The following is an extract from a conversation with our late Patron Donie Sheahan, RIP, that was held circa 2007. Included are a sample of recent photo's of Donie around club events.
Donie arrived in Killarney in the latter half of the 1940s to work in O’Donoghue’s Chemist, before moving here full-time and setting up home and business in 1951. He threw his lot in with Dr. Crokes and won a County Championship in 1951 with the Dick Fitzgerald’s. Donie smiled when recalling captain, Teddy O’Connor, meeting him on High Street sometime after the final and putting his hand into Donie’s pocket to deposit his County Medal. There were no banquets in those days. Donie also won a County Championship Basketball medal with New Street that same year.
Donie served in many roles in Dr. Crokes through the years, including Assistant Secretary, Honorary Treasurer, Trainer and Selector. He was a County Board Delegate for fifty years and East Kerry Board delegate for twenty-five. He took on the position of Club Chairman on three separate occasions, accumulating nineteen years in total in the post. With great pride, Donie recounted how it was during his time as chairman that Dr. Crokes seven in a row O’Donoghue Cups. Subsequent to this conversation, in recognition of his service, the club bestowed on Donie the honour of the position as Club Patron.
Donie recalled that for seven years he trained the East Kerry team that won four County Championship titles, going on to win the inaugural All Ireland Club Championship in 1971. He served as a Kerry selector for Junior, Senior and U21 grades and was proud of contributing to the 1975 winning of the Senior and U21 titles. Donie learned his training skills from studying another great Crokes member, Dr. Eamonn O’Sullivan, when training Kerry All Ireland winning teams in Fitzgerald Stadium.