TOM Nugent of Bracklyn, Co. Westmeath is the guest of honor for the 2009 New York GAA Board banquet.

"Tom Nugent is hugely deserving of being guest of honor for 2009 for the tremendous amount of work he does on behalf of the New York GAA. He works tirelessly for the board and has done so for many years, particularly as our financial secretary," said New York GAA Chairman John Riordan.

Nugent was involved with both the Westmeath hurling and football clubs when they were highly successful in New York. Regarded first and foremost as a hurling man, he was involved with Westmeath teams which went to 11 New York county finals, winning the senior hurling titles in 1990, '92, '93 and '96. Westmeath captured the double in '96 by winning the senior football title. He has also been involved with the New York hurling teams first as a selector and most recently as the team's skilled hurley man.

In the last few years he has been involved with the Galway Hurling Club and while his encyclopedic knowledge of young hurlers in Ireland has not resulted in any titles of late, there are many hundreds of young men who owe their involvement with the New York GAA to Nugent.

The New York GAA Banquet will be held at Antun's in Queens Village on Sunday, March 1.