John Maguire Tournament
2022
John Maguire U12 Girls Tournament
How It All Began
John was a huge supporter of Ladies Football within the club, at a time when it was in its infancy across the country.
He had a vision to nurture and develop teams for young girls and ladies in the community, with aspirations for them to reach their full potential in life and within our club.
He was driven by the fact that he had 15 granddaughters, all of them actively playing football or camogie for the club at different stages and different levels.
John was especially proud of his own granddaughters, Joanne, Laura and Audrey when in November 1998, the Ladies senior team, of which they were a major part of, reached the holy grail, when they secured an All Ireland title.
A first for the club !
John to this day has great granddaughters currently playing at juvenile level and still representing him with pride.
It is therefore fitting that we have a special U13 girls tournament dedicated to John’s memory.
John Maguire
John Henry Maguire passed away at the grand old age of 88 on March 28th 2017. Often described by many as a “legend” with many a fine story to tell.
He was a character, not afraid to speak his mind. He said it as it was !
John will be fondly remembered by many for many different reasons, from his farming exploits, to coal delivery man, to factory worker, to his work with horses, to his beloved Cooley Kickhams.
John played for Cooley Kickhams, he also served as physio and selector. His election as Lord Mayor of Cooley was the icing on the cake for him. Being appointed honorary president of the club was a proud moment also, however it was when he pulled on the Cooley jersey and lined out at full-back that he felt most proud. His many playing exploits were the spark of many a good tale.
In 1950 John scored a very famous goal from the halfway line in Brown’s field as Willville Stars took on Greenore.
A few years later he had an interesting encounter while playing against St Marys Ardee, when he encountered Dermot O’Brien, the singer! Their encounter ended with poor John being knocked out cold.
When John’s football career ended he became a regular on North Louth Border Vintage Club tractor and car runs. John loved meeting people and having the craic with everyone.
