The Ó Súilleabháin Clann of Munster

An O'Sullivan was a legend of the Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association was formed on November 1, 1884 to promote and preserve traditional Irish sports and culture.  Maurice Davin (founding president), Michael Cusack, John Wise Power, John McKay, J.K. Bracken, Joseph Ryan, and Thomas St. George McCarthy met in the billiards room of the Hayes Hotel in Thurles, Tipperary to create an association to promote hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball, and rounders. The association has grown to champion Irish music, Irish dance, and the Irish language as well.  

Dr. William O’Sullivan (1874 – 1953) was a member of the Dr. Crokes GAA Club in Killarney. Before joining the club, O’Sullivan had reached the pinnacle of athletic performance in rugby, cricket, hockey, and rowing, all traditionally English sports. He was the captain of the Queens College Cork team when it won the Munster Senior Rugby Cup in 1895. He was also an Irish Rugby International Player in the same year.

Once the GAA was formed, O’Sullivan focused his athletic passion on Irish sports. He played on both county and club teams during the 1890s and played on the Laune Rangers in the All Ireland Final of 1892. He went on to become a very successful trainer in the GAA.

Due to his strong nationalist sympathies he was forced to leave Killarney during the Black and Tan blight. While in exile to Newcastle he successfully completed his medical studies at Edinburgh earning his M.D. degree.  Once the Free State was established, Dr. O’Sullivan was made a senator and served the fledgling republic in Seanad Eireann from 1922 to 1935.

He was in the fore when Kerry beat Kildare for the All Ireland title as the team physician. The local newspaper reported: “Dr. O’Sullivan of Killarney tended to the needs of players from both sides.”

One of the most influential editors in the world is an O'Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is editor-in-chief of United Press International. He was Editor of National Review from 1988 to 1997 and in 1998 was named Editor-at-Large. His previous posts have included special adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, associate editor of the London Times, assistant editor of the London Daily Telegraph, and editor of Policy review.

O’Sullivan was born in Great Britain in 1942. He was educated at London University where he received a B.A. (Hons.) and a Diploma of Social Studies. He stood for Parliament as a Conservative in the 1970 general election for Gateshead West.

He is the founder and co-chairman of the New Atlantic Initiative, an international bipartisan effort dedicated to reinvigorating and expanding the Atlantic community of democracies. The NAI was formally launched at the Congress of Prague in May 1996.

O’Sullivan has published articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Policy review, The national Interest, The New Criterion, the Times Literary Supplement, The American spectator, The Spectator (London), Quadrant, and other journals.

He is on the Executive Advisory Board of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, the Advisory Council of the Social Affairs Unit in London, and the Honorary Board of the Civic Institute in Prague. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.) in the 1991 New Year's Honors List. He lectures on British and American politics.

The first woman president of the University of Virginia is a Sullivan.

Leaders of the University of Virginia recently elected Teresa A. Sullivan, provost at the University of Michigan, to be president of Virginia's higher education flagship. Sullivan, 60, started work on August 1, 2010, in a post regarded as one of the most visible in public higher education. She will receive an annual compensation package of $680,000 and will be the first female president of U-Va., the school founded in 1825 as an "academical village" by Thomas Jefferson.

The world's leading global warming theory debunker is an O'Sullivan

Science writer and legal analyst specializing in anti-corruption, John O'Sullivan was born in Berkshire, England, of immigrant Irish parents in 1961. As an accredited academic, John taught and lectured for over twenty years at schools and colleges in the east of England as well as successfully litigating for over a decade in the New York State courts and U.S. federal 2nd circuit.

A successful year, 2010 saw John establish himself as the world's most popular Internet writer on the greenhouse gas theory (Google)

As an analytical commentator, O'Sullivan has published over 150 major articles worldwide. In the U.S. his work features in the 'National Review,’ America's most popular and influential magazine for Republican/conservative news. Among other internationally esteemed publications he has appeared in 'China Daily,' the Number One English portal in China, as well as 'India Times,' the prime source of business news in India.

