Two Old Friends Honoured in a Night to Remember
By JOHN O'FLYNN
Canadian County Board Secretary
VANCOUVER - It was an historic night on November 17 when two new trophies were unveiled which will now become the Gaelic Athletic Association's pre-eminent championship awards in men's and ladies Gaelic football in Western Canada.
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THE BUTLER FAMILY: (L-R) Grant Livingston, Liam Segarty, Catholine and Tom Butler, Mary Ann and Theresa Segarty.
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MEMBERS of the late Tom Gibbons family. (L-R) - Liam Gibbons and Theresa Delaney with John O'Flynn.
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THE GIBBONS FAMILY. (L-R) FRONT ROW Jim and Theresa Delaney and Morgan Delaney (Tom's granddaughter, holding the Tom Gibbons cup), and Liam Gibbons. BACK ROW - Kieron Gibbons and Germain Gibbons (Liam's wife).
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THE VANCOUVER WOMEN'S TEAM with the new Tom Gibbons Cup. (L-R) Olivia O'Hara, Katrina McAndrews, and holding the Cup is Kate Clark, manager with the Vancouver Harps Women's Gaelic Football Club, Erin McGinley (behind the Cup) and Catherine Flynn. They are standing with Liam Gibbons and his sister Theresa.
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RONAN DEANE, who acted as master of ceremonies along with John O`Flynn for the evening, with Tom Butler.
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SEAN QUINN (one of the organizers for the Tom Butler and Tom Gibbons evening) with Tom Butler.
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These trophies will honour two old friends - Tom Butler and the late Tom Gibbons - who each contributed to the development of Ireland's games of Gaelic football and hurling in the Pacific Northwest.
On behalf of the GAA Canadian County Board Chairman Brian Farmer, I want to congratulate Tom Butler, the Gibbons family and the GAA communities of Alberta and British Columbia.
TOM BUTLER
In 1951 Tom Butler and his wife Teresa (nee Ryan), who had been childhood neighbours in their hometown of Kilmaine, County Mayo, arrived in Vancouver to begin a new life in Canada along with their children, Mary Ann and Kevin.
In the years that followed their arrival, almost every new Irish emigrant to Vancouver became aware of Tom and Teresa's address and phone number. There was always a warm welcome and many a party hosted at their home.
So in 1957, Tom was not surprised to receive a call from another new immigrant called Tom Gibbons asking him to come downtown to meet up with him.
Butler asked where he would like to meet and Gibbons replied, "Under the shagging sun!" Butler was bewildered, "Under the shagging sun?"
It turns out that Gibbons was referring to the old Sun Building on West Broadway in Vancouver. They met up and the two became good friends.
Tom Butler was a supporter of the GAA's first club, the Vancouver Sons of Erin, which was formed in 1961. The club went on to win a Northwest Championship on July 27, 1962 over Seattle and Portland. That summer they went to San Francisco, to battle for the Western Championship.
The Sons of Erin wound down and Tom turned his GAA support to the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club formed in 1974. He would see the 1984 and 1985 Northwest Champions go on to Boston and Chicago to battle for the North American Junior crown.
Vancouver would later travel to Calgary in June 1990 with their trainer, Tom Butler, and in 1991 Tom would serve on the ISSC executive. Tom made it to all of the tournament cities, at one time or another in the Pacific Northwest.
A few years later, Tom lost his dear wife, Teresa and many of us were at her funeral to hear the late Danny Burns sing his signature ballad song, Grace, as a tribute to a person who was deeply mourned.
As the name suggests, the Irish Sporting and Social Club encompasses both a sporting and a social element. Seeing individuals meet and becoming couples through the club is testimony to its success as a social entity.
Well...by God, how good it was when Catholine Egan and Tom Butler met, hooked up, became two mad lovers, and married in 1994. The Celtic Connection was marrying into the GAA!
There is no doubt that our games in Western Canada have thrived because of this "love
connection" of The Celtic Connection and the GAA.
This is no "Lifetime Achievement Award" signifying that's it, Tom, you're done! Using the words of our good friend, Tom Gibbons, "No shagging way!"
This was a night to honour Tom, and remind him that there are numbers of Irish community organizations who still want him to sign on and help them out for St. Patrick's Day....and possibly sell some of those 2008 Irish Women Network calendars.
But we understand that Tom has been "contracted" out to deliver The Celtic Connection papers up until the Winter Olympics are finally staged....one day, in Ireland.
TOM GIBBONS
Tom Gibbons (Thomastown, Kilkenny) came to Vancouver in 1957 where he met Agnes Morrison (Belfast). They would marry that year at St. Augustine's Church on October 23 and were later blessed with four children, Theresa, Thomas, Liam and Kieron.
With Tom's love for the Gaelic games, he supported the Vancouver Sons of Erin Gaelic Football Club in the early Sixties. In the Seventies up until the late Nineties, he contributed to the Vancouver Irish Sporting and Social Club.
Tom cheered from the side lines, volunteered to officiate, lined the fields of play, and often took beaten up old hurls and gave them the attention needed for an "extended" playing life, as only a true hurling man from Kilkenny could do.
At half time in any Gaelic football match, it would be Tom Gibbons leading the charge of hurling enthusiasts to give a mighty exhibition of skill at John Hendry Park.
Tom was delighted that his sons took an interest with the Gaelic games. A proud moment for him was when his son Liam was awarded the Nick Forrestal Memorial Trophy in 1990 as the "Most Promising Young Canadian." That same year, at a Seattle tournament, a senior merit medal was awarded to Tom along with two crystal glasses as a token of appreciation for his work as a referee.
The All Ireland football finals were brought in "live" for the first time in Vancouver in 1990 at St. Augustine's School. Tom was the custodian at the school and was well known for the standard of his "shaggin" work.
In July 1998, Tom was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to the Gaelic games at the Bailey's Cup and JJ Hyland Memorial Tournament. It also gave him great satisfaction to see both the men and lady footballers of Vancouver win all the trophies that year.
On the day of his death on December 10, 1998, Gaels from throughout the Pacific Northwest traveled to salute Tom and offer their condolences to Agnes and his family.
Each time the Tom Gibbons Trophy is lifted by a ladies championship team in years to come, we will remember him.
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