Séamus Ó Riain (2 April 1916 – 27 January 2007) was an Irish hurler,

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

er and

Gaelic games Gaelic games () 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 most popular of the s ...

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

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

from 1967 until 1970. Born in

Moneygall Moneygall () is a village in County Offaly, bordering County Tipperary, in Ireland. It is situated on the R445 road between Dublin and Limerick. There were 374 people living in the village as of the 2022 census. Moneygall has a Catholic church ...

on the

Offaly County Offaly (; ) 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 honour of Philip II of Spain ...

- Tipperary border, Ó Riain was educated at Coláiste Éinde, Colaiste Caoimhin and De La Salle College Waterford 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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Ormond Lower, and it is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The town is si ...

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicised Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city. It is also the county t ...

Borrisokane Borrisokane () is a town in County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is 15 km north of Nenagh, at the junction of the N52 road (Ireland), N52 and N65 road (Ireland), N65 roads. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a p ...

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

county championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

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 Tipperary 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, the

Australian Football World Tour The Australian Football World Tour was a series of international rules football matches, organised by Australian Rules Football, football sports broadcaster and former Australian Football League, VFL Umpire (Australian rules football), umpire Harry ...

, 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, Olympic handball or indoor 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 thr ...

court in

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) 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 headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

. 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, prov ...

. 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 Gaelic games players from County Tipperary Tipperary County Board administrators Tipperary inter-county Gaelic footballers Tipperary inter-county hurlers 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people 20th-century Irish sportsmen

See also

References