As a direct consequence of controversial revelations in his ‘Satellite-gate’ article the U.S. Government swiftly removed a degraded orbital space satellite from service.

An Important Irish Educator was an American O'Sullivan

James J. Sullivan was born to Thomas and Mary Ann (nee Keane) Sullivan in New York, 1921. He would later gain two sisters; Virginia and Teresa. Thomas and Mary Anne were immigrants from Ireland; Kilrush, Co. Clare and Derryard, Co Clare, respectively.

Thomas, who had been a G.I. during WW I, passed away in 1927. Mary Ann later married James Haugh, also an immigrant from her home locality. At the end of 1933, the family returned to Ireland, where two further daughters were born; Mary-Ann (Maisie) and Lourda.

At the age of sixteen, James joined the order of the Christian Brothers (1937). He received his PhD in 1959 and was appointed head of education in St. Mary’s College, Marino, Dublin. In 1966 he was appointed to the chair of education in St.Patrick’s College, Maynooth. As a non-cleric, over the coming twenty years he would play a pioneering role in the transition of the institution, from a historical place of study for diocesan male clergy, to a University that opened its doors to all. During this period he also performed research which would culminate in the highly regarded Marino Graded Word Reading Scale (1970); a work designed to analyze the reading ability of children, at each age level, throughout their primary and secondary education. The work is still used to this day, and is often cited. The Marino Institute of Education refers extensively to the importance of the work, in its report of 2006-2007. Br. Suilleabhain would also hold the position of Vice President of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland (ESAI) between 1982 and 1984, and President until his death in 1986. The love and promotion of Irish culture and the Irish language was prominent throughout his life. 1964 saw the publication of “Eist agus Labhair” (Listen and Speak), which included an audio tape to assist in pronouncing Gaelic words in their correct form. This American son, whose tall physical stature emphasized his presence, traveled extensively throughout the world as an ambassador for both education and his Order, but would remain known for his humble, yet warm and approachable personality. Among the thousands in attendance at his funeral some of the recorded dignitaries included; Chief Justice O’Donnell of Northern Ireland, Bishops Kavanagh, Mc Kernan and Flynn, and Mary O’Rourke; past pupil and later Minister of State for Employment.

O’Briain, C.L.  “Educational record”

Irish Times, Sept 20 1994. “Mentor”

Marino Institute of Education President’s Report 2006/07

NUI Maynooth, record of professors.

Photograph; Meeting Pope Paul VI (cropped).

The Most Influential Film Producer in Ireland is an O'Sullivan

Morgan O’Sullivan is the 2011 recipient of the Irish Film and Television Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Industry Award. Born in 1945, Morgan O'Sullivan is the Managing Director of World 2000 Entertainment Ltd, and has been responsible for bringing several big budget features such as 'King Arthur', 'Veronica Guerin' and 'Braveheart' and the mammoth television series 'The Tudors' and ‘Camelot’ to shoot in Ireland. He has also produced dozens of other features including ‘P.S. I Love You’, ‘Angela’s Ashes’, ‘Reign of Fire’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ alongside many TV dramas such as ‘RAW’, ‘Father and Son’, ‘My Boy Jack’ and ‘Northanger Abbey’.

An O’Sullivan was a Legendary Martial Arts Expert

Barry O’Sullivan started his training in the martial arts at the age of fourteen in his hometown of Chepstow, South Wales. He studied under the Canadian Master of Shaolin Kempo, Jeff Harris. At the age of 24 Barry opened his first club, Flying Dragon Institute of Martial Arts. His fighting empire soon grew to seven individual clubs with over 300 students. He developed a unique technique that combined traditional Shaolin Kempo with the art of Thai Boxing, years before the world-wide martial arts community recognized the superiority of hybrid forms of defense.

O’Sullivan’s flamboyant style belied his serious approach to training. He liked to say, “Train hard, fight easy.” Unfortunately, O’Sullivan eventually found it necessary to apply his warrior spirit to a formidable foe known to all, cancer. Long after his doctors had predicted his demise, O’Sullivan continued to astound audiences with his fighting prowess.

Source: Fighters (The Martial Arts Magazine), June, 1989.  

The Most Popular Comedic Television Writer in England was a Sullivan

John Sullivan created and wrote some of the most popular British comedic television programs including Only Fools and Horses. Unlike many modern comedy writers who work in large teams, Sullivan always wrote solo. He grew up in South London and he intimately knew and loved the real life duckers and divers who inspired his lower middle-class characters.

As Richard Littlejohn reported in The Mail, “Sullivan's writing was a process of constant refinement, honing the punch-line, waiting for the right moment. He had an ear for dialogue and an eye for the absurd, as inventive with sight gags as one-liners. His characters and catchphrases have become part of the fabric of the nation.”

Sadly, Mr. Sullivan died in 2011 at the age of 64.  

A Sullivan is a Top Paralympic Athlete

Katy Sullivan is a gifted actress, a paralympic athlete and an inspirational story for everyone. You may recognize her as the feisty redhead on "My Name Is Earl" or maybe you have heard her sing the National Anthem ... but she is something special on those 'sexy, titanium Terminator legs' as she holds Paralympic World Records in the 100M and 200M Races. Look for her in competition at The Endeavor Games and at The US Paralympic Championships in June 2011.

A  Sullivan Becomes CEO of Brown Shoe

Following its recent annual shareholders' meeting Diane M. Sullivan assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Shoe Company, Inc. Brown Shoe is a $2.7 billion global footwear company.

The company announced in January its promotion of Sullivan, who previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer. She steps into the role today following a four-month transition period from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Fromm. Fromm remains Brown Shoe's Chairman of the Board.

Sullivan joined Brown Shoe in 2004 as President, adding the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2006, and was first elected to Brown Shoe's Board of Directors in 2007. Sullivan has served as the architect of the company's brand strategy, driving enhancements including the growth of Famous Footwear to $1.5 billion; the recent acquisition of athletic footwear maker American Sporting Goods, which added strength in performance athletics with leading brands Avia®, ryka® and AND 1®; the development of a $250 million contemporary footwear business with brands including Via Spiga®, Sam Edelman® and Vera Wang Lavender™; and the evolution of flagship women's brand Naturalizer® to a global multichannel business. She drove investments in Brown Shoe's global sourcing network, product development and design talent, resulting in design and technology innovations that create an even better footwear experience for consumers.

Before joining Brown Shoe, Sullivan served as Vice Chairman of the Footwear Group for Phillips-Van Heusen from 2001 to 2004. She established herself in the footwear industry at a pair of leading companies, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer for Stride Rite Corporation, where she worked from 1995 until 2001, and, prior to that, as Vice President, Product and Marketing for The Rockport Company.

The Co-Founder of Outback Steakhouse Inc. is a Sullivan.

Chris Sullivan, 57, who co-founded and grew Outback Steakhouse Inc. into Tampa Bay's most successful and best recognized hometown company, is widely recognized in business circles as a tireless advocate of free enterprise and for his steady opposition to mandatory health insurance rules and efforts to raise the minimum wage.

As the CEO of a nationwide restaurant company with eight chains, more on the drawing board, and a growing international presence, Sullivan is a power to be reckoned with. Sullivan is a major contributor to his University of Kentucky alma mater, where he received a degree in business administration in 1972. Sullivan and Outback are marketing legends on many fronts. Outback Steakhouse has flown multiple times to the Middle East to support and feed U.S. troops with Outback steaks and fixings. Sullivan also was named in 2003 to the Scripps Florida Funding Corp., the oversight organization created to oversee the state's $500-million-plus investment in the Scripps Florida Research Institute to be built in Palm Beach County.

Under Sullivan, an avid Republican, Outback assembled one of the country's biggest corporate political action committees. Sullivan's real clout lies in his 17-year role in building a powerhouse among casual dining restaurant companies. He transformed one Outback Steakhouse in Tampa into a multichain giant with $3.3-billion in revenues, a market value of $3.5-billion, and more than 69,000 employees.

For full St. Petersburg Times article, please click on photo.