GAA President Jarlath Burns and the architect of the modern Croke Park, Des McMahon, are among those involved in a tribute event for Tyrone GAA great Frank Rodgers taking place this Saturday night.
The Beragh man, who passed away last summer at the age of 82, contributed immensely to the development of Gaelic games in the O’Neill County, as a player, club and county administrator, and journalist.
However, his influence extended throughout the northern province as a contributor to BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Sunday Sportsound’ programme, from its inception half a century ago in 1974.
‘Remembering a Red Knight’ will commence at 7.30pm this Saturday night, August 31, at Beragh Community Hub at St Mary’s Park, compered by Beragh vice-chairperson Ger Treacy.
A 25-minute film entitled ‘Let’s Be Frank’ includes comments on Frank’s life and career from Jarlath Burns and Des McMahon, who grew up with Rodgers and remained a life-long friend. Also remembering Rodgers are BBC NI’s Mark Sidebottom and Dominic McClements, Managing Director of the North West News Group, which publishes the Ulster Herald.
Frank Rodgers literally made his club’s name, coming up with the ‘Beragh Red Knights’ title in 1972, in the early days of his 24-year stint as club secretary from 1968 to 1991.
Having played for Tyrone before injury curtailed his career, he became an industrious and innovative administrator, and also a ground-breaking journalist, going on to win two GAA MacNamee awards, in 1979 and 2004.
A father of five, one of his sons, Alan, followed his example to become a well-known GAA journalist in Tyrone, and has organised this event.
As Secretary of the Tyrone Fixtures Committee from 1975 to 2000, along with Bertie Foley, Frank achieved the impressive feat of bringing together the East and West Tyrone Leagues.
“Throughout that time he would have been centrally involved in what was an important period for Tyrone,” said Alan. “A lot of the modern structures in terms of league and reserve leagues were put in place then.”
Frank was heavily involved in the promotion of the games, through the Tyrone Gaelic Games Annuals and a column for the Ulster Herald for 50 years. He also helped bring the GAA to a wider audience, reporting for Radio Ulster’s ‘Sunday Sportsound’ from 1974 to 1996.
The event will include an exhibition of Tyrone GAA items from the past 60 years, and early recordings of ‘Sunday Sportsound’ from 1974.
As well as making history, Frank Rodgers was recording it, as Alan recalls: “For the Tyrone teams he would have compiled all the different results in league and championship at the various grades. From a historical point of view, from ‘74 to about 2004, it’s a fairly complete record of all the teams and players for the county.
“In his column, for the first time, you could get all the details about Tyrone leagues, inter-county fixtures, and all like that in one place. Now that seems normal, but at that time it was something new, because coverage of Gaelic games was not widespread or consistent.
“The foundations that would have been put down then, in some respects they haven’t been surpassed in the modern era; they’ve changed, but they haven’t been surpassed.
“It’s not only a night to remember his significance to Beragh, there is that wider significance to it throughout Tyrone.”
County chairman Martin Sludden and county treasurer Niall McKenna will attend the event, as well as many who worked alongside him in that era, and the event will remember others who elevated Tyrone GAA, says Alan:
“It’s a chance not just to mark dad’s contribution but also that of the people who, at a time when the GAA wasn’t as popular, laid the foundations for what’s there now. Over the past year Tyrone have lost Art McRory, Brendan Harkin, Joe Martin, Eddie Devlin, and Jody O’Neill, all of whom made immense contributions for decades.”