Pat McKeown named Antrim Borough Council Sporting Legend

Background

Pat’s sporting prowess was evident in both Gaelic Football and Hurling. He was a valued member of Kickhams Creggan GAC, committing 25 years of his life to the team. 

His first taste of sporting success came in 1939 when he won his first Senior Hurling Championship with an amalgamated team known as Tír-Na-nÓg. This was just the beginning for Pat and in 1941, he, along with the rest of the Kickham’s Creggan team reigned victorious when they won the McCormick Cup before going on to win the Antrim Junior Football Championship in 1942 and the Antrim Senior Football Championship in 1943.

The pinnacle of Pat’s career came later that year when he reached the top of his game and was selected to play for Antrim in the All Ireland Hurling final – the highest competitive level available within the sport. Demonstrating his all round sporting ability, Pat then went on to represent Antrim County when they played in the All Ireland Football semi final in 1946, narrowly losing to Kerry.   

Named player of the year on more than one occasion, Pat was recognised by Antrim County GAA for his contribution to the many years of continued growth and success enjoyed by Kickham’s Creggan. In his pen picture for the All Ireland final, Pat was described as “a powerful tackler who can hold the strongest opponent”. 

After retiring from the game, Pat dedicated much of his time developing young sportsmen and women in the local community as well as refereeing at inter county level for more than 15 years.