Taoiseach to open Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch on Sunday
The late Detective Garda Colm Horkan.
The new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Community Walkways at Sarsfields GAA Club in Charlestown will be officially opened this Sunday, June 2nd by An Taoiseach, Simon Harris.
Charlestown native Detective Garda Horkan, who played for the club, was murdered while on duty in Castlerea on June 17th, 2020. The new pitch and community walkways, which took three years to complete, will provide the Charlestown club with a new state-of-the-art, all-weather, fully floodlit, playing pitch, and walkways for the wider community to enjoy for years to come.
Colm touched the lives of many in the communities of Charlestown and beyond. He loved his football and served Charlestown Sarsfields with distinction over the course of a long, stellar, and star-studded career. He donned the green and white jersey with honour and excellence and Fr. O’Hara Park took centre stage in many of his finest successes in a career that saw him reach some marvellous heights.
On the day of the official opening there will be several matches taking place to mark the occasion, with underage teams getting proceedings underway from 11 a.m. on the main pitch at Fr. O’Hara Park. Following the official opening of the new pitch at 1 p.m. the first game on the new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch will be an exhibition game, between a Charlestown Sarsfield’s masters selection, consisting of many of Colm’s former teammates and friends, against a star-studded masters selection from counties and clubs across Ireland. The senior ladies’ team will then play an exhibition game against the Templemore College Garda team, whilst the current senior men’s team will close proceedings with an exhibition match against a representative team from An Garda Siochana. There will be refreshments, entrainment, and activities for all the family to enjoy on the day.
Liam Breheny, Chairman, Charlestown Sarsfields GAA Club said: “Sunday, June 2nd will be both an emotional and very proud day for our club and community as we officially open the new Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Community Walkways. We will be honoured to welcome An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, TD, to our club to perform the official opening ceremony and thank him for taking the time from his busy schedule to join us on this special day. The goodwill shown and the offers of support from people, both locally, nationally, and from the diaspora around the world for this project has been heart-warming and the new facilities in Colm’s honour will be a fitting legacy for the great man and a facility for the community to enjoy for generations to come – something I know he would be immensely proud of.”
