Paddy was a great sports man having played football for St. Senan’s Kilkee as a young man and played basketball for Kilkee while serving as a committee member. When it comes to Clare GAA’s most loyal supporters, Paddy was certainly among them, he travelled to length and breath of the country, be it hurling or football. Paddy was well known as a regular contributor for the Clare County Express, sports reporter for Clare FM and an our sports reporter here at Raidió Corca Baiscinn and the RCB Sports Show. He also featured in a 2010 documentary looking back on the Kilkee Strand Races.
Paddy was part of a group of five Kilkee men who were involved in the publication of ‘Kilkee, A Sporting Odyssey’ about the history of the GAA and other sports in the coastal West Clare town. Ger Keane, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Paul Costelloe (RIP) and Patrick Keane formed the committee alongside McDonnell.
West Clare may be traditionally seen as a football area more so then a hurling territory but Paddy helped form Kilkee/Bealaha hurling club in the 1990’s serving as the club’s President to this present day.
Renowned Clare Sports Reporter Seamus Hayes and Adrian O’ Connor of RCB Sports Show at Raidió Corca Baiscinn here in Kilkee gave tribute to Paddy for all his support for Sports thru the years.