Alan Kerins is one of those people that a county is glad to have as its own. On the sporting field, he excelled in two codes, wearing the maroon and white with pride and competence.
He is one of the good guys. A committed sportsman and humanitarian, it was perhaps off the field that his good work made the biggest impact, with his selfless dedication to life-saving projects.
Alongside all of this, the Galwayman suffered trauma when he and his wife Ciara championed their son Ruadhán back from critical illness some years ago.
Alan Kerin’s career is one worth documenting and it is fitting that it should be featured as one of the programmes in tg4’s new series of the wonderful Laochra Gael programmes.
The definitive GAA sports series returns to TG4 this spring for a 22nd series. The series hour-long format has proved a huge success, bringing each player’s personal stories to screen.
The series features eight Laochra with genuine star quality and reveals deeper, fresh and sometimes unexpected insights into the lives of these icons.
While their sporting careers continue to provide the backdrop to the story, the series travels well beyond the four white lines. Gripping personal storylines will compel viewers to travel towards territory unique to the GAA television landscape.
In the case of Alan Kerins, his is a story full of humanity and honour. He played both senior hurling and football for Galway, picking up an All-Ireland Medal in the latter. His introduction to Gaelic Football at intercounty level was not without controversy back in 2001.
Already an established intercounty hurler, he was catapulted into the football set-up despite not even playing club championship with Salthill.
However his commitments paid off, as within the year he walked up the steps in Croke Park to collect the Sam Maguire. He holds the unique distinction of having won All-Ireland club medals in both hurling and football and is the only man to ever do so with different clubs.
But his greatest impact was surely The Alan Kerins Projects which the Galwayman founded in 2005 and has since raised over €5 million directly for many vital and life-saving projects and programmes for communities all over the world.
He now devotes his life to others and tt was this sense of community, spirituality, family and friends that sustained him and his wife Ciara when their son Ruadhán was critically ill.
The Laochra Gael programme featuring Alan Kerins, will air at 9.30pm, Thursday February 22. The series commences on Thursday January 25.
