In thousands of G.A.A. clubs throughout the country there are many people who have given great service on the field of play and also devoted their lives to the administrative side of the club. To find people who have given huge commitment to their clubs, both on and off the field, would be a more difficult task and the Passage club are lucky to have such a man in its ranks. We refer to none other than Thomas Harrington.

From a young age he was seen to be a hurler of well above average ability and his dedication to the game enhanced his natural ability and made him one of the best players the Passage club produced. Even though hurling would always have been his first preference he was also a footballer of considerable prowess. As a young footballer in the early 1980’s he looked like becoming a lynchpin of the Passage defensive sextet for a long period.

However the management duo of Brian Geary and Terry Howard had other ideas and when Passage moved up to intermediate ranks in 1983, Thomas was suddenly converted to a goalkeeper. Not for the first time, the football management had shown astute judgement. When Passage dined at the top table of Cork football for a few years, the custodian was as good as any in the county.

Even though he gave total commitment to any Passage team he played on, Thomas still found time to get immersed in the organising and coaching of various underage teams. Even without statistics to prove it, it would be fair to say that “Harris”, as he is popularly known, has played more matches in the Passage jersey than any player in the history of the club. In 1981 he played in 66 competitive games for Passage in one year and this is certainly a statistic that few players in any club could equal.

The devotion of Thomas to the Passage club is an ongoing courtship and will be for many years to come. And so say all of us.