Fifty Years Picking Stars

The Nationalist, May 7, 2026

Johnny O’Loughlin was recently honoured by the United Sports Panel for fifty years’ service to the committee. The main object of the Panel is to promote amateur sport throughout Tipperary by the annual presentation of the Annerville Awards to the selected stars. Founded in 1959 and sponsored by Bulmers Ltd since 1964, the United Sports Panel is the longest existing sports awarding body in the country.

Johnny joined in 1976 having been introduced by Sean Lyons, one of the founding members. Sean used to run a major sporting quiz in the Trades Hall (then situated opposite the Clonmel Garda Barracks), in which Johnny was a regular participant. Sean asked him to join and the rest is history. He was a good choice and has the record of never missing a committee meeting during the intervening years!

Johnny was eminently qualified to become a member of the United Sports Panel in 1976. Born in Old Bridge in 1941, he went to primary school in St. Peter and Paul’s and to secondary in the High School. He showed an early interest in games and soon showed his proficiency in hurling, football and basketball, turning out with St. Marys in hurling and in football and basketball with Commercials.

Basketball may appear a surprise inclusion but Johnny remembers it as a very popular game in Clonmel when he was growing up. The Commercials team played in the old Casino Hall and in St. Luke’s. Occasionally they played in Kickham Barracks. He remembers as a minor playing against the Army and beating them, even though they were hairy minors, since one had to be 18 to join!

Johnny graduated to play senior hurling and football with St. Mary’s and Commercials respectively but got a shock at the age of twenty when he was advised to give us sport because of heart problems. Probably had he been active in sport today he’d have been diagnosed with SADS. His ailment didn’t stop him from looking after juveniles later in life with Commercials, and with Clonmel Óg after it was founded in 1984.


Umpiring

Having to give up active sport was a huge disappointment for a young man with such enthusiasm, who was a regular player of hurling, football and basketball. Fortunately Johnny found a substitute in umpiring, not as active by any means but as close as he could come to the game without playing it. For nearly sixty years he was to act as umpire for such reputable referees as Brian White, Willie Barrett, P. J. Corby and Brian Tyrell.

Umpiring took Johnny all over the country. His record is impressive. He refereed senior football finals is all four provinces, numerous club finals and college finals as well. He loved the job, the travel and the camaraderie and continued doing it up to Covid.

He doesn’t recall any bad experiences. On one occasion he waved for a ’50 and the goalkeeper – he thinks it was against Roscommon – grabbed his arms and waved the ball wide! Brian White had to come in to sort matters out. Another incident was in Clones. They arrived without the correct documentation as they had been appointed as a replacement the Friday before, and the gate official wouldn’t let them in because they had no written information. It took the county chairman to sort matters out. There was also a problem in Portlaoise when they found the advertisements behind the goals deprived them of space to go behind to get a view of points. It was difficult to get the groundsman to see their point of view but he did agree eventually.

Johnny’s life wasn’t all sport. He met the love of his life in Kathleen Phelan and they married in 1968 and took up residence in College Avenue. The marriage produced seven children, six boys, and one girl, Michael, Christopher, Derek, Brendan, Seanie, Anthony and Melissa. They have all done well for themselves, and Seanie was the best footballer among them, with four county senior football titles won with Commercials. Until she died on May 2024, Kathleen used to cater for the whole clan on Christmas Day! It must have been a noisy household!

Johnny continues as an active member of the United Sports Panel, always the first to arrive for meetings. His contributions to discussions are always well-informed and clearly stated. He prides himself in organising the presentation dinner and in lining up the Stars for their awards. Interestingly the Star who received the golf award in 1976, Arthur Pierce, was the recipient of the Knocknagoiw award fifty years later!

Johnny’s long association with the awards is a tribute to his immense love of sport and his great knowledge of so many expressions of it.