James Nowlan

James Nowlan (1862 – June 1924) was president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) from 1901 to 1921 and is the longest serving president of that organisation. He was also a Sinn Féin representative and member of the Gaelic League. In 2009, he was named in the Sunday Tribunes list of the 125 Most Influential People In GAA History. Patrick Nowlan was a cooper from Kilkenny city and possibly moved from there to work at Cassidy's Whiskey in Monasterevin. James Nowlan also trained as a cooper.

Career

Nowlan was a member of Conradh na Gaeilge, a lifelong supporter of the Irish language revival movement and a supporter of Sinn Féin from its foundation in 1905. In 1898, he was elected an alderman of Kilkenny Corporation. He used his time in this position to help promote the GAA, which had been set up 14 years prior and was a relatively new organisation at the time.

In 1900, he became the first chairman of the Leinster Council of the GAA. He was elected president of the GAA nationally at the 1901 Congress held in September of that year. He would hold that position for twenty years - making him the longest serving president. In September 2016 the GAA unveiled a new trophy named The James Nowlan Cup to be presented to the All-Ireland under-21 hurling champions.