In 1960 when Verolme Cork Dockyard commenced shipbuilding in Rushbrooke it provided a big boost to the town of Passage as a lot of local men were given employment there. One particular employee of the dockyard eventually proved to be a great asset to the Passage G.A.A. club. When Ballinascarty native Ned Harrington started work in Verolme himself and his wife May decided to settle in Passage in 1962.

Coming from a G.A.A. background, Ned did not waste any time in involving himself in the affairs of the local club and almost 50 years later he is still a very central figure in the activities of the passage club.

In his early years he acted as a selector in various adult teams in both hurling and football and then he got very involved in under-age affairs in conjunction with people like Dermot Lynch, Finbarr Harrington, Joe Nugent and Tommy Lester. Ned was never fussy about which aspect of the club he was asked to serve which meant that there is probably no facet of the club that he has not played a part in.

He was deeply involved in the local Parish Leagues in the 1970’s and saw many young players emerge from these competitions some of whom went on to become adult stars in the Passage colours.

He also took on the role of delegate to Bórd na nÓg and this led him to being persuaded to take up refereeing. It was not long before he became a well known whistle-blower in the City Division area and was highly regarded in this difficult aspect of our games.

Despite all his work in different sections of the club Ned’s current role is probably the one he will be best remembered for. About 12 years ago when Matt Aherne was setting up a field committee he sought the assistance of Ned who he knew was very capable and very committed to a job which very few were interested in. Not surprisingly Ned totally engrossed himself in his new role and as each year progressed he played a bigger role in the maintenance of Manning Park.

The acquisition of more land by the club to increase and improve the playing facilities meant more work for Ned to the extent that he was spending every hour available to him to make the Passage G.A.A. headquarters the envy of most other clubs. It is an adequate testament to Ned’s diligence and skill as a grounds keeper that the 13 acres site under his care at Manning Park is in an absolute pristine condition.