Paddy Fenning

Paddy Fenning
Personal information
Irish name Páidí Ó Fionnáin
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left corner-forward
Born 25 June 1950
Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
Died 15 May 2020 (aged 69)
Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Occupation Sales manager
Club(s)
Years Club
Tullamore
Club titles
Offaly titles 2
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
1969–1980
Offaly 32 (1–22)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 4
All-Irelands 2
NFL 0
All Stars 0
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 18:41, 15 May 2020.

Patrick Fenning (25 June 1950 – 15 May 2020) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he had success with Tullamore and was a two-time All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner with the Offaly county team.[1]

Playing career

Fenning's inter-county career with Offaly began at underage level and saw him claim Leinster Under-21 Championship medals in 1968 and 1971. He made his senior debut in 1970 in a tournament game played at Wembley Stadium and won his first All-Ireland Championship the following year after coming on as a substitute in the final against Galway. Fenning claimed a second successive winners' medal in 1972 after scoring a goal from 50 yards in the All-Ireland final replay defeat of Kerry. Fenning's 11-season career with the Offaly senior team ended after an All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Kerry in 1980, by which stage he had made a combined total of 91 League and Championship appearances and also claimed four Leinster Championships. He was also selected for the Leinster inter-provincial team, claiming a Railway Cup medal in 1974, and won county senior championship medals in 1973 and 1977 with Tullamore.[2]

Late life and death

In retirement from playing, Fenning became heavily involved in fund-raising for local causes. He was named Offaly Person of the Year in 2011 in recognition of his management of a number of projects, among them helping erase the debt on Tullamore's GAA social centre; raising €200,000 to purchase a CT scanner for the local hospital as well as supporting an arts centre and municipally-owned swimming pool in Tullamore.[citation needed]

Fenning died aged 69 on 15 May 2020, having been diagnosed with motor neuron disease the previous year.[3][4] He was survived by his wife Kathryn and two children.[citation needed]

Honours

Tullamore
Offaly
Leinster

References

  1. ^ "Paddy Fenning". Hogan Stand. 2 September 1994. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. ^ Barry, Stephen (15 May 2020). "Offaly All-Ireland winner Paddy Fenning passes away after illness". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  3. ^ Hogan, Vincent (11 January 2020). "'I've accepted it. Like, why not me? Why should it be somebody else?'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  4. ^ Hogan, Vincent (15 May 2020). "Offaly All-Ireland winner Paddy Fenning passes away". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 May 2020.