogie Team - along with Margaret Carroll - which won the Ulster Junior Championship and reached the All-Ireland Junior 'B' final.  Unfortunately for the Cavan girls, Monaghan claimed the coveted Maire Ni Chinneide Cup after a replay.  After the neighbouring counties finished level on 1-7 apiece, Monaghan won the replay by 0-12 to 1-8. 
"It's disappointing to lose any final, and this year's camogie final was no different," Colm recalls.  "Monaghan beat us after a replay in Ashbourne and that was a big disappointment considering we had won the Ulster title earlier in the year, beating Monaghan in the final.  But that's the way things go.  We had a good year overall and hopefully the girls will go that step further next year." 
Hailing from Rosenallis, which is situated in the shadow of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, Colm played hurling and football with the local club before moving to Cavan in 1991 to take up a teaching post at Cavan Institute (then known as Cavan College of Further Studies).  After a few years out of the game, he took his first steps into management with Mountnugent in 1995.  He then had a successful                 three-year spell in charge of Oldcastle, which he led to a Meath SFC final appearance in 1998 and to a Feis Cup triumph the following year. 
"I got involved with Oldcastle through Niall Fitzpatrick, who was a student at Cavan College of Further Studies at the time.  We reached the County Final in 1998, only to lose to Dunboyne and won the Feis Cup in 1999 when we beat Summerhill after a replay," he explains. 
"I returned to manage Oldcastle a few years later when they had dropped down to intermediate.  Our objective was to win the Intermediate Championship but we lost the semi-final to Drumconrath by a point unfortunately." 
Over the years, Colm has had stints in Ramor United, Gaeil Colmcille (Kells) and his adopted Crosserlough.  More recently, he has managed the Crosserlough (Senior and Minor Football Teams) and Cavan Camogie sides, and took huge satisfaction from guiding the black and ambers to their one and only County Senior Camogie Championship title in 1999.  Colm returned to camogie this year after a long absence from the game and managed Crosserlough to their first Senior Camogie Final appearance since 2003 and guided the Club Minor Camogie Team to the 2010 County Championship.  
Colm's elevation to the position of Cavan VEC Chief Executive Officer in 2005 has meant that he has less time to devote to GAA management and coaching. 
"I have tried to stay involved in the games at some level over the years but my involvement in the GAA isn't what it used to be because I don't have the time anymore.  While a lot of hours go into training the Cavan Camogie Team it's not nearly as time-consuming as training a club football team.  Almost every club nowadays expects instant success and I just don't have the time to be out three or four times a week and spending the rest of my time doing video analysis, organising training, challenge games and watching DVDs of the opposition," he says. 
Colm served as Principal of Cavan Institute from 2001 to 2005 before taking up his current position.  He is based at Cavan VEC's headquarters in Church View Square, Cavan Town.  Cavan VEC employs 600 staff and incorporates Cavan Institute, Virginia College, Breifne College, Cavan, St. Bricin's, Belturbet and St. Mogue's, Bawnboy.  
Cavan VEC is 19 member Committee, comprising of locally elected representatives, staff, parents and community representatives.  Cllr Madeline Argue is the Chairperson of Cavan VEC and the County Camogie Board.
Cavan VEC is a local statutory education and training authority established under the 1930 Vocational Education Act.  The VEC is involved in education provision for Second Level, Post-Leaving Certificate Courses, Vocational Training, Prison Education, Adult Education, Literacy and Community Education, Youthreach and Youth Services. 
Cavan VEC aims to provide education for life in an innovative, responsive, caring and flexible learning environment.  It is committed to providing the maximum access to persons of all ages and backgrounds, and to achieving quality and excellence in all aspects of its work.  It does this through its own schools, colleges, learning centres and in conjunction with other providers of education and training in the county to meet the changing technological, economic, social and cultural needs of the community. 
Cavan VEC has grown since the mid-1990s to be placed as high as 10th in the country in terms of enrolment with 3,200 students in full-time education and 4,000 in adult education. 
"Cavan VEC is an energised, dynamic and innovative provider of education services. We are operating in challenging times but we adopt a "Can Do Attitude".  The VEC has proved over the years its ability to meet and surmount all challenges presented.  We are looking to the future with much hope, optimism and expectation," Colm says. 
Cavan Institute has been a tremendous success story for the VEC in Cavan.  Currently, with demand for places in Cavan Institute at an all-time high, Colm is hoping to get additional resources to facilitate increases in enrolments in the near future. 
"We had over 4,000 applications for places this year, but our resources only provide for 1,600.  We really need additional resources to allow us to fully meet the level of demand for places.  The Institute has been built up over a period of 20 years and is now the third largest in the country," he explains. 
Cavan VEC places a strong emphasis on sports participation in all its schools/centres/colleges and believes it can continue to make a big contribution to Cavan inter-county teams in the coming years. 
"Sport is very important for our young people.  I am delighted with the excellent levels of involvement in sport throughout our schools and centres.  I have a special interest in Gaelic Games.  Vocational Schools competitions provide students with the opportunity to play for their school and importantly the County. We feel our schools and county teams should be a stepping-stone to inter-county football.  We must ensure that the talent coming through from our structures is harnessed.  Over the years, there have been numerous examples of students from the county Vocational School teams progressing to the county minor and ultimately senior teams".   
"We are very fortunate to have some excellent people involved in GAA coaching in our schools.  Within the VEC system we have a Vocational Schools Football Committee, whose executive is drawn from staff in the schools.  They do a terrific job and I am very grateful for their commitment and dedication.  The standard of vocational schools football is improving year on year.  As enrolments increase competition for places increase and this helps to raise the standards.   
"In recent years, Virginia College has set the standard within the county at senior level and indeed has proved very successful on the national stage winning 2 All Ireland School Titles.  Many of the players who represent our school and county teams have progressed to represent Cavan.  We have set ourselves a target of success at county level in the near future and given the commitment of the team mentors, the students and the support of the Cavan County Board I have no doubt this will become a reality," he concludes. Tweet

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