Jack Mahon (1933–2005) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er who played at senior level for the Galway county team in the 1950s. A native of Dunmore, where his father was a national school teacher, Mahon had a distinguished career as a player, at the highest level. He first made a mark as a young player, winning a County Minor title with

Dunmore McHales Dunmore MacHales GAA ( ga, CLG Dún Mhór Mhic Eil) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dunmore, County Galway, Ireland. The club is a member of Galway GAA. Teams at underage and Intermediate level play in the Galway League and Ch ...

in 1949 and a Connacht Colleges championship with

St Jarlath's College St Jarlath's College () is a Catholic secondary school for young men in Tuam, County Galway. The college was founded in 1800 and in 2009 absorbed St. Patrick's College, Tuam. The College, which operates under patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam, ...

, Tuam, in 1950. It was at a time when there was no All-Ireland Colleges championship played, so he did not get the opportunity to follow up on the Tuam school's

Hogan Cup The Hogan Cup ( ga, Corn Uí Ógáin), also known as the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A Football Championship, is the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools (sometimes referred to as colleges) in Ireland. The com ...

victory of 1947, inspired by his close friend

Seán Purcell Seán Purcell (17 December 1928– 27 August 2005), was a Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Galway county team. Best known as a centre half-forward, he played in most outfield positions during his career. In 2009 he was ...

. Mahon won the first of three County Senior Championships in 1953, with a Dunmore McHales team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

ed by his 19-year-old brother Brian, who has since lived in Tuam. Mahon's other two Galway SFC medals were won in 1961 (ending the Tuam Stars' seven in-a-row) and 1963. Mahon was selected for the Galway senior football team in 1951. He played on until 1961, winning an All-Ireland SFC medal in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

, a

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

medal in 1957, as

, and six Connacht championships including five-in-a-row from 1956 to 1960 - he was one of four players who lined out in all five finals; the others were Seán Purcell,

Mattie McDonagh Matthew "Mattie" McDonagh (1936 – 11 April 2005) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for his local club Ballygar and at senior level for the Galway county team from 1956 until 1968. McDonagh later served as manager of the Galway t ...

and Joe Young. He won Railway Cup medals with Connacht in 1957 and 1958 and, also in 1958, he played at centre half-back on the Combined Universities team which defeated the Rest of Ireland. His team-mates included Seán Purcell and they were in opposition to some of their best friends,

Frank Stockwell Frank Stockwell (7 December 1928 – 9 March 2009) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for his local club Tuam Stars and at senior level for the Galway, Louth and London county teams at various periods between 1949 and 1960. He is regarde ...

, Tom "Pook" Dillon, Mick Greally, John Nallen and Packy McGarty. Following Mahon's retirement from senior football in 1961, Jack went into football administration, serving as Galway Football Board chairman in the 1980s, as P.R.O. since, and later he was given an honorary position: President of the County GAA Board. He was also a writer and sports historian, specilaising in the GAA, having written a total of 19 books about Gaelic football and sport in general. He spent many years as principal of Galway's Moonageeshia Community College. Mahon was a family man and father of six children: John, Lisa, Genevieve, Pearse, Karl and Branwell. He died on 23 October 2005 after a long illness. His death, in his seventies, came shortly after Purcell's.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Jack 1933 births 2005 deaths Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Dunmore McHales Gaelic footballers Gaelic games writers and broadcasters Galway County Board administrators Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers Heads of schools in Ireland