Presidents of the GAA: Donal Keenan

Dr. Donal Keenan (1919-1990), Roscommon, was the twenty-fourth president of the GAA (1973-1977)

Dr. Keenan, while studying at UCD, captained the team that won UCD’s first Dublin Senior football championship in 1943.[1] He won an All-Ireland Junior medal with Roscommon in 1940, and Senior medals in 1943 and 1944[1], [2]

In 1965, Dr. Keenan started the Fr. Manning Cup, an inter-county competition for under-16s football, with George O’Toole and Fr. Phil McGee.[3]

Dr. Keenan was also involved in training, and trained the Roscommon team that won the Tim Clarke Cup in 1966.[4]

In 2010, he was included in the shortlist for the Ulster Bank Sigerson Team of the Century.[5]

Dr. Keenan’s son, also Donal, has written about the GAA for the Irish Independent, the Sunday Times, and The Irish Mail on Sunday, and is the author of “Brothers in Sport GAA: GAA Family Dynasties” (Mercier Press)

[4] GAA Family Silver, Humphrey Kelleher, 2013