GAA Handball are delighted to confirm the recipient of Gradaim an Uachtaráin 2015 which was presented at a special banquet in Croke Park on Friday last was Tim Healy from the Liscarroll Handball Club in Cork
The awards, organized with the support of club championship sponsors AIB, are staged annually by the GAA and provide the GAA President with an opportunity to acknowledge outstanding commitment and long service across the club and county network from people whose highly valued contribution is seldom recognised nationally.
Tim Healy has been one of the true stalwarts of Cork handball for well over a quarter of a century. While the club, and what was good for the club always came first with Tim, at County and Provincial level over the years when the need to put your shoulder to the wheel arose, the challenge was never shirked by Tim, you could always count on him. Men like him don’t come along every day. The same applied when Tim, as a hurler always gave Liscarroll club outstanding service and in addition Tim worked in Golden Vale Foods who were one of the powerhouses of Inter – Firm Hurling from the sixties to the Eighties, he was an ever present with those teams.
As Tim moved on in years he continued to play handball and is a committed member of the Liscarroll club, he was to the fore when it was decided to convert the old 60/30 Alley into a 40/20 court, contributing to the work and effort to complete the project. Secretary for many years he did Trojan work and night after night Tim would be found in the handball court refereeing and organising games. He is still very active in his club ensuring that things are done properly; no task has ever been too big or too small for him.
Tim excelled as an administrator and in 1993 he was elected Chairman of Cork Handball Board, a position he held until 2009. During his tenure as Chairman Handball made great strides in Cork. He also served as Munster Council Chairman from 1998 to 2000. He remains as one of the Cork delegates to Munster Council where his wise council is highly respected.
He always had great interest in juvenile handball and was always encouraging young players at Club and County level. In the early 90s, the Munster Handball Council mooted the idea of organising a juvenile tournament over the Christmas/New Year and Tim volunteered to give it a go. Twenty years on and it is now among the best Juvenile Tournaments in the Country, with players from all Provinces competing over the 6 days. It now attracts over one hundred entries and runs from December 27th to January 1st each year.