 Colerhur spent a lifetime working out what was in Leta Kenny IT in the area of student liaison and sports development and has just this week received an award in Dublin for his contribution to third-level sport and Patty was presented with the award by Dr Una May who's CEO at Sport Ireland and also Matthew Dossett chairman of Student Sport Ireland and I'm glad the Patty joins us now in the studio. Patty congratulations first of all. Thank you very much John. Nice to be recognized now this was this was this is going back some time but the whole thing was delayed from COVID. That's right I'm going back but now I retired into 2021 so between online meetings and stuff like that things weren't happening so then I got a call then to say could you be there in Dublin yesterday so I was gladly appeared yeah. Brilliant. Tell us what what the award is about tell us the background. Ah very simply John it's recognition for doing a bit of work with the third-level colleges and also all aspects of sport really. There's been a few others in the past now it's not to say I'm alone in this. What sort of work are we chatting about? Well look the Student Sport Ireland do an enormous amount of work in terms of getting people creating events for people to compete in all sorts of events not not not the football and the basketball but all sorts of events. Students archery you name it karate water sports water sports all that type of thing so with students coming in there who are hugely talented yes who may not have had the opportunity to progress that talent while they were studying this was the door that opened for them and people like myself got them there got them home safely and got them I suppose to be a case of a lot of students coming in especially from rural areas and if it was a niche sport it just didn't happen you might have had to travel a really long distance to do it so in many cases you are trying to make that happen. Ah yeah and with the help of a very good body of people in the sport Ireland student sport Ireland organization they really catered to that I mean they decentralised the whole competition structure as well they took it from Dublin they took it to Athlone they took it to Carlo they took it to Sligo don dock they know they they help people help students get there they enabled them and they enabled the whole system by doing that which was was great there's a lot of work went into it like and there's still a lot of work on a voluntary level goes into it by like they have networking events now every year and you know they said to me yesterday we would like to have you at the network working events and we'd hope you would take an active role again and do we but help out and I will you I'll got it will I will you're now I see an honorary member of student sport Ireland so you're kind of you're kind of obliged almost they put the pressure on you squeeze a lot's down to individuals like yourself but also a lot is down to the the colleges in question so you know Paul downwards I suppose at the time definitely a very very supportive structure money was never really a problem but it was always there it was good available yeah and Patsy McGonigal before me and people like that you know it was very helpful it's reassuring to know that that's there and a lot of most colleges are the same but we certainly got a lot of help from the people and never can I and 80 you don't a call I should say because sometimes as it is now indeed sometimes we hear maybe the results are read out in sports news or we might see listing in the paper or whatever and we don't think about the story behind behind that student or athlete or how they how they got there and I suppose it's through roles like yours and colleges like a to you that have to make or quite happy to make that happen yeah and a lot of colleges university colleges there's university colleges now to you universities university colleges and a lot of private colleges as well where where the budgets mightn't be so so enhanced as ours would have been for sport right and and and they they got their people forward and have always kept that momentum going as well so it must give you great pride to to see some of the students that you helped and some of them progress maybe through that sport never mind through life but through that sport and the same applies to anybody that's involved in you know underage coaching and and development but but you would have seen a lot of students maybe competing at a regional and national level there's no doubt yeah there's people that were came there and probably they were ambivalent about going ahead with anything other than their studies and and they had they had a good they had a past which was very commendable and their sport and they were probably on the lines of thinking that I'm on third level now I'll cast it aside and enjoy life but the likes of that organization in particular would have helped them to grow and keep maintain that focus on their on their sport you know and as I say the footballers and the basketballers and all that they they have a separate network where they can identify and link into right away but the minority people certainly got a chance here yeah yeah it's niche sports very much and yeah these sports wouldn't wouldn't have that existing network to dip into that's right yeah like the FBI or the GA yeah they're they're well established sports and basketball Ireland's a well established sport so then say the others and and you know I don't know there's over there's a couple hundred events are going to see each year so you might be involved on the fringes or some way or other you never can tell John okay I'll bring my boots put it that's right we're gonna bring in your boots none of this would have been possible if it wasn't for your involvement in the Highland Radio football team for all those years that's where you got your I kept you covered I said Paddy got our congratulations to our one only brother on his great achievement we're always proud of me Mary Ann Margaret Rose Paddy Kelly and all your nieces there you go thanks John well listen congratulations again Paddy and not that I'm familiar with your work but if you're hanging like behind the scenes what you like out on the other side then you would have been certainly putting your shoulder to the wheel so it's great to see that it's recognized thanks John thank you very much