John O'Shea | |
---|---|
Born | 1944 (age 80–81) Limerick, Ireland |
Education | CBC Monkstown Park |
Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Occupation | NGO executive |
Years active | 1977–present |
Title | Founder & former CEO, GOAL |
John O'Shea (born 1944) is the founder and former CEO of GOAL, an Irish non-governmental organization devoted to assisting the poor. His first career was as a sports journalist and GOAL retains links to the sporting community, especially in Ireland.
O'Shea was shortlisted in the top 40 of 2010 RTÉ poll to find Ireland's Greatest person. [1]
O'Shea was born in County Wexford in 1944 and lived in Westport and in Cork. His father, a banker, moved the family to Dublin when he was 11. He was schooled in CBC Monkstown, played rugby at school and was a golfer and tennis player in Monkstown. O'Shea remains a fan of rugby, tennis and golf, playing tennis every Saturday and also giving opinions on Irish sports to radio and newspapers. [2] [3] O'Shea went on to study economics, English and philosophy at University College Dublin and had a career as a sports journalist in the Evening Press for many years after meeting Tim Pat Coogan whilst studying. [2] [3]
In 1977, O'Shea began a charitable organisation with a 10,000 punts donation for a feeding project in Calcutta, after which O'Shea founded GOAL. [4] The charity has a sporting backbone. John McEnroe, Pat Cash and Gordon D'Arcy are amongst the sportstars to have become Goalies (volunteers). [2] [5]
GOAL has distributed €790 million and has had over 1,400 volunteers. It has operated in over 50 countries worldwide. [4] O'Shea cites watching the Goalies working around the world as the best part of his years involved in the charity. O'Shea believes that governments of developed countries should be far more involved in the distribution of aid. Speaking on a tribute to his work in GOAL in 2007 on The Late Late Show , O'Shea said:
They were writing cheques and saying "it was nothing to do with us"...To help the poor, you've got to love the poor and this is why governments have failed. They talk about the poor, they issue statements about the poor but you don't get the feeling that Mandela had for his people, because he loved his people. We don't have people of that stature, we don't have people of that moral fibre at the top
'There is a fire raging - we need someone to put out the fire not hand out chocolate
In 2012, O'Shea was asked to slow down by his doctor. [7] In November 2012, former Fianna Fáil politician, Barry Andrews, was appointed chief executive of GOAL. [8]
O'Shea was criticised by some in the INGO community for advocating military invasion and intervention in Sudan by the US, UK and NATO, under the guise of humanitarian intervention. [9] [10] [11]
He was critical of perceived inaction by the UN in humanitarian crisis' in conflict zones [11] and of governmental aid agencies in giving aid directly to allegedly corrupt African governments. John O'Shea has advocated using private companies to provide aid and military forces to directly force aid on countries. Most other Irish Aid agencies disagree stating that every type of aid channels must be used and have described his policies as re-colonisation. [12]
O'Shea's stance was praised by the then Vice Chancellor of the Open University when it awarded him an honorary doctorate, John Naughton stating; "“He [John O’Shea] says openly that Western aid ought not to be channelled to governments that are proven to be either corrupt or brutal – and he is happy to name those regimes. Plain speaking of this order is not usually a way to win friends and influence people. But it has influenced us, which is why we honour him today." [13]
In 2008, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Notre Dame in recognition of his work. [14]
O'Shea gives talks at NUI Galway and interpersonal skills class UCD. He has become involved with the university for a few years where he shares his story. He is an advocate for social (non-profit) entrepreneurs and tries to convince students to go down that path. [15]
The Sunday Independent newspaper reported in 2010 that he drew a then annual salary of €98,320 as acting CEO of GOAL. [16]
The University of Galway is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland.
Michael Daniel Higgins is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster and sociologist who has been serving as the ninth president of Ireland since 2011.
Monkstown, historically known as Carrickbrennan, is a suburb in south Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is on the coast, between Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire while also bordering Sallynoggin and Deansgrange inland.
