This year’s recipient has had a fruitful journey within the Clann na nGael family since first appearing on the scene 30 plus years ago, having been involved in all areas of the club.
It started within the underage setup, where many honours and accolades were won. These include an U14 county title in 1991, a Minor county title in 1995 and an U21 county title in 1997. With many great performances in the blue jersey it was inevitable that the primrose and blue would come a calling at some point, and so they did. He ended up representing Roscommon at U16 and Minor level with distinction. With such prominent progress at underage level it was no surprise that he was quickly drafted into adult football.

His first taste of success at this level came rapidly, playing on the winning Junior A team of 1997, and playing for the losing intermediate side the following year. He did have to wait a little while to enter the Senior set-up, but due to his cool personality he didn’t panic, trained hard and kept the head down. When he finally got his hands on the no. 4 jersey in the Senior Club Championship of 1999 at the age of 21, he didn’t relinquish it until 14 years later.

Throughout his playing days he really stood out as a defender for his own extremely unique style of play. Unorthodox, some might say beautiful, are just some ways to describe his style. His attributes included fantastic poise on the pitch, a real calmness with ball in-hand, excellent close control, an eye for a pass, and a positional sense probably not seen before or since in the club. No doubt many a player was saved by this man’s vision for what was coming around the corner.

Above all, the most impressive characteristic was the way he carried himself both on and off the field. Although never afraid to put his body on the line, he was always non-confrontational, and tended to go around opponents rather than through them. Maybe more impressive was his ability to control his emotions, never was a wrong word had with his own team players or management, opposition players, management and game officials. This representation of family, place and club was etiquette all should aspire to.

In 2008 he won the Senior Club Player of the Year award for his playing performances, culminating in lifting the O’Gara Cup for league promotion. This league success along with a good championship run in the same year was seen at the time as the first step of the clubs revival in fortunes.

Since his Senior representation came to an end, he has stayed involved on the playing pitches in Johnstown, both in a playing and managerial capacity. He stepped into the breach in 2011 with the Junior A county winning team, acting as selector and consiliari. This year he showed his leadership qualities, becoming the Don, the player/manager of the all-conquering Junior B County winning team.

With such an illustrious and hectic playing career, it’s hard to believe where he found the time, but he was also willing and able to lend a helping hand to the running of the club from an administrative prospective. For the last 6 years, he has held the somewhat poisonous chalice of assistant secretary aka fixtures secretary. The esteem he is held in by those within our club, all other club’s county wide, and the county board itself is a testament to his abilities in organisation, communication and persuasion.

His professional capabilities were also availed of by the club free gratis in recent years, when he gave of his time and expertise in the club’s infrastructural developments in Johnstown.

This man now holds the exclusive title of the only club man to have won both Senior Club Player of the Year and Club Person of the Year, an accomplishment worth noting.

Congratulations to the Clann na nGael Clubperson of the Year 2016, Ray Fallon Jr. AKA Minty.