Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, our final award and the main event of the evening is the induction of our 13th member into the Hall of Fame, Gerard Connolly. It is very fitting that we are here to honour Gerry tonight, as these awards and recognition of service were his idea back in 2010. However, when we asked clubs for their nominations at the November Management Committee, nobody, not least the man himself, would have predicted that it would have been Gerry receiving the main award this evening. Gerry’s decision to call time on his role as League & Match Secretary on 29th November was not expected or foreseen, but the Committee decided that now was the correct time to add his name to those in the Hall of Fame, many of whom Gerry had served alongside. Gerard Connolly, or “Wee Scone” as he is also known started his football career in the late sixties, playing for Slack & Parr, Irvinestown Wanderers and Enniskillen Corinthians prior to the formation of Enniskillen Town United in 1970, a club he is synonymous and indelibly linked with. A talented gaelic footballer who played in a McCrory Cup Final in 1970 and played at Minor level for Fermanagh, he played with the Town until the late seventies, a period when the new club did not enjoy much success in terms of silverware. In 1979, Gerry took on the role of Club Secretary with Enniskillen Town United, a role he has fulfilled for 30 years out of the past 40. He has been a member of the Management Committee of the club from its formation, with a sojourn from 1972 for a number of years whilst at college until the present day, fulfilling the additional role of Treasurer for the past 15 years. December also saw Gerry relinquish the post of Club Secretary to Toni Judge, and accede to the role of Chairman. In addition to his continuous administrative duties, Gerry also managed every team in the club from the A Team to the Under 11s. It is his role with the underage teams along with John Illand and the late Paul Keavney that most will remember him for; indeed, the vibrant youth policy he engendered at the club was ahead of most clubs, not only in this area, but throughout the province. This was evidenced by the fact that over a 10-year period, the U-18 team reached 5 semi-finals and 5 quarter finals of the Harry Cavan Youth Cup, at a time when few other Fermanagh & Western clubs even entered the competition. Not only did this youth section provide a steady stream of players to the senior club, it produced players who graced the highest level, the most famous graduates were Gary Beckett who forged a long and distinguished career both in the Irish League and more notably with Derry City, Michael McGovern who moved from ‘Town to Glasgow Celtic and was a star performer for Northern Ireland at the Euro2016 in France and Kieran McKenna, whose playing career was at Tottenham Hotspur was cruelly curtailed due to injury, but is now blazing a trail as First Team Coach at Manchester United. The 1993/94 season was a turning point for the club, securing a first Irish Junior Cup to go along with a second Mulhern Cup, in fact the club won every knockout competition it entered in that season. Despite this, it wasn’t until the 2004/05 season before the first Mercer title was secured, and in true London bus style, after waiting 35 years, the Mercer was retained for the next five years. It is widely recognised that the levels of sustained success achieved on the field can be directly linked back to Gerry, and the structures and procedures he instilled behind the scenes. If you would have said 10 years ago that the Fermanagh & Western would be honouring Gerard Connolly, and not only that, but it would be Neil Jardine giving the oration lauding him; well I think the men in white coats would be arriving via flying pigs to talk to you; but here we are, and here I am. Gerry has never cowered away from controversary and it could be said that he would look for an argument simply to enjoy the cut and trust of debate! Despite his avowed distrust for authority, Gerry joined the Management Committee of the Fermanagh & Western in the early 80s, taking over as Registrar in 1984. Gerry’s first legacy was the introduction of the Reihill Cup in 1986, the first competition solely for Reserve Teams. In 1987, Gerard stepped up the role of Secretary following the retirement of the much-respected Brendan Keogh. It was immediately apparent that his administrative capabilities were without equal, but it would also be fair to say that there was as much animosity directed towards Gerry as there was respect for his work. On April Fool’s Day 1994, Gerry decided that he could no longer work within the hierarchy of the League and resigned, signalling a stand-off behind the two parties for around eighteen months. Gerry returned to front line administration in 1998, assuming the role of Secretary in the autonomous Fermanagh & Western Youth League, which became the Brendan Keogh Youth League, staying for a tenure of 10 years. During this time, his ever-meticulous administration set the new body in good stead and encouraged more local clubs to provide dedicated youth structures expanding the reach of the game further. In 2009, my tenure as Secretary of the League was ended by Gerry by a single vote, the only time in living memory a sitting principal officer had been challenged at an Annual General Meeting and lost. Gerry had decided that change was required and that he would be the man to deliver that change, setting himself a five-year period of office to achieve this. A comprehensive review of rules was undertaken and is still in process, new initiatives such as tonight’s gathering were introduced to further raise the profile and prestige of the League. Whilst Gerry’s adm inistrative skills were unquestioned, it was a constant annoyance to him that many clubs did not adopt a similar stance. An information evening was laid on by the League each year in late July to school clubs in the need for efficient administration and to steer them in the correct direction to avoid falling fo u l of the rules. Unfortunately, the clubs who chose to shun this initiative were usually those that digressed in the coming season; Gerry would no t miss an opportunity to remind them of their tardines attending and the subsequent sanction they had evoked. Another major event s in not was launched in the shape of the end of season awards ceremony, where teams mark the performance of their opponents and referee after each game with all marks collated to provide teams of the year and players of the year in each of the three divisions, along with referee and young referee and player and young player of the year. After a few early problems and anomalies, this has proved to be an extremely worthy event and for those who have been in attendance, a perfect vehicle for displaying the organisational skills of “Wee Scone”. For the past 8 years, I have occupied the role of Chairman, witnessing at first hand the effort and preparation Gerry put into this demanding role. Whilst I have touched on the somewhat fractious nature of our relationship in the past, I wish to make it clear that in this period I consider that Gerry has been nothing but professional in his dealings with myself and those in the League, and that at no time has he taken any unilateral decisions that may be construed as controversial without consulting me . Indeed, I am indebted to him for his counsel on many occasions and am honoured to have worked so closely with him in the betterment of the League. His encyclopaedic knowledge of rule, articles and especially precedent in certain cases is frightening, and on more than one occasion I have been the butt of his ire and frustration when a decision has been made that was not to his satisfaction . However, decision made, move on and get on with the job in hand I think there is something in this for our political representatives to take heed of.wee As you are all aware, Gerry has suffered indifferent health in the last two years, notably a three k residential stay in the SWAH, rumour has it he now has a reserved seat at the clinics, such has been the frequency of his visits for further tests. This precipitated his desire to move away from the more stressful parts of his life and when compiling thi s , I rather tongueincheek asked how he was going to spend his retirement; it has been said that as a life long civil servant he might find it hard to know the difference between working and retirement. An avid Celtic fan, more frequent visits to Parkhead are planned, as are live concerts following two trips to see the Rolling Stones last summer. Gerry has an extensive music, film and literary collection that have not been fully appreciated over the last number of years and he looks forward to getting rea cquainted with these; that is, when he is not availing of his free travel on Translink thanks to his senior smart card. Enniskillen Town United celebrate their Golden Jubilee next year and it is no surprise that Gerry has already plans at an advanced stage for this event, and now that he has more time on his side, it is his intention to write a club history to commemorate the landmark. Gerry once commented that his toughest opponents were not on the football field, but the twin vices of alcohol and smoking, from which he freed himself in 1984 and 1992 respectively. However, it is clear to all that his undoubted skill and talent lay in administration, both at club and at local level. He will prove a difficult act to follow doing his job evidenced by the fact that there a re now two people but one thing is for sure; the structures and procedures that he developed, and our means for carrying out the business of the League, will stand those of us who continue, and those who will follow us in years to come, in very good stead, and Gerard Connolly accordingly, is a very fit person to be now inducted into the Fermanagh & Western Football League Hall of Fame.