Tipperary's Paudie Butler receives GAA Lifetime Achievement Award

Tipperary's Paudie Butler has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 GAA Coaching Conference.

He became the National Hurling Director in 2005 and continued in this role until 2010, during which time he travelled the length and breadth of the country delivering hurling workshops, coaching courses and seminars to hurling coaches at all age levels.

He had earlier cut his coaching teeth as a teacher and then principal at his local primary school in Inch, Tipperary and with his club Drom-Inch, quickly earning a reputation for being a very innovative and successful coach with both the school and the club.

When the GAA commenced training its own tutors to deliver their Coach Education programme, Paudie was one of the first to be upskilled into the Master Tutor or Tutor Trainer role.

He delivered many a course to new tutors and was now influencing coaching in a different way in that the tutors he was upskilling would pass on some of the traits, skills and knowledge to the coaches that they would meet on the courses.

He continues to have a major influence on how Gaelic games are coached.

Speaking to GAA.ie about his Lifetime Achievement award, he stated “I’m thrilled, I’m really delighted about it. Especially for my wife Miriam and my family who gave me the freedom. And the GAA who had the faith in me to put me around every county in Ireland and abroad.

“We were there in the beginning when coaching was only beginning to get its own life and its own respect. And I think the way hurling is being played now is just so beautiful, and camogie is rising all the time.

“I’m chuffed, I’m really honoured."

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