Fran O'Sullivan and a life dedicated to Milltown GAA

Even after 30 years of service to Milltown GAA and even longer living in the area, Fran O’Sullivan still unfairly refers to himself as a “blow-in.”

The wind didn’t blow Fran far when he moved from Newbridge to Milltown with his wife, Patricia. It was little further than St Conleth’s to Manguard Park as the newly-wedded pair opted for Milltown as the natural compromise between their respective homes in Newbridge and Ballyteague. The move would prove a dream for all parties as the pair remained happily married and the local GAA club had a new driving force.

“When one of my son’s was about six, I was bringing him up to Moorefield every Saturday morning and my next door neighbour Chris Collins was bringing his young lad to Sarsfields,” Fran recalled.

“We said why don’t we try to start off an underrage team in Milltown, because there wasn’t one at the time. That’s what we did, we got a few ‘under-age fathers’ as we called them then and formed an underrage section of Milltown GAA in about 1989/1990.”

Under-age grades of Milltown, Allenwood, Ballyteague and Robertstown, formed part of the combined Parish of Allen club, Na Fianna. They have continued to do so at certain age groups too with Fran’s youngest son Niall winning a Minor ‘A’ Championship with the amalgamation club in 2004.

Fran and many of the other parents that were in at the ground level of Milltown’s underrage sides got to see the fruits of their labour in the senior team in 2008. The club lifted the Junior Football Championship, with Fran’s eldest Eoin being in the side.

“It was great to see him win it and to do it with all the young lads that he had started with when he was seven. One of the guys who had started with me at that time, Mick Moore, was chairman of the club and I was secretary. We were involved right the way through with those lads,” Fran explained.

HOST OF ROLES
In his time with Milltown, Fran occupied a whole host of roles within the club and was Club Person of the Year in 2008.
As well as a decade of similar positions within Bord na nÓg alongside his wife Patricia, who won PRO of the year in her time with the organisation.

Fran’s dedication to Milltown is of course born from his love of the GAA as a whole. Countless weekends spent in his uncle’s Ford Anglia following Kildare around the country with his dad, uncle and grandfather.

“When I started going on my own it was during Kildare’s league run in 1967/68, when they got to the league final. I remember the two great matches against Sligo in the semi-finals before they were beaten by Down in the final,” Fran recalled.

“I remember going up on the train to those games with a friend when we were 16. That was an adventure. I was always interested in the GAA, would have always followed Kildare and still do. I have had heavy involvement in the GAA as far back as I can remember, even going back as far as selling Moorefield hamper tickets.”

The expansion of the Milltown underrage systems that stand today are just part of what Fran and those groups of ambitious parents were driving back in the early ‘90s.

Fran and a few others would be part of the committee that oversaw the construction of a new clubhouse in 2010 and purchase of land for two new pitches in 2020.

Fran decided to step away from official Milltown duty at the end of 2023, but what a year to end on as the club lifted Kildare and Leinster Junior Football Championship titles.

“It was really great following them down to Wexford for the first (Leinster) game. We were very apprehensive as fans, but it was the attitude this year that I found different. I went up to the pitch on St Stephen’s day and there were 29 lads out training on that morning and that was the way since the county final. There was a week off after the county final and then it's been all go ever since,” Fran explained.

“It was a great adventure, experience, and something I hope that lives in their memories for the rest of their lives.”

Fran departed as chairman with county and provincial championships, as well as the club about to become All-Ireland semi-finalists. It was a fitting end after years of tireless dedication. Not too bad for a blow-in.

“I went out on a high, the new chairman got a terrible ribbing because his first game as chairman was the All-Ireland semi-final loss. Whereas I had been there for everything, including the Leinster final. So it was all his fault, but sure it was only a bit of banter,” Fran laughed.

“I was in and out over my 30 years, mostly in. Even at this past year's AGM they still think I am just on a two-year sabbatical, but this is it now, I’m 71, I’ve done my bit.”

FRIDAY CLUB
Fran certainly isn’t fully out of the club scene yet though as he still plans to take part in the ‘Friday Club’ every month and is still organising the lotto.

The man originally from Newbridge reflected on his own circumstances in moving to the area all those years ago. As well as the parallels with those detailed in Irish Times columnist Ciaran Murphy’s book This is the Life: Days and Nights in the GAA.

“The book talks about his father moving into Milltown, as it happens, in Galway and he had two options to get to know people. You had to either go to the pub or join the GAA club,” Fran explained.

“He ended up doing both. I just stuck with the GAA club myself and that's how I got to know people when I moved here. And I have built up brilliant friendships and great relationships over the years.”