On what was arguably the most momentous day in the history of the Passage club, the opening of Manning Park in March 1952, it was fitting that the chairman of the club at that time was Paddy Healy.

In the 1920’s and 1930’s when the town of Passage was going through very tough economic times it was no surprise that the Passage club struggled to stay in existence. There was no doubt that Paddy and his brother Bill were leading figures to ensure that the club survived.

Paddy, of course, was also a very talented player in both hurling and football and when Passage defeated Sarsfields to win the 1924 County intermediate hurling title, Paddy was one of the leading players on the team. His performances during that campaign obviously drew the attention of the Cork junior hurling selectors and when Cork claimed the All-Ireland junior championship in 1925, under the captaincy of Passage man Mick Kenny, Paddy had earned himself a place on the panel.

In the 1920’s when the Passage club did not field any football team Paddy lined out with the famous city football club Nils. He obviously made an impression in the big ball code also as he soon earned himself a place on the Cork senior football team in that period.

When his playing days were over Paddy soon got involved in the administration side of the club and his greatest legacy in this regard was the leading role he played in acquiring and developing Manning Park. Paddy was also well known in the Passage area as a greyhound trainer and handled one very successful dog by the name of “Oh By Jingo”.

At the time of his passing in 1982 Paddy was a very proud president of the club he had served so well.