Award for Portmarnock AFCPerson of the Year 2007Person of the Year 2007 Saturday, April 21st, the PSLC Gala Awards Night took place in the Martello Room in the centre. The club, like all the other clubs attached to PSLC, was asked to put forward a nomination for an award. The committee went to great length to select someone that really shows the true meaning of club person of the year. The person selected was John Ryan. We congratulate John on this award and hope he is with the club for many years to come. John Ryan, Portmarnock AFC John played schoolboy football with St. Kevin’s Boys before joining Portmarnock AFC in the 1984/85 season. He came to the club through his then ‘just good friend’ Cathy McWilliams, whom he married in 1987. At that time Cathy and her family were already represented on the team by her three brothers, Sean, Kieran and Brian and her brother in law Fintan O’Connor. John, a right–sided player, played formerly as a ‘winger’ and midfielder and most notably as a central defender. John’s lighting speed, strength and ability to ‘read’ the game were his great attributes. In a newspaper report on a cup match, between Portmarnock and at the time the highly rated Ashtown Villa, he was famously described as the ‘troublesome Ryan’. John played for Portmarnock 1st team from AUL division 2A in 1984 up to AUL Premier B in the early 1990’s. He later took up a role of player/ manager with the 2nd team winning a cup winners medal along the way. Subsequently he took up a similar position with the 3rd team at the same time as playing with the club’s over 35 team. During this time John and Cathy’s three sons Mark, Shane and Darren joined the ranks and once again John gave up his time to play a part in the coaching and managing of several of the underage teams they were involved in. John, along with Dave Mulligan,is currently managing the club’s U/12 team in which his son Darren is involved in and whom they have nurtured for the last four years, culminating in a four day football excursion to Glasgow over the Easter weekend. John’s loyalty and commitment to Portmarnock AFC over the last 22 years has been exceptional. His enthusiasm and affable nature have made him, in the eyes of parents, fellow managers, players, past and present, one of the most popular and respected members of Portmarnock Soccer Club. Known in the club simply as JR, there is no one more deserving!
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