Thanks to the collusion of Barry Kelly and Pat Hunt this was the latest profile to make a surprise appearance on Mullingar Shamrocks Facebook

Dr. Tom Hunt: A Shamrocks legend ...

In recent weeks our esteemed PRO, Dr. Tom Hunt has been combing the archives for matters of interest pertaining to Mullingar Shamrocks. He’s also been commissioning articles from Shamrocks’ high achievers in Gaelic games such as the most recent article by Karen Hegarty. These articles reflect Tom’s dedication to the work of PR as he strives to keep these pages fresh in the absence of match reports, photos and training updates. Some of Tom’s friends in Shamrocks (Tom might see us as enemies when he reads this) decided it was an opportune time to turn the tables on him and give a history of Tom’s illustrious involvement in Gaelic Games and indeed sport in general.

Tom hails from Clonea in Waterford and it was with his beloved Clonea that he won 3 county hurling titles in the 1970s. The first of these was as an outfield player but a misfortune with a Yahama 50 meant his future hurling was between the sticks. Three senior football county titles with John Mitchel’s also were garnered and by the time he commenced his teaching career in Mullingar Community College in the Mid 1970s Tom had already established a formidable reputation as a net minder par excellence. A Sigerson cup winner’s medal in 1973 with a UCD team containing names such as Kerry’s John O’ Keefe, Dublin’s Pat O’ Neill, Cork’s Dave McCarthy, Offaly’s Kevin Kilmurray and Galway’s Joe Waldron was no mean achievement and Tom’s goalkeeping prowess saw him selected on a Munster Railway cup team where he competed with Kerry legend Charlie Nelligan for the number 1 jersey. 1973 was a particularly good year for Tom as he gave an outstanding display against Cork in the Munster U-21 football championship. Interestingly, Tom’s nephew Paudie Hunt is now the Waterford senior football custodian.

Tom’s initial involvement with Mullingar Shamrocks was as a player and his brilliant point blank save from Moate’s Francis Kelly was the turning point in the 1987 county final as Shamrocks retained their crown in a goal less final. As his playing career began to peter out Tom turned to the administration side of club affairs and it is here that he has really shone. He has served in a variety of roles over the past thirty years, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, selector and his current role as PRO. In each job he has excelled, displaying dedication, integrity and commitment. As PRO, every single training session and match is given equal billing so Tom often begins his weekend’s activities by photographing the SeamrÓigi under 4s, 5s and 6s and on a normal Shamrocks’ weekend he could report on three or four other matches. Westmeath GAA has also benefited from Tom’s wisdom and knowledge in his recent work on disciplinary matters for the County Board where he has brought clarity and fairness to his role on the Hearings Committee, an increasingly important part of today’s Association. Indeed Tom’s standing within Westmeath GAA was seen last December when he was elected as Westmeath’s Central Council delegate.

Tom’s sporting achievements extend well beyond the playing and administrative sides of sport, he has written four books, “The Little Book of Irish Athletics” and a weightier tome “Sport and Society in Victorian Ireland,” “The Little book of Waterford” and “Portlaw, County Waterford 1825-76: Portrait of an Industrial Village and its Cotton Industry.” All four books were extremely well received by readers and critics alike and the research and detail in the two published pieces reflect Tom’s attention to detail. Tom’s knowledge of all sports is renowned and in 1988 he became the inaugural winner of RTE’s coveted Know Your Sport quiz with the first prize being a trip to the Seoul Olympics in South Korea, a trip greatly enjoyed by Tom and his wife Mary. The Hunt sporting gene is certainly a strong one as two more of Tom’s nephews, Stephen and Noel, carved out very successful soccer careers in England and Scotland, both going on to represent the Republic of Ireland at the highest level and Tom took great pride in their considerable achievements. We in Mullingar Shamrocks are certainly lucky to have someone of Tom’s calibre so heavily involved with the club. Hopefully it won’t be too long before his notebook and camera are seen patrolling the perimeter fence in Springfield ready to capture the latest piece of playing action and record them in the club notes.