McCormack's proud of their GAA links
September 15, 2010Celebrating 21 years in business, McCormack Car Sales in Sligo is one of the largest Opel dealerships in the West of Ireland.
Founded in July 1989, McCormack's recently opened a new showroom at their state-of-the-art premises on Dublin Road, Carraroe, guaranteeing an open, friendly and comfortable environment to help you to make the right choice when buying a new or used car.
The company stocks the complete range of new Opel cars and commercials with a comprehensive used car stock which is second to none, and prides itself on delivering a top-class and efficient service to its customers, many of who have been with them since the very beginning.
McCormack's boast a decided after sales team for service, spare parts and accident repair and offer tailored finance packages to suit all individuals' requirements. The Opel range of passenger cars range from the ever-popular Corsa to the eye-catching Insignia which was voted European Car of the Year for 2009.
"We stock the full range of Opel passenger cars and vans," sales manager Kevin McCormack explains.
"Opel is a well-established brand in Ireland and has a reputation for reliability, value-for-money and excellence. All of the Opel models are performing extremely well this year, which is good news for us because 2009 was such a tough year for the industry in general. There is no doubt that the Government scrappage scheme has helped to stimulate the industry, while the euro's devaluation against sterling has also given it a much-needed boost."
He continued: "Opel is such a strong brand that there will always be a demand for their cars, particularly in a rural county like Sligo where there is no public transport as such and people rely on having a good car.
"The Insignia was last year's European Car of the Year and the new Astra and Meriva models are also proving to be a big hit. There are some lovely features on them, particularly on the Meriva which has flexdoors."
Hailing from Drumshanbo in Co. Leitrim, Kevin and his brothers Brian and John are well-known in Sligo business circles. While Kevin fronts McCormack Car Sales, Brian runs Bridge Tyre & Exhausts in the town centre. John, meanwhile, owns the successful oil distribution company, LMS Oil Ltd, which has depots in Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ballina and Killeshandra, Co. Cavan.
McCormack Car Sales is proud of Opel's links with the GAA through its 'Kit for Clubs' scheme and its sponsorship of the GPA (Gaelic Players' Association) monthly and annual player and team awards. 'Kit for Clubs' is Opel's way of giving something back to GAA clubs whose members support Opel. For every test drive or purchase you make from the Opel range through the dealer network, your club is awarded points which can be built up and redeemed against high quality kit, ranging from sliotars to goalposts, for your club.
In April, Opel announced its continued sponsorship of the GPA's Gaelic Players' awards for the 2010 season. This is the fifth consecutive year for the partnership between Opel and the GPA.
The awards commence in May and run monthly to October 2010. Each Footballer and Hurler of the Month will win EUR1,000 and a much coveted medal. The monthly awards recognise the standout performers each month who are chosen by two independent panels. The recipients for June were, rather fittingly, Sligo footballer David Kelly and Galway hurler Damien Hayes.
The year culminates in an exciting annual televised GPA Gala Event on Friday, November 5 to announce the Opel Gaelic Teams of the Year for hurling and football as well as the Opel Gaelic Players' of the Year for both codes. The chosen Footballer and Hurler of the Year will each receive an Opel car to the value of EUR25,000.
Opel Ireland managing director Dave Sheeran, who announced the continued sponsorship, said: "We are delighted to be involved with the GPA's awards scheme once again. The Opel Gaelic Players' awards recognise the enormous commitment and talent of Ireland's Gaelic footballers and hurlers and provide an opportunity to acknowledge their outstanding efforts. The fact that these awards are voted by the players themselves makes them even more prestigious. We look forward to an exciting and competitive season ahead and wish all those involved the very best of luck."
In addition, Opel provides cars to six brand ambassadors who are: hurlers Joe Canning (Galway), Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny) and Dan Shanahan (Waterford), footballers Alan Brogan (Dublin), Bryan Sheehan (Kerry) and dual star Eoin Cadogan (Cork).
Kevin McCormack has been a lifelong follower of the GAA and as well as supporting his adopted club Calry/St. Joseph's who his children play juvenile football with, he continues to keep a close eye on the results of his home club Allen Gaels.
While there was bitter disappointment at Sligo's shock defeat to Roscommon in the Connacht SFC final, Kevin insists that it was still a successful year for Kevin Walsh's team and that their achievement in beating both Mayo and Galway raised the GAA's profile in the Yeats County to unprecedented levels.
"I never saw anything like the hype that engulfed the county this year. It probably didn't do the team any favours going into the Connacht final because Sligo are not used to being favourites, but it was great to see the huge interest among the fans nonetheless.
"It was a tragedy really that Sligo didn't win the Connacht title because they seemed to have done all the hard work in taking out Mayo and Galway. Roscommon came in under the radar and caught them on the hop.
"I honestly thought that Sligo were a better team this year than when they won the provincial title in 2007. Kevin Walsh picked up from where Tommy Breheny left off and won back-to-back National League titles with them. They had serious momentum behind them after winning Division 3 and beating both Mayo and Galway, but it wasn't to be unfortunately."
McCormack Car Sales has always given generously to local sporting organisations, including the GAA.
"When we opened this garage in 1989, Opel were sponsoring the Ireland soccer team and they've since switched over to the GAA. Opel is proud to support Irish sport and we try to do our bit by sponsoring teams at local level," he concludes.
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