Séamus Ó Riain (2 April 1916 – 27 January 2007) 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 ...

hurler,

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 and

Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

administrator. He served as the 22nd

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

from 1967 until 1970. Born in

Moneygall Moneygall () is a small village on the border of counties Offaly and Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. There were 313 people living in the village as of the 2016 census. Moneygall has a Catholic ...

on the

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

border, Ó Riain was educated at Coláiste Éinde, Colaiste Caoimhin and

De La Salle College Waterford De La Salle College Waterford is a secondary school in Waterford, Ireland with over 1,000 students and 90 teachers. De La Salle Teachers Training College The De La Salle Brothers had a presence in Waterford since the 1870s, and opened a teach ...

where he trained as a national school teacher. He subsequently worked as a teacher in

Cloughjordan Cloughjordan, officially Cloghjordan ( , ), is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is in the barony of Ormond Lower, and it is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The town is situated in the north-western part of Tip ...

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

Borrisokane Borrisokane () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated at the junction of the N52 and N65 national secondary roads. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 942. The Ballyfinboy River flows through the town on its way to Lough ...

and

Dunkerrin Dunkerrin () is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland, just south of Roscrea and near the County Tipperary border. It is on the R445 road which was once the main road from Dublin to Limerick. Dunkerrin is now bypassed by the M7, the nearest ...

. Ó Riain first enjoyed sporting success during his studies in De La Salle. Here he won two

county championship The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...

medals as a Gaelic footballer, as well as being awarded the gold medal for best all-round sportsman. At various times between 1938 and 1947 Ó Riain was a

dual player Dual player or dual star is a term used in Hiberno-English to describe someone who competes in multiple sports — for example, in Victorian Ireland, cricket and hurling. The term today in Gaelic games typically describes a male player who plays ...

with the

junior teams. In the mid 1940s Ó Riain first became involved in the administrative affairs of the GAA when he was elected secretary of the

club before later representing the club on the North Tipperary Board. In 1955 he was elected vice-chairman of the board before serving as chairman between 1957 and 1966. Ó Riain's growing expertise as an administrator was further rewarded in 1958 when he was elected as one of top Tipperary delegates on the Munster Council. In 1962 he was elected vice-chairman of the provincial council before taking over as chairman in 1965. Ó Riain was elected president of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1967. His three-year tenure marked some major developments, including the inauguration of

Scór Scór (, meaning "Score") is a division of the Gaelic Athletic Association charged with promotion of cultural activities, and the name of a series of annual competitions in such activities. Rule 4 of the GAA's official guide reads: ''"The Assoc ...

, the

Australian Football World Tour The Australian Football World Tour was a series of international rules football matches, organised by football sports broadcaster and former VFL umpire Harry Beitzel and Irish born Melburnian, James Harkin in 1967 and 1968. First tour The first ...

, the setting up of the Commission on the Affairs of the GAA, the launching of the Club Development Scheme, and the decision to build a modern

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

court in

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. On completion of his term as President in 1970 Ó Riain took over as chairman of the Tipperary County Board. During his tenure he initiated the

Féile na nGael Féile na nGael (; Irish for "Festival of the Gaels") is an annual tournament comprising the sports of hurling, camogie and handball organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its stated aim is to bond communities, forge friendships, provid ...

. Ó Riain died on 27 January 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ORiain, Seamus 1916 births 2007 deaths Alumni of De La Salle Teacher Training College, Waterford Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Chairmen of Gaelic games governing bodies Dual players Founders of Gaelic games institutions Moneygall Gaelic footballers Moneygall hurlers Irish schoolteachers People educated at Coláiste Éinde Presidents of the Gaelic Athletic Association Sportspeople from County Tipperary Tipperary County Board administrators Tipperary inter-county Gaelic footballers Tipperary inter-county hurlers 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people