"On Saturday, I had the huge honour of officiating at the naming of Westport Rugby Club’s grounds as Joe McGovern Park, at a very well-attended ceremony. 

It was wonderful to see presidents of local rugby clubs, former presidents of Westport Rugby Club, the President and former Presidents of the Connacht Rugby Branch, as well as our special guests Joe and Ann McGovern, their family and extended family, and members of the Hughes and McGovern families. 

Joe’s daughter Clodagh spoke about how rugby had been an integral part of their lives growing up and recalled Joe bringing them down to pick stones in Carrowholly when the pitch was first being developed. 

She also spoke on Joe’s behalf about his many experiences in the club, the friendships he made across the province over the years and shared one or two great stories from back in the day. 

Joe also referenced the work we are doing now to develop the club as we get serious about funding the planned extension. It was fitting on a day that recognised the work of those who helped build the club that we were also looking towards its future. 

Tom Horkan, President of Connacht Rugby, spoke about just how widely known and respected Joe is across the province. As soon as Tom heard about the event in Westport, he adjusted his calendar to make sure he could attend and pay tribute to Joe and his contribution to rugby. 

From a personal perspective, it was one of the highlights of my time as President. The interaction with so many parts of our community — represented by local soccer, golf and GAA clubs, along with the wider attendance — was fantastic. The crowd was much bigger than we had anticipated and showed the regard in which Joe and his family are held. 

I’d like to thank everybody who helped put the ceremony together, especially people on the committee like Liz Brady and Joe O’Malley. In truth, though, it was a broad effort involving lots of people to make everything happen on the day. A big thank you to everyone who helped, as always. 

The photos in this post show just how many people came along to recognise Joe and celebrate his contribution to Westport RFC, and the energy and enthusiasm around the whole ceremony. 

As a club, we need to build on that enthusiasm and use it as a springboard for our extension development project. 

We really couldn’t have hoped for a better day — great weather, a fantastic turnout and a wonderful group of people coming together to celebrate Joe, Ann and their family. 

It was a very special day for Joe and his family, and a very special day for Westport RFC "

John Ryan
President, Westport RFC