St. Patricks GAA Club

We extend sympathy to Jimmy Noonan and Family Kylenagranagh on the recent death of Ann Noonan. The old saying goes that “behind every good man there lies a good woman” and it certainly applies in the case of Ann Noonan RIP and her husband Jimmy and their 14 children and 39 grandchildren. Jimmy helped St. Patricks to victory in the South Tipperary minor football final of 1963. As the years rolled on Jimmy and Ann's sons and daughters became involved and it was Ann who kept the Home Fires Burning when her boys and girls were in action on the football, hurling and camogie pitches in South Tipperary and beyond. John won a south Tipperary Junior Football championship with St. Patricks in 1986. Bobby was on the minor football team that reached the South final in 1988 and the under 21 team in 1989. In 1995 Bob and James (Jimpy) won South Tipperary Intermediate football medals and in 1998 James won a South Junior B hurling medal. In 1999 William Noonan helped St. Patricks to win the South Tipperary minor hurling championship and also lined out in the South minor football final. The minor hurlers were defeated by Clonakenny in a Co. Semi Final replay. William had been a member of the under 12 team that won a South Tipp double in 1995 when he won South Hurling and Football medals while still only 11 years old. In 1986 Brian helped St. Patricks to win a South Tipp Under 12 football title. Larry played in the South Tipp under 12 football final of 1997 but victory went to Carrick Davins. Michael also played under age with St. Patricks.

But action and success on the GAA field was not limited to the Noonan boys as Ann, Sarah and Emily helped Scoil Ruain Killenaule to victory in the Munster Secondary Schools Camogie final of 1995. The 3 Noonan girls had already won under 14 Co. Camogie Leagues in 1993 and 1994 and an Under 16 Co. Final in 1994. Ann, Sarah and Emily helped St. Pats to victories over Cashel and Kilruane before going under to Toomevara in the Co. Under 16 camogie semi final of 1996. Anne lined out with Maynooth College in 1999, a feat equalled by her son Jack Cleere in recent years. Not to be outdone Ann's husband Nigel Cleere holds an All Ireland Minor Hurling medal.

As the years roll on the next generation have already established themselves on the local GAA fields and we have seen the names of Daly, Cleere, Corbett and of course Noonan on many St. Patricks teams with some of them having already donned the Blue and Gold of Tipperary. The woman who provided support at home while all this was going in the last 40 – 50 years was the late Ann Noonan without whose dedication all this would not have been possible. May she rest in peace.