Margaret Byrne to receive GAA President’s  Award

Mount Leinster Rangers Secretary, Margaret Byrne, has been chosen as one of the recipients for the 2025 GAA President’s Awards at a gala night taking place in Croke Park on February 7th.

The County Wexford native, who hails from the Cloughbawn club, moved to Borris when she and her husband, Eddie, married in 1984. While she was not that much involved with the formation of the Rangers club when Borris, Ballymurphy and Rathanna amalgamated in the 1990s, she had more than a passing interest in what was happening. She went on to hold a number of roles in the club but for the last 17 years she has been secretary of Mount Leinster Rangers.

The President awards are for a cross-section of people who have shared the common theme of making an inspirational impact on their code and also their club and community. Margaret fits that description to a tee and her outstanding commitment and long service to the club and the county network will be recognised at national level next month.

Margaret has never been someone who blows her own trumpet but she does concede she is chuffed to be a recipient.

“It surely means something. Absolutely. It is a great honour but it isn’t really about me. It is as much about the club because without it, I wouldn’t be there,” she says.

All her children, Karen, Roisin, Eimear, Fiona, Eddie and Diarmuid are involved in the GAA in some form or another at both club and county level. Her husband, Eddie, a former Carlow County Board Chairman, needs no introduction and is or has been involved in the GAA at local, provincial and national level. In fact, Eddie senior was the second secretary of the club when the amalgamation was in its infancy.

The Mount Leinster Rangers club is instantly recognised across the country. They won an intermediate hurling club title in 2012 and a year later Rangers annexed a senior Leinster club hurling title when they beat Oulart The Ballagh in the provincial decider.

“The club is well known. The name of the club is well-known. That is a help when people are thinking about awards. It is a great honour. I had heard tell of them before. It is for people who are unknown in the GAA if you put it that way,” says Margaret.

She takes most satisfaction from that Leinster senior hurling final in Nowlan Park. From a family point of view, Eddie junior’s Man of the Match performance in Croke Park against Middletown na Fianna was a moment to treasure.

Then there was the development of Mount Leinster Rangers where a lot of hard work was finally rewarded.

“It was great for the club to get the second pitch in Borris. They had been looking for it for a long time. It is things like that which you can take a lot of satisfaction out of as well,” says the 2025 Gradam Award recipient.

Ultimately these awards are special but Margaret just loves the involvement and watching good things happen when people come together for the betterment of the community.

“There is no point in making a big thing of it. I would rather push from behind than lead from the front,” she says.