Retirement Tribute To Harry McGuigan 6th Dan
I first met Harry McGuigan in early 2002 when he had just taken over as manager of the Irish Masters Squad, just in time to compete in Derry in June of that year. The World Masters Judo was gathering momentum and Willie Lyons and Jack Dennis had both suggested I should take part. They both characteristically said “ah you know Harry” but in fact I didn’t as I was just a social judoka up to that point.
After a week of cheering on the impressive Irish performances in Derry, Harry was delighted to take Bronze in his own category. He told me at the medal ceremony that he hadn’t competed since 1984 and had had no idea how he would fare. The following year the Master Athlete event was hosted in the Kodokan in Tokyo and the Irish Master Squad moved up a gear to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. Harry and Willie organised fund-raising nights and Harry hosted Master Squad sessions on a regular basis. In Harry’s own words to me these were as much bonding exercises as training sessions and I found out over later events that the Irish Master Squad were the envy of some other Nations because of the way we trained, travelled and indeed wined and dined together on a National level.
In those Golden pre-recession days Harry was also able to organise some modest funding from the Irish Judo Association. After Japan, Harry guided the Squad as far afield as Austria, Brazil, Canada for further World Masters glories including his personal best of Silver (2007), more Bronzes (2005 and 2008), and fifth places (2003 & 2004). Although Harry and I missed the very start of the Movement, we were in Hungary in 2003 for the very first EJU organised event where on the first day he took Gold. Subsequent World and European events have suggested to me that the European Event is equally if not more challenging than the World events but Harry proved this was no fluke by taking Silver in 2006.
As more Nations began to host Masters’ events or at least introduce the category into regular events, Harry was also able to take Gold in the Irish Open (2002),USA Masters (2003), Austrian (2005) and Hungarian Masters, as well as medals in Belgium, France and Britain. His fighting records speak for themselves but I also have fond memories of Harry organising flights, accommodation and competition entries and constantly e-mailing or texting the Master Squad Members to keep them informed and motivated,using both his native Irish and his entertaining English to keep us involved.
He also inspired by suffering through a number of serious injuries which hampered his training but not his competing and was known to consider a number of retirements to appease his family’s concerns before the call of the mat became too strong to resist. Willie Lyons even organised a presentation which proved to be premature! Early in the year Harry indicated to me that he was considering retirement (only from this aspect of his vast judo career) and finally in September 2011 he confirmed that, due to injury and new family commitments, he was standing down from the Master Squad.
Too often in life we only honour those that have passed away and I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank and honour Harry for his contribution to Irish Masters’ Judo. As he reminded me both verbally and by his presence at recent Dan Gradings and the Leinster Open he is very much still active in all his other judo commitments. His contribution to Irish Judo will outlive us all!
for more photos...look here
Donal Tannam
Master Squad Member since 2002
