Patrick Joseph O'Keeffe was an Irish soldier and long-time administrator of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
[3] In 1919, at the age of 21, Ó Caoimh gave up school teaching to become a full-time Volunteer officer and secretary of the Cork County Board, G.A.A.
Volunteer Michael O'Donoghue, "Now we made our way home to our 'digs' in twos and threes carrying our guns, keeping them with us until we were instructed to return them to the dump.
I went south up Sullivan's Quay alone, crossed over Parliament Bridge and back via Prince's St. and Oliver Plunkett St. to my 'den' in 31 Grand Parade.
(Peg was senior officer of Cork Cumann na mBan, and had been working two years earlier in my old 'digs' (Fitzgerald's at 104 Old Georges St.)).
We refused to associate with any convicts but our own lads, and when walking in circles on the exercise ground we arranged to break ranks and get together, whereupon the warders set upon us and rushed us to our cells.
Finally, the Governor agreed to 'house' us in cells all on the one landing and, after consultation with Crowe, our commandant, allowed us to remain together and not associate with the other prisoners.
The Reverend Father Dominic [O'Connor, "the patriot Franciscan"] wore prison garb and was detained in the hospital wing.
The chosen candidate would act as both the Secretary of the GAA and the Manager of Croke Park; be paid a salary of £300 (rising in annual increments of £10 to a maximum of £400), and be provided with a free house and electric light.
He resigned his positions at the Munster tobacco company and at the Cork County Board, and was appointed Secretary of the GAA.
[3] By far the most controversial episode in Ó Caoimh's 35-year career was the removal of Douglas Hyde, President of Ireland, as a Patron of the Association in 1938.
Hyde broke the GAA's ban on "foreign games" by attending an international soccer match in Dublin.
[3] One of Ó Caoimh's key achievements was the staging of the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Final in the Polo Grounds, New York.
One has to remember that in 1947 Europe, and America, were still recovering from World War II, air travel was still relatively novel and communications were still primitive.
In the space of five months Ó Caoimh oversaw the transfer of the All-Ireland Final to America and its radio broadcast back to Ireland.
A number of experiments were tried such as the St. Brendan Cup Competition, the inclusion of New York in the National League Finals and the initiation of a World Championship Series.
[3] One lasting legacy of the Ó Caoimh era that is still evident today is the drive he initiated to have a GAA-owned pitch in every parish.
[3] An obituary in The Irish Times' stated that "under his administrative genius the GAA became by far the strongest sports organisation in the country and reputedly the biggest amateur association of its kind in the world.
During his term of office, its membership grew to the huge proportions of today, including powerful branches in the United States, Britain, Australia and Africa; imposing stadia, of which Croke Park was his special care.