Offaly GAA legend and greyhound trainer to receive lifetime achievement award
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Offaly football great Paddy McCormack will be added to the Irish Greyhound Hall Of Fame at the Killashee Hotel in Naas next weekend.
Paddy McCormack was better known as the “Iron Man from Rhode” during his playing days for Offaly in the 60s and 70s and was on the 71/72 Offaly All-Ireland winning. The team also collected five Leinster titles during Paddy's time and he was recognised with an All-Star award.
Paddy has had plenty of success with the long tails and I remember well that night when he went agonisingly close to winning the Irish Puppy Derby at Harolds Cross in 2002 when Odette was just narrowly beaten by Fortune Mike.
Paddy has been a formidable force on the track winning some of the big competitions and breeding plenty of top dogs.
Amongst some of the top dogs that he has trained that spring to mind are Ballinderry Duke, Odile, Emdee Boys, Ripley Lad, Lolos Choice and Hi Girl
Paddy also had plenty of luck in the coursing sphere in both breeding and training winning trial stakes with Ringroe Holly and Drumcooley Dame who is the dam of the great sire Multibet who also won two champion stakes.
Paddy was a huge help to me over the years and I had the pleasure of working with Paddy for over five years where we had many a great night.
This is a proud night for Paddy his wife Josie and all the McCormack family.
Congratulations Paddy on a well deserved lifetime achievement and richly deserved recognition for your contribution to the Irish Greyhound industry.
His fellow Rhode man Paddy Merriman will also be honoured on the night in the Killsahee.
Paddy from Coole, Rhode is a former classmate of Hall Of Fame recipient Paddy McCormack and will be honoured with the Special Merit Award for his services to the greyhound industry.
Paddy has been involved in greyhounds for over seventy years and has been a very successful owner/breeder and trainer where his finest hour was in 2011 with his homebred Highview Horizon won the consolation oaks final in Ireland’s premier track Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium. Another homebred bitch Highview Beauty was very narrowly beaten in the Comerfordcakes Final and later finished fourth in the Ladbrokes 600 having returned from a serious injury.
This is a really family run affair business for Paddy along with his wife Dolores and two sons Gerry and Declan.
Having been a champion trainer around the midland tracks for years Paddy has now handed over the licence to his son Gerry and has been producing numerous winners in Shelbourne Park.
One of the first bitches Paddy had was a bitch he bred to Irish Airport many years ago and that was the start of the road which leads us to Paddy been honoured with this award.
On a personal note, my late father Kevin began his involvement in greyhounds through Paddy when he bought his first dog in the early 2000s called Good Trust by Paddy’s stud dog Loan Trust and provided many a great celebration when victory was achieved.