Mountmellick Development Association (MDA) recently unveiled the permanent exhibition of the Healion Cup in tribute to the four local people who have Chaired the Laois Association Dublin – Colm Healion, Joe Dunne, Joe Dowling and Sandy Metcalfe.
Also honoured was Paddy Rustchitzko who captained the Laois team in the 1949 Senior Hurling Championship Final, where Tipperary won 3-11 to 0-3 in Croke Park. It was this event almost 76 years ago that brought about the establishment of the Association in the capital.
At the unveiling of the cup, Councillor Paddy Buggy, Manager of the MDA, invited Mr Gerry Thompson, current Chairman of the Laois Association Dublin, to act as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
Mr Thompson provided a history of the Association before introducing Paddy Rustchitzko’s daughter, Ms Maura Reddin, who spoke about her memories of her father, and the Polish origins of the Rustchitzko family when her great-grandfather first came to Mountmellick.
Mr Thompson explained that the Cup was once used in Association social activities in Dublin in decades past and has been refurbished and renamed after the first person from Mountmellick to hold the office of Chairman, Mr Colm Healion.
Over an incredible 70-year period, Mr Healion held virtually every officer role in the Association – including several years in the early 1980’s as Chairman – and continued to serve as the Association’s Membership Officer right up to 2018.
Mr Healion and his wife, Ms Bridie Mulhall from Ballylinan, were presented with the Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the Association’s 70th Anniversary celebrations in 2019. Both sadly passed away the following year.
The Healion family was represented at the event by their three daughters, Maura, Terri and Mel, who spoke of how pleased their father and mother would be about this exhibition and how much they appreciated the honour.
The second person from Mountmellick to hold the office of Chairman was Mr Joe Dunne, who began a lifelong career in Guinness in 1942.
Mr Dunne served in many Officer roles in the Association and was Chairman on several occasions throughout the 1970’s, 80’s and early 90’s, making a huge contribution to the development and prosperity of the Association, ably supported by his wife of 40 years, Marie Burrows, also from Mountmellick.
Marie passed away in 2019 before Joe passed away in 2020. Their son, Jim is a current Association member; with his cousins, Breda Reddin and Andy Dunne representing the Dunne family at the event.
Former member of An Garda Síochána, Mr Joe Dowling, was the third Mountmellick man to become Chairman of the Association.
It was his career that brought him to Dublin where he served in various ranks until his retirement in 1999 as Chief Superintendent, Community Relations. Mr Dowling also worked as both a barrister and law lecturer.
His service to the Laois Association began at the end of the 1990’s before becoming Chairman in 2005 when he oversaw the introduction of the Association’s Student Bursary fund.
Mr Dowling was happy to be in attendance for the event where he recalled his memories of being brought to Croke Park as a small boy for that now famous All-Ireland Final in 1949.
He spoke of his passion for GAA throughout his life and up to recently being accompanied to Laois matches by fellow Association members including the great Laois star, Fintan Walsh (RIP).
The last Mountmellick man to chair the event was Sandy Metcalfe, who enjoyed a 50-year career in the corporate world, including banking and financial services, before qualifying as a Performance Coach and Master Tutor.
Mr Metcalfe joined the Laois Association in 1999 and became Chairman in 2001. In his 25 years service to the Association, he developed the Association’s Mission Statement for the New Millennium, was Newsletter Editor for over 15 years, and helped develop the Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr Metcalfe happily attended the event where he paid tribute to the MDA for “being such a shining example of volunteerism” over the past forty plus years.
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