In spite of the inclement weather in the earlier part of the day, a large crowd turned out to honour Mick O’Dwyer, who is widely acknowledged as a legend in his own time. Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, who was a regular on Micko’s great teams unveiled the bronze sculpture of Micko on Saturday 23rd of June at 5:30 pm.
Eugene Dennehy did the initial introduction and then the inimitable Micheál O’ Muircheartaigh took over as master of ceremonies. Micheál recounted past times and travels, which he and Micko shared.
Speakers included Patsy Cronin, chairman of the South Kerry Partnership, which provided financial assistance for the project. Others to speak were Paddy Fogarty, a lifelong friend of Micko. He recounted Micko’s early years and his rise to the great heights with which we all are now familiar. Darby Clifford, current chairman of the club, spoke warmly of Micko’s contribution to the club through the years.
Minister Deenihan was the penultimate speaker and again his praise was fulsome. He paid Micko a huge compliment when he said that what he learned from the maestro during his years as a member of the Kerry team influenced him in his later life as a politician. He learned patience, perseverance and determination among many other skills.
Micko thanked everyone who contributed to the event. He paid a very special tribute to Mary Carmel who supported him all through his sporting life and oversaw the business, while he travelled widely to fulfill his footballing ambitions.
The project was guided by chairman, Gerard Cronin and his industrious committee who organised the logistics that led to the sculpture being commissioned, financed and placed in its location in the village for future generations to admire and be inspired by. A special thanks to sculptor Alan Hall for his fine piece of work.
For all who were present it will be a day to remember forever. This is a long overdue honour to our own Mick O’Dwyer.
As one speaker rightly said, there should be a similar sculpture at Jones’ Rd in Dublin in appreciation for what O’Dwyer has done for Gaelic football.
