WHILE EVERYONE involved with Shamrock Rovers was in celebratory mood following their latest Premier League title win; few will have been as overjoyed as Peter “Puck” Quinn. An ever-present at the club, it meant the world to Puck to see the lads storm over the line with a 5-1 win over Kilmore to lift that all-important trophy.
As if the joy of seeing the club win the league wasn’t enough, there was a further honour for the club stalwart last week as it emerged that the club would officially rename their ground Peter Quinn Park to thank him for all his hard work over the years in getting the club to the level that they are now at.
“Puck has been involved with the club since the very start in 1978,” said fellow committee member John Paul O’Connor. “Over that time he’s held down virtually every role. He’s managed teams, been on the committee, served as Chairman and now he’s Club President.”
The amount of fundraising that Peter has done for the club over the years is astonishing and he’s a familiar sight for anyone who enjoys a pint locally as he arrives in every pub in town with his ticket book on a weekly basis, hoping to charm an extra few euro from the punters to go towards the club.
“Anyone who knows Enniscorthy knows that he’s out there every week from Thursday to Sunday selling tickets for the club,” John Paul said. “There’s a lot of facilities we have up at the club that wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for Puck and the re-naming is well deserved.”
Never normally one to be short of a word or two, Puck was said to have been left speechless by the gesture.
“At the moment he doesn’t really want to talk about it,” said John Paul. “Any time it came up at a committee meeting or anything, he’d brush over it. At the back of it all though, he’s delighted. At the same time he’ll keep on doing exactly what he’s doing and what he’s always done for the club regardless.”
Now rather than welcoming teams to Father Murphy Park, Shamrock Rovers will be hoping that next season they can bring some more silverware back to Peter Quinn Park.
Peter “Puck” Quinn (centre) pictured with managers Nicky Murphy Snr and Jr after Shamrock Rovers’ cup win last year. Pic: Sarah Murphy