Ryan's Supervalu store has been established in Ballyhaunis since the early 1970s and this year sponsored the town's hurlers once again. It proved worthwhile with Ballyhanuis winning their third hurling championship in a row and fourth in five years. Ryan's Supervalu has played a central part in Ballyhaunis over the years, servicing the community and providing a friendly and respected service to its many customers. Through expansion of the business, adapting to customers' needs, quality of products and attention to detail, the firm has managed to succeed in the business. They are also the current sponsors of the Ballyhaunis hurling team. When the late Paddy Ryan retired in 2000, he left his business in good stead. His two sons, Pat and Willie, have since continued their father's good work professionally and with enthusiasm. Having founded the business, Paddy proved himself as a hard-working, generous and dedicated professional over the years in the business. Along with wife Josie, he bought a 900 square foot supermarket in Ballyhanuis in 1967. As business began to improve, the couple bought a clothing outlet overhead in 1972. Further success meant that buying a new supermarket was essential for business and in 1980, a new 4,500 square foot supermarket was acquired. They utilised this to further expand the existing premises. (This 4,500 sq ft became 8,000 sq ft in 1994). In 1988 another outlet was opened in Kiltimagh. Yet, like a great footballer hungry for more silverware, Paddy wanted to prove his business potential by continuously looking towards expansion. In 1993, he bought a building close to his Ballyhaunis premises and in 1994, the 8,000 square foot premises was officially opened. Later, with the foundations laid for the construction of a new supermarket, he decided to retire with the knowledge that Pat and Willie could take over the business. By 2004, the next phase of development was ready and the opening of a new 12,000 square foot store "state-of-the-art" store became a reality. Over the years, the late Paddy became closely connected with the GAA. He held the position of Treasurer in Ballyhaunis GAA club for some years. He also took an active role in underage football at the club, regularly bringing players to games and providing them with minerals and crisps after games. Ryan's Supervalu has sponsored both hurling and football activities within Ballyhaunis GAA club over the years. The club has proven itself to be progressive in both football and hurling at both senior and underage levels. Hurling was Paddy's great passion. He took immense pleasure in seeing his native Limerick win the All-Ireland final in 1973. In more recent times, he witnessed Ballyhaunis win the county senior hurling finals in 2002, 2004 (when they also reached the Connacht club final), 2005 and 2006. Paddy was instrumental in sponsoring the jerseys when Ballyhaunis won the above-mentioned county hurling finals. This year's success was completed with a 1-9 to 1-4 victory over James Stephens in the final. In April, the hurling sub-committee in Ballyhaunis GAA club approached the Ryan family about sponsoring the team again. Ryan's Supervalu were only too delighted to be involved. An official presentation took place at the Ballyhaunis GAA grounds in August. David McConn, John Joe Hoban, Martin McDermott, Peter Higgins and Frank Browne are among those involved on the committee. Other stalwarts of the hurling sub-committee include Howard Morley, Maire Bean Ui Mhuirthile, Ray Lucey and Gerry Kilbride. All have done sterling work trying to develop the game at both underage and senior level. Without such dedicated volunteers to the game, it is likely that counties such as Mayo would be unable to keep the game of hurling going. Instead, their involvement in the game and passion for its future development has meant that players of all ages have helped sustain its growth. Peter Higgins' son Keith was captain of the Mayo under-21 team which won this year's All-Ireland football title. He was also a member of the senior team which got to the All-Ireland final. The dual star played a pivotal role in Ballyhaunis' senior championship hurling success this year. Keith scored thirteen points in their drawn semi-final hurling replay against Tooreen and 1-10 in their second replay victory. He followed this up with an impressive eight points in the final. Elder brother Pierce captained the team. Pat Ryan played underage football at all levels for Ballyhaunis winning a county under-16 medal in 1979 when they beat Ballina Stephenites in the final. Willie Ryan is a former Secretary of Ballyhaunis GAA club and held the position in the Association's Centenary year. Willie believes that the association has a crucial role to play in the development of Irish life at all levels. Not only that, he maintains clubs are particularly important. "A sense of community is prevalent among the GAA's vast and divergent membership. And you know, the club structure is at the very core of what bonds this community together. "There is something special about All-Ireland finals day in Croke Park - whether it be football or hurling. Indeed it can be justifiably argued that both the hurling and football finals have a special place that resonates at the very heart of its huge following," he says. Willie has a great admiration for one of Gaelic games "greatest ambassadors", Micheal O Muircheartaigh. This may stem from the fact that Willie was a Gaelic Games commentator for MWR FM and NWR FM between 1989 and 2000. Willie covered the All-Ireland football finals in 1996 and 1997 and the All-Ireland club football finals in 1993 and 1999. Alongside his work as a broadcaster, O Muircheartaigh has also had a lifelong passion for the Irish language, so synonymous with the GAA. Despite his achievements as a broadcaster, Willie maintains that Micheal's humility over the years has been a delightful characteristic in his character. One particular memory stands out. Before this year's All-Ireland football final, Willie was standing across from Jury's Hotel. Micheal came out and stopped to speak to a man in a wheelchair. Although it was the biggest day in the GAA football calendar, Micheal spent three or four minutes speaking to him. Although Micheal had much to think about that day, he still found time to speak to that person. To Willie, it revealed a unique personality. "That for me was a poignant moment," Willie says. "It showed the special rapport which Micheal has with people. That Sunday when I saw him, I thought what he did was truly magnificent. That he stopped to speak to this man showed what a special person he is. He could easily have walked on amid all the rush of All-Ireland football Sunday. However this gesture showed that he is a real people's man. Willie is intensely interested in the game of hurling and his one big regret is not being able to cover an All-Ireland hurling final. As Mayo do not have the same hurling tradition as counties such as Galway and Cork, he is unlikely to ever be in a position to articulate their efforts to a nationwide audience on the top championship stage. And although Galway will never be too far away from All-Ireland honours, the localised radio structure means that he could only commentate to his own local audience. It would've been more appropriate for Willie if local radio had been more regionally structured as this would have given him access to Galway hurlers in the All-Ireland series. "I would've loved to have had the opportunity to commentate on Galway hurlers playing on the big day. It is something which I am disappointed about although I've enjoyed all the commentaries that I've done," he says. The management team in Ryan's Supervalu, Ballyhaunis are immensely dedicated to the company. Teamwork is central to their success. Regular meetings take place to give employees the opportunity of making a contribution. Each department head works alongside the management team. The Supervalu outlet offers its customers many advantages in the company. These include car-park facilities, 100% sourced Irish Beef and high hygiene standards. Pat is very interested in the planning and development side of the store. He is also keen on the stores' promotional aspects. Willie, meanwhile, is responsible for the finance, accounting and the marketing side of the business. Both directors would like to thank their loyal employees for their service over the years. Store manager Ray D'arcy is delighted with the growth levels experienced within the firm over the last two years. "At the end of the day, the customer is your greatest asset. One must try, as far as is possible, to have the product range, product variety, competitive pricing, high standards of hygiene and ease of access to the store," he says. On October 12th last, Ryan's Supervalu made a major breakthrough when they won the National Quality and Excellence Award held under the auspices of EIQA. This presentation take place in the Burlington Hotel. Emphasising hygiene has been of paramount importance in the store. Deputy Manager Karen Gildea looks after this area. She has completed a number of HACCP programmes at various venues. From these she designed a hygiene programme for the premises. This paid off handsomely with the above-mentioned national award. Assistant Manager Mary Sykes has proven herself with 25 years experience working in the store. As well as taking charge of the human resources area, she also attends ongoing programmes which are important to the store. From them, she organises instore induction and team training courses. The full-time employees from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Nigeria have all made a superb contribution to the company. Their dedication and discipline over the years has been outstanding. Ronan Egan has an important part to play in the Fresh Foods department. In 18 years at the store, he has proven himself as an excellent communicator and always puts customers' needs first. He also works very well with Karen Gildea in ensuring high hygiene standards. TJ McCarrick heads the butchery department. He has a high standard of presentational skills. This is clear from the different varieties of meat on display. Edel Finnegan, who heads the Deli section, echoes the views of Ronan Egan that sales were "phenomenal" during this year's summer months. July proved particularly good with the excellent weather contributing in no small way to the high level of sales. Alta Regan has done an excellent job as a member of the management team. She has responsibility for stock control and a number of department heads report to her. Alta also checks regularly to ensure that the various sections of the store are neither understocked nor overstocked. Michael Marigliano is trainee manager and is also head of the off-licence section. In addition to this, he is also studying part-time, aiming to complete a degree in management. He reads regularly on all the new wines available. He has been delighted at the rise in foreign beer sales reflecting the demand of the growing immigrant population in Ireland. The customer service desk has been very successful at Ryan's Supervalu. Its main remit is to deal with all customer queries. Evelina Gierek has responsibility for this area. A native of Poland, she is fluent in English and is also excellent at the Public Relations aspect of the business. She has been of good assistance to her Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian colleagues in the store. Marian Glynn is head of office administration and takes charge of the very important accounting and bookkeeping side of the business. She has been at the helm of these areas for over 14 years now. Mayo Akinbiodum is Information Technology Co-ordinator. Marian Biesty is Fruit and Vegetable Department Head, Kathleen Gibbons is Head of the Dairy Section while Ann Moylan is Head of Frozen Foods. Collette Greene is Head of Baby and Health Section. Margaret McGrath is Head of Sweets and Confectionery with Rommas working as Head of Store Organisation. John Jordan is Deliveries Store Co-Ordinator. Martina Henry, Ann Burke and Christine Marigliano work at the Cash-Desk. Declan Ruane is at the Fruit and Veg Section while Peter Timson is in the Off-Licence. Mairead Horkan works at the Meat Counter. Vieda, Reda, Cacha, Ali, Gregory, Klarissa, Dimitri, Ringaile, Ginetta, Ewa, Jvona, Vera Gavin and Sean Jordan work in the shop floor area. The store's weekend employees are Isobel, Louise Keane, Evelyn, Lydia, Margaret, Sinead, Carole and Louise Joyce. At this time of year, Willie and Pat Ryan would like to take this opportunity to extend a happy Christmas to all its many customers and to wish them all the best in the New Year. The highly successful "Santa" promotion will take place again this year. The role of Santa will be performed again by a member of the local community. The store would like to congratulate the Ballyhaunis hurlers on winning the senior championship once again. They also congratulate the Intermediate footballers' exploits in reaching the championship football semi-final. The store has been involved with sponsorship of underage football within the club in the past and would hope to be in a position to do so again in the future (or when the opportunity presents itself). Ryan's Supervalu would like to tender sincere thanks to the Officers at Ballyhaunis GAA club. These are Donal Moran (Chairman), Mary Prenty (Secretary), Ann Shanaghy (Treasurer) and Tommy Glynn (Assistant Treasurer) for their help and assistance at all times. Meanwhile, while Ryan's Supervalu continues to grow, Ballyhaunis hurling club continues to benefit from its generous sponsorship of the team. Both the company and the hurlers have proven their worth. It is appropriate then that their paths should cross through a combined passion for the game. And while Ryan's Supervalu can continue to reward its customers, Ballyhaunis will be hoping to continue to develop the game of hurling. Tweet

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