Donal Keenan facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Dónall Ó Cianáin | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Left wing-forward | ||
| Born | 10 March 1919 Elphin, County Roscommon, Ireland |
||
| Died | 19 September 1990 (aged 71) Cork, Ireland |
||
| Occupation | Medical doctor | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Elphin | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Roscommon titles | 2 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
|
1940-1947
|
University College Dublin | ||
| College titles | |||
| Sigerson titles | 2 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
|
1939-1951
|
Roscommon | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Connacht titles | 4 | ||
| All-Irelands | 2 | ||
| NFL | 0 | ||
Donal Keenan (born March 10, 1919 – died September 19, 1990) was a very important person in Gaelic games. He was a great player, a coach, and a leader. He even became the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) from 1973 to 1976. The GAA is the main group that organizes Gaelic sports in Ireland.
Contents
Early Life and Club Football
Donal Keenan was born in a place called Elphin, County Roscommon. He started playing Gaelic football when he was young. He played for his local club, Elphin. He was a talented player for many years.
He won two club championships with Elphin. Before that, he also won a championship with University College Dublin. This was when he was studying at the university.
Playing for Roscommon
Donal Keenan also played for his county team, Roscommon. He first joined the junior team. He helped them win an All-Ireland title in 1940.
Later, he joined the senior Roscommon team. This was a very successful time for Roscommon football. Donal played a big part in their wins. He helped Roscommon win two All-Ireland medals. They won these in 1943 and 1944. He also won four Connacht medals. These are championships for teams in the Connacht province.
Donal also played for the Connacht provincial team. He played for them six times in a row. He stopped playing for Roscommon after the 1951 championship.
Life After Playing
After he stopped playing, Donal Keenan stayed involved in Gaelic football. He became a coach and manager. He worked with the Roscommon senior team for nearly 20 years. During this time, they won two more Connacht titles.
Donal also took on leadership roles in the GAA. He was the chairman of the Roscommon County Board starting in 1958. Then, from 1970, he was the chairman of the Connacht Council. This was a big step up.
In 1973, Donal Keenan was chosen as the 24th president of the GAA. This is a very important job in Irish sports. He led the GAA for three years, until 1976.
Achievements and Awards
Donal Keenan achieved a lot in his life. He was a champion player and a respected leader.
With Elphin
- Roscommon Senior Football Championship (2): 1950, 1951
With University College Dublin
- Sigerson Cup (1): 1945, 1946
- Dublin Senior Football Championship (1): 1945 (as captain)
With Roscommon
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (2): 1943, 1944
- Connacht Senior Football Championship (4): 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947
- All-Ireland Junior Football Championship (1): 1940
- Connacht Junior Football Championship (1): 1940