John Francis O'Shea is an Irish professional football coach and former player. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensive and midfield positions on either side of the pitch or the centre. O'Shea spent the majority of his playing career at Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two Football League Cups, four FA Community Shields, the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League. With 14 winners' medals, he is one of the most decorated Irish footballers of all time; only Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Steve Heighway and Ronnie Whelan have accrued more honours.
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh was an Irish Gaelic games commentator for the Irish national radio and television, RTÉ. In a career that has spanned six decades he came to be regarded as the "voice of Gaelic games." He has been described as a national treasure. His prolific career earned him a place in Guinness World Records.
Christian Brothers College, Monkstown Park is a private fee-paying Catholic school and Independent Junior school, founded in 1856 in Monkstown, Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland. The college arrived at Monkstown Park in 1950 from Eblana Avenue in Dún Laoghaire via a short stint on Tivoli Road. As of September 2022, it was in its 73rd academic year of existence at Monkstown Park, the 165th overall.
Pádraic Joyce is a Gaelic football manager and former player who played as a forward. He has been manager of the senior Galway county team since 2019.
Ciarán Cannon is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway East constituency from 2011 to 2024. He previously served as a senator for the Progressive Democrats and was the last elected leader of that party. He served as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2017 to 2020. He served as a Senator from 2007 to 2011, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
Dr. Eamon O'Shea is an Irish former hurler who played as a right wing-forward at senior level for the Tipperary and Dublin county teams.
The kidnapping of Sharon Commins and Hilda Kawuki was an international hostage crisis which lasted from 3 July until 18 October 2009. Sharon Commins, an aid worker from Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland, and Hilda Kawuki, a Ugandan colleague, were abducted from a compound run by the GOAL aid agency in north Darfur, Sudan. They were thought to have been abducted by the Janjaweed.
Paul Cunningham is an Irish journalist and author. He is currently Political Correspondent for RTÉ News. He has regularly reported on conflicts, natural disasters and other matters outside the EU. Most recently he reported from Iran, Ukraine and Iraq. He has won multiple awards for his work. Cunningham has also written two books, including Ireland's Burning.
The 2011 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship in association with RTÉ Sport for sponsorship reasons— is the premier competition of the 2011 camogie season. It commenced on 11 June 2011 and ended with the final on 11 September. Eight county teams compete in the Senior Championship out of twenty-seven who compete overall in the Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships. Wexford defeated Galway in the final, avenging a surprise 11-point defeat in the round-robin stage of the championship.
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh is an Irish former politician who has served as a Senator for the Agricultural Panel from 2011 to 2018.
Jason Doherty is a Gaelic footballer who plays for Burrishoole and, formerly, the Mayo county team. He started at centre forward in the 2012 All-Ireland Final which Mayo lost by 0-13 to 2-11 against Donegal.
The 2014 season was Eamon O'Shea's second year as manager of the Tipperary senior hurling team.
University of Galway GAA comprises the Gaelic football and hurling teams at the University of Galway.
Peter Caruth is an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the 2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At club level he has won Men's Irish Hockey League titles and the EuroHockey Club Trophy with Monkstown and the Kirk Cup with Annadale.
Kyle Good is an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that won the bronze medal at the 2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics. At club level he has won Men's Irish Hockey League titles, the Irish Senior Cup and the EuroHockey Club Trophy with Monkstown. He also played for three clubs – Three Rock Rovers, KHC Dragons and Monkstown – in the Euro Hockey League.
David Fitzgerald is an Irish hockey player. He plays for men's field hockey international. He was the reserve goalkeeper in the Ireland squad that won the bronze medal at the 2015 Men's EuroHockey Nations Championship. He was also in the squads that represented Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics and at the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup. Between 2007–08 and 2016–17, Fitzgerald played in six Irish Senior Cup finals for Monkstown. He was also a member of the Monkstown team that won three successive Men's Irish Hockey League titles between 2012–13 and 2014–15. He was Goalkeeper of the Tournament when Monkstown won the 2014 EuroHockey Club Trophy.
The Galway county football team represents Galway in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Galway GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Connacht Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